KARL WHITEHOUSE LOOKS AT THE HISTORY OF WOLVES V TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
FIRST MEETING
- The two clubs first met on 1st September 1908 at White Hart Lane in Division 2 in front of 20,000 fans, with Tottenham winning 3-0.
- Their first encounter in Division 1 was on 28th August 1933 at White Hart Lane in front of 20,953 fans, resulting in a 4-0 victory for Tottenham. This match was their first meeting after being promoted as champions from Division 2 in the 1931-1932 season.
- In the FA Cup, their inaugural clash was on 23rd April 1921 at Stamford Bridge in the final, watched by 72,805 spectators, and Tottenham won 1-0. Due to the absence of a national football stadium at the time, the final was held at Stamford Bridge.
- Their first League Cup meeting took place in Round 2 on 3rd September 1969 at Molineux in front of 34,017 fans, where Wolves secured a 1-0 victory. The first encounter in the Premier League occurred on 6th December 2003 at White Hart Lane in front of 34,825 spectators, ending in a 5-2 win for Tottenham. The scorers for Tottenham were Robbie Keane with a hat-trick, Frederic Kanoute, and Stephane Dalmat, while the scorers for Wolves were Paul Ince and Alex Rae. Wolves’ team sheet included Oakes, Irwin, Butler, Craddock, Naylor, Cameron, Ince, Kennedy, Rae, Camara, and Blake, with Sturridge and Miller as used substitutes, and Dave Jones as the manager.
MOST RECENT MEETING
- The most recent Premier League match took place on 11th November 2023 at Molineux, where Wolves won 2-1 against Tottenham. The goal scorers were Brennan Johnson for Tottenham, and Pablo Sarabia and Mario Lemina for Wolves.
- In the FA Cup, the teams had a 4th Round tie replay after drawing 1-1 at White Hart Lane. The replay occurred on 7th February 1996 at Molineux, with Tottenham securing a 2-0 victory over Wolves in front of 27,846 fans.
- The most recent League Cup encounter happened on 22nd September 2021 in the 3rd Round at Molineux, with 28,798 spectators in attendance. The match ended 2-2, leading to a penalty shootout where Tottenham emerged victorious with a 3-2 scoreline.
BIGGEST WIN
- Wolves’ biggest League victory over Tottenham happened on 19th January 1935 at Molineux. They won 6-2 in front of 28,209 fans. Major Frank Buckley was the Wolves manager at the time.
- In the Premier League, Wolves’ largest win against Tottenham was a 3-1 victory at Wembley. The match took place while Tottenham’s new stadium was being constructed. The crowd numbered 46,356, with Wolves leading 1-0 at half time and scoring two more goals in the second half through Boly, Jimenez, and Costa. It was Wolves’ first trip to Wembley since winning the Sherpa Van Trophy against Burnley on 29th May 1988. The team on that day included Patricio, Bennett, Boly, Doherty, Coady, Dendoncker, Jonny, Neves, Traore, Cavaleiro, Jimenez, with Costa, Moutinho, and Gibbs White coming on as substitutes. Nuno Espírito Santo was the Wolves manager.
BIGGEST DEFEAT
- Wolves suffered their biggest loss to Tottenham in Division 1 on 27th March 1965 at White Hart Lane with a score of 7-4 in front of 25,974 spectators.
- In the League Cup, Wolves faced their biggest defeat against Tottenham with a 2-1 loss at Molineux during the semifinal 1st Leg in front of a crowd of 28,327.
- The most significant FA Cup defeat for Wolves against Tottenham was a 3-0 win for Tottenham in a semi-final replay after the original game ended 2-2 on 11th April 1981. The first match took place at Hillsborough with a crowd of 50,174, and the replay was held four days later on 15th April 1981 at Highbury with a crowd of 52,539.
MATCH OF THE DAY
The closest game before the upcoming match between the two teams happened on 10th February 2010. Wolves won 1-0 with David Jones scoring the only goal.
Do You Remember?
