As the greatest striker at the turn of the millennium watched on in the stands, how fitting it was that Harry Kane put on a show to further his case as the greatest No 9 currently walking the planet.
England’s captain doesn’t have the iconic haircut or Samba-style skills of Brazilian Ronaldo but he is a complete modern-day forward with the numbers to back it up.
This was his 250th goal for Tottenham, and his 185th in the Premier League to go past Sergio Aguero into fourth on the all-time list, three behind Andy Cole in third.
But perhaps more importantly for him and Tottenham, the goal came after a far-from-polished performance from both Kane and his team-mates.
Tottenham Hotspur have officially gone top of the Premier League after beating Wolves 1-0 at home on Saturday afternoon
It was Harry Kane who broke the deadlock by finding the back of the net for Tottenham in the 64th minute of the game
The England international scored a header at the back post after Perisic managed to flick the ball on from the near post
Kane (right) has now netted 185 Premier League goals for Spurs, overtaking Sergio Aguero with Manchester City
This is what the greatest strikers do: impact games in which they’ve had little service. And this is what the greatest teams do: grind out wins even when not at their best.
So are Tottenham genuine title contenders? Let’s not get carried away, but the early signs are promising. But the main takeaway is this. Would Tottenham have won this match in the pre-Antonio Conte era? Maybe, but nine times out of 10, almost certainly not.
Spurs have put in a few performances a season in the last decade where one thought they looked like they could genuinely beat any team in the division. But then campaigns have been pockmarked with sloppy dropped points against mid-table teams.
Spurs boss Antonio Conte was allowed on the sideline despite his spat with Thomas Tuchel during their clash with Chelsea
Ivan Perisic made his first start and it was interesting to observe, with the Croatian virtually playing as a fourth forward
New boy Goncalo Guedes made his first start after signing from Valencia 10 days ago and looked sharp, playing the full 90
They’ve come from behind to beat Southampton and now toppled a decent Wolves side – two teams who won here last season. So that’s six points gained, plus another in a subpar performance at Chelsea.
MATCH FACTS
TOTTENHAM (3-4-3): Lloris 6.5; Sanchez 6, Dier 6.5, Davies 7; Royal 6, Bentancur 7, Hojbjerg 7, Perisic 8 (Sessegnon 76); Kulusevski 7.5 (Bissouma 86), Kane 7.5, Son 6 (Richarlison 76)
Subs not used: Forster, Doherty, Gil, Tanganga, Lucas, Lenglet.
Booked: Hojbjerg, Kane.
Manager: Antonio Conte 6.
WOLVES (4-2-3-1): Sa 7; Jonny 6, Kilman 7, Collins 7, Ait-Nouri 7 (Semedo 71, 6); Neves 6.5, Moutinho 6 (Dendoncker 58, 6); Neto 6 (Adama 71, 6), Nunes 6.5, Podence 6 (Jimenez 58); Guedes 7 (Hwang 81).
Subs not used: Sarkic, Boly, Toti, Cundle.
Booked: Ait-Nouri, Collins.
Manager: Bruno Lage 6.5.
‘We played very well against this fantastic team and top manager,’ said Wolves boss Bruno Lage. ‘The first half was very good and we controlled the game.’
Conte agreed, and said: ‘We struggled physically in the first half. But we suffered together.’
Ivan Perisic made his first start for the club and was interesting to observe, as the Croatian played high and virtually as a fourth attacker in a 4-2-4 shape in possession.
As Spurs looked lethargic and slow in attacking situations, Perisic used an injury stoppage to coach a ball-boy, gesticulating at the young lad to give him the ball quicker.
‘Today I saw the Ivan I know from Inter,’ said Conte, adding that he is helping mentor young left back Ryan Sessegnon, who was unlucky to miss out today.
‘Battle of the Bridge II’ talk perhaps distracted from that display last week and this was another far from their best, but it will do, and it sent them momentarily top of the table.
Whether they can challenge Manchester City and Liverpool’s duopoly on the division is a huge question but so far, so good, with Nottingham Forest, West Ham and Fulham up next.
Kane’s decisive goal will not be one for his growing archives but in many ways it was a typical of him. A quick search through the memory recalls a similar decisive back-post header in Russia against Tunisia, and one to win a North London derby.
As Ronaldo in the stands was so good at, Kane has that knack of ghosting into the right place at the right time to score.
In truth, Wolves were the better team for the first hour of this match, with Spurs mustering just one shot in the first half to the away team’s 11.
New signing Goncalo Guedes looked sharp for Wolves and had a couple of half-chances including a close, glanced header, while Pedro Neto also might have done better as he snatched at a loose ball in the box.
‘We played very well against this fantastic team and top manager,’ said Wolves boss Bruno Lage. ‘The first half was very good and we controlled the game.’
Conte agreed, and said: ‘We struggled physically in the first half. But we suffered together.’
Ivan Perisic made his first start for the club and was interesting to observe, as the Croatian played high and virtually as a fourth attacker in a 4-2-4 shape in possession.
As Spurs looked lethargic and slow in attacking situations, Perisic used an injury stoppage to coach a ball-boy, gesticulating at the young lad to give him the ball quicker.
‘Today I saw the Ivan I know from Inter,’ said Conte, adding that he is helping mentor young left back Ryan Sessegnon, who was unlucky to miss out today.
Perisic ran in behind without supply, but looked good when he did get the ball and floated in some inviting crosses, one of which Kane forced Jose Sa into a smart save.
But that was their only attempt of the half, as groans were heard around the stadium, when not being drowned out by encouraging roars from Wolves’ sea of golden shirts in the away end – well played to each of them for fighting through train chaos to be here.
‘We had a time in between halves to analyse, and then we played with much more energy, intensity and put them under pressure,’ added Conte.
Spurs came out swinging and hit the woodwork twice early in the second half. Kane was denied by the crossbar and Son Heung-min rattled the post from close range.
And just as at Chelsea last week, Spurs’ decisive moment came from a set-piece, as Perisic flicked a header onto Kane to cushion the ball into an empty net.
In a sport increasingly dominated by fine margins, Conte’s side can thank Gianni Vio for those two goals. The Italian set-piece coach also worked for European champions Italy under Roberto Mancini and has been working hard on the training ground to improve Spurs’ dead-ball potency.
That attention to detail sums up Conte’s side. ‘Last season, this type of game, we might have lost,’ added Conte. And that’s at least six points gained already on last term and it’s so far, so good with 35 battles to win.
Wolves did trouble Hugo Lloris as the Tottenham keeper was forced to pull of some impressive saves to keep a clean sheet
Nathan Collins also had a good game – providing several crucial blocks to stop the likes of Kane adding to his tally
As for Kane, best No 9 on the planet? Messieurs Lewandowski, Benzema and Haaland might disagree. Best in Premier League history? Well the stats do not lie – carry on like this, and he will certainly be up there.
Only Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney and Andy Cole stand above him in the all-time Premier League scorers chart.
Keep an eye over your shoulders, chaps.
Relive the action with Sportsmail’s live blog for the Premier League clash between Tottenham and Wolves.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/live/article-11124117/Tottenham-vs-Wolves-Premier-League-2022-23-Live-Result.html