Tottenham 2 Wolves 3 1st March 2020 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in Premier League
Wolves made their first visit to the newly renovated Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after the home team’s complete ground redevelopment, following their stint at Wembley Stadium. The game kicked off with Wolves showing confidence, as Adama Traore took the first shot, which went wide after just 8 minutes.
Tottenham took advantage of a mistake by Romain Saiss, whose misplaced pass allowed Spurs to attack. Aurier crossed for Dele Alli, whose shot was saved by Patricio, but Bergwijn tucked away the rebound to give Tottenham a 1-0 lead.
Wolves quickly responded as the wing backs caused issues for Spurs. Ruben Vinagre’s play with Diogo Jota led to Matt Doherty scoring the equaliser, making it 1-1. Both teams had chances before half-time, with Spurs eventually taking the lead through Aurier in injury time, making it 2-1.
In the second half, Wolves started brightly, with Jota equalising to make it 2-2. Jota then set up Jimenez for the third goal, putting Wolves in front at 3-2. In the final minutes, Neto and Dendoncker came on as substitutes, providing fresh energy. Wolves had a chance to extend their lead further but Jimenez missed the target. The final whistle blew, and Wolves celebrated a 3-2 victory over Tottenham.
Full Time: Tottenham 2 Wolves 3
Tottenham Hotspur Team: Gazzaniga, Dier, Tanganga (Ndombele 76), Sanchez, Aurier (Fernandes 82), lo Celso, Winks, Davies (Parrott 90), Moura, Bergwijn, Alli; Subs Vorm, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Skipp.
Goal Scorers: Bergwijn, Aurier
Manager: Jose Mourinho
Wolves Team: Patricio, Doherty, Vinagre, Boly, Coady, Saiss, Moutinho, Neves, Traore (Neto 74), Jimenez (Podence 90), Jota (Dendoncker 79); Subs Ruddy, Buur, Kilman, Gibbs-White.
Goal Scorers: Doherty, Jota, Jimenez
Manager: Nuno Espirito Santo
A Little More History
Tottenham 1 Wolves 3 24th November 1973 at White Hart Lane in Division 1.
Wolves came into the game with just 1 point from their previous away matches. Spurs had a strong start, earning an early penalty when Palmer handled the ball in the box from a cross by Peters. Chivers successfully converted the penalty, putting Tottenham ahead 1-0 after 15 minutes.
Tottenham continued to press, with Peters and Coates having attempts saved by the Wolves goalkeeper, Parkes. However, Wolves fought back with Powell scoring a fantastic goal from outside the box, levelling the score at 1-1.
Wolves nearly took the lead when Dougan’s header hit the crossbar from a free kick. They eventually went ahead when Palmer’s shot found the back of the net, making it 2-1 to Wolves at half-time.
In the second half, Hibbitt extended Wolves’ lead to 3-1 with a well-placed shot. Tottenham struggled to break through the Wolves defence, with Chivers and Evans missing chances.
The game ended with Wolves securing a crucial 3-1 victory over Tottenham.
Tottenham Hotspur Team: Jennings, Evans, Knowles, Pratt (McGrath 47), England, Beal, Gilzean, Perryman, Chivers, Peters, Oates.
Goal Scorer: Chivers.
Manager: Bill Nicholson
Wolves Team: Parkes, Palmer, Parkin, Bailey, Munro, McAlle, Powell, Hibbitt, Richards, Dougan, Wagstaffe; Sub Sunderland.
Goal Scorers: Powell, Palmer, Hibbitt.
Manager: Bill McGarry
HEAD TO HEAD STATS
Premier League Stats
There has been 18 Meetings between the two sides.
Wolves have won 7 times with 3 home wins and 4 away wins.
Tottenham have won 9 times with 4 home wins and 5 away wins.
Wolves has scored 24 Goals and Tottenham has scored 30.
Overall Head-to-Head
There has been 105 Meetings between the two sides.
Wolves have won 32 times.
Tottenham have won 52 times.
There have been 21 draws.
Last 6 Matches
16th May 2021 Tottenham Hotspur 2 Wolves 0 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
22nd August 2021 Wolves 0 Tottenham Hotspur 1 at Molineux
13th February 2022 Tottenham Hotspur 0 Wolves 2 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
20th August 2022 Tottenham Hotspur 1 Wolves 0 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
4th March 2023 Wolves 1 Tottenham Hotspur 0 at Molineux
11th November 2023 Wolves 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1 at Molineux
PLAYING FOR BOTH TEAMS
Matt Doherty Joined Wolves in 2010 from Bohemians who was signed by Mick McCarthy stayed at the club 10 years made 302 league and cup appearances for club and scored 28 goals and then went and signed for Tottenham in 2020 by Jose Mourinho and left the club on the 31st January 2023 to join Atlético Madrid made 71 appearances and scored 3 goals. Spent 6 Months at Atletico Madrid made 2 appearances and Has rejoined Wolves for the start of the 2023-2024 season and has made 23 appearances scored 3 goals to this date.
Jamie O’Hara played for Tottenham and Joined Wolves initially on loan to start with and then joined Wolves in a permanent deal made 43 appearances and scored 2 goals for the club.
Hans Segers played for Wolves and Tottenham made 11 appearances for Wolves and 1 appearance for Tottenham and then later became the goalkeeping coach at Tottenham where he worked with Martin Jol until 2007.
Stefan Iversen moved from Tottenham to Wolves in 2003 after been at Tottenham for 7 years and just spent one year at Wolves then returned back to Norway to play for Valerenga and made 16 appearances and score 4 goals.
Allan Nielsen Joined Wolves on loan from Tottenham in 2000 where he made 7 appearances for the club scored 2 goals.
Andy Sinton Played for Tottenham 1996-1999 made 83 appearances scored 6 goals and Played for Wolves 1999-2002 made 71 appearances scored 3 goals.
Robbie Keane was another player to play for Both Tottenham and Wolves he started his career at Wolves in 1997 until 1999 where he made 73 appearances scored 24 goals and then joined other clubs in his career and then went in 2002 from Leeds United to Tottenham until 2008 in his first spell at the club made 197 appearances scoring 80 goals and then later on in his career rejoined Tottenham for a second spell in 2009 until 2011 where he played 41 games scored 11 goals.
Dean Richards was another player to play both for Wolves and Tottenham he signed from Bradford in 1995 initially on a loan deal which was turned into a permanent deal in the same year made 122 appearances scoring 7 goals and then left in 1999 to go into the premier league with Southampton for 2 years until he signed for Tottenham by Glenn Hoddle in 2001 and stayed there 4 years playing 73 games scoring 4 goals.
Gordon Smith another player who played for both Tottenham and Wolves he played for Tottenham for 3 years from 1979 to 1982 after signing from Aston Villa and went on to make 38 appearances scoring 1 goal and then he left in 1982 to Join Wolves where he played there until 1984 where he made 38 appearances scored 3 goals.
The first player to move from Wolves to Tottenham was Goalkeeper Tommy Lunn who played for Wolves from 1904 to 1909 and made 129 appearances and then went on to move to Tottenham in 1909 to 1912 and made 86 appearances for Tottenham.
Harry Marshall was another player who played for both clubs he played for Wolves in 1927 until 1930 where he played 52 games scored 13 goals and then went onto play for Port Vale from 1930 until 1932 made 55 appearances scoring 6 goals and then went on to play Tottenham for 1 game in 1932.
Cyril Spiers was another player who played for Both Wolves and Tottenham spent 5 years at spurs between 1927 and 1933 playing 158 games in goal and then joined Wolves in September 1933 eventually then became the assistant manager at Wolves.
Darren Anderton Played for Tottenham 1992-2004 made 299 appearances scored 34 goals and he made his debut against Southampton on the 15th August 1992 and played for Wolves 2005-2006 made 24 appearances scored 1 goal and he made his debut on the 24th August 2005 against Chester in the league cup.
Sebastian Bassong Played for Tottenham 2009-2012 made 45 appearances scored 2 goals and made his debut against Liverpool and played for Wolves in a loan spell until the end of the season from Tottenham on the 31st January 2012 citing he wanted first team football and made his debut against QPR and only made 9 appearances for the club.
Nathan Byrne Began his career at Tottenham 2010-2013 and never made a first team appearance for the club and Joined Wolves in 2015-2016 made 24 appearances scored 2 goals and made his debut against Brighton in a goalless draw.
Jamie Clapham Began his career at Tottenham 1994-1998 and made one league appearance which was on the 11th May 1997 in a 2-1 defeat against Coventry City and in August 2006 went and signed for Wolves and was there until 2008 and made 26 appearances for the club.
Tom Huddlestone Played for Tottenham 2005-2013 made 144 appearances scored 13 goals and his first appearance for the club was against Fulham on the 31st January 2006 and also spent a few months loan spell 2005-2006 at Wolves made 13 appearances scored 1 goal which was against one of his former teams in Derby County.
Mark Kendall Played for Tottenham 1976-1980 made 29 appearances and made his debut for the club on the 4th November 1978 in a 2-2 against Norwich and played for Wolves from 1986-1990 made 147 appearances and was part of the side that won back to back promotions and lift football league trophy and set a clean sheet record of 28 set in 1987-1988 season.
Rohan Ricketts Played for Tottenham 2002-2005 made 30 appearances scored 1 goal and played for Wolves 2005 in a loan spell and then made permanently and stayed there till 2007 and made 61 appearances scored 1 goal.
Steve Sedgley Played for Tottenham 1989-1994 made 164 appearances scored 8 goals and played for Wolves 1997-2000 made 106 appearances scored 9 goals and stayed there until December 2000 and then retired from the game.
Paul Stewart Played for Tottenham 1988-1992 made 131 appearances scored 28 goals and made his debut against Manchester United and he missed a penalty in that game in stoppage time and had a loan spell with Wolves in 1994 and made 8 appearances scored 2 goals.
Other players who played for both clubs.
Dave Beasant, David Black, Sammy Brooks, Harry Crump, Ben Goodliffe, Harry Hargreaves, John Harris, John Holsgrove, Vinny Samways, Gordon Smith, Andy Turner.
PLAYED COACHED & MANAGED BOTH TEAMS
Glenn Hoddle has managed both Tottenham and Wolves where he managed Tottenham 2001 to 2003 where he was sacked and then he later managed Wolves 2004 to 2006.
Nuno Espírito Santo has managed both Tottenham and Wolves Nuno managed Wolves 2017 to 2021 where he had a successful time getting winning championship in the first year of his tenure with 2 games to spare to get promoted to the Premier League and then helped Wolves get a spot in the Europa League for the 2019/2020 season by finishing 7th 2018/2019 Premier league season and then guided them into the quarterfinals of the Europa League losing to Sevilla 1-0 and then stayed at the club until 2021 and left by Mutual Consent at the end of the season. Nuno then went onto to Manage Tottenham from June 2021 until November 2021 and lasted 17 matches and then was sacked by the club.
Colin Lee Played for Tottenham 1977-1980 made 62 appearances and scored 18 goals and made his debut for the club against Bristol Rovers where he scored 4 goals in a 9-0 win for Tottenham in a second division game and was at Wolves as assistant manager and then eventually became manager of the club after his caretaker spell began with a 6-1 win against Bristol City at Ashton Gate and was there from 1998-2000.
Bobby Mimms Played for Tottenham 1988-1990 made 37 appearances where he took over from Ray Clemence who had retired from the game and had more first team games than he had at his previous club Everton and started his coaching career at Wolves 2001-2008 where he worked as a goalkeeping coach.
ARTICLE BY KARL WHITEHOUSE
I have been a Wolves fan for over 30 years.
I have supported them both home and away games in the 80’s, 90’s and 00’s and now like looking into wolves games the stats behind the games they play in the premier league and also look other stats if asked by someone else in the podcast. I have also done the 92 football league grounds and shortly be doing a ebook about peoples favourite match they went to along with a match report and if possible stats from game