Plus: Aston Villa came from behind on Super Sunday to beat Spurs and move above Ange Postecoglou's team, while Kobbie Mainoo steps in for his full Premier League debut to help Manchester United to move up to sixth
Tuesday 28 November 2023 00:17, UK
Gary O'Neil is being haunted by a dreaded sense of deja vu.
Wolves showed character to come from behind twice, only to be undone at the death by a stoppage-time Willian penalty, his second of an eventful night at Craven Cottage.
That totals five penalty decisions to have gone against Wolves this season - the highest of any team in the league. Are they ill-disciplined, or simply unlucky?
The latter, according to their infuriated manager, who, in his own words, had a full and frank 'grown-up' conversation with the match officials after the game's difficult conclusion. That won't alter the outcome, mind.
O'Neil believes Wolves have been robbed of seven points due to bad decision-making this term, enough to see them comfortably into the top half of the table. Instead they're 12th, and frustration is mounting.
The interpretation of the 'clear and obvious error' VAR ruling was again called into question, by O'Neil and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, with its subjective nature causing more headaches than it's supposedly solving. Time for a rethink?
It couldn't hurt...
Laura Hunter
When Alex Iwobi scored a slick opener for Fulham on Monday night it seemed hard to believe this was a team with problems in attack. Certainly Marco Silva's decision to play Iwobi and Tom Cairney in more advanced midfield roles ahead of the holding Harrison Reed paid off.
But throughout the contest there was evidence this is a Fulham side which is badly missing the authority of Aleksandar Mitrovic through the middle.
Raul Jimenez may be Wolves' record Premier League scorer but after ending his goal drought last time out, he returned to the fringes of the action here. On several occasions the ball fizzed through the Wolves box, begging to be turned in. But there was no one to apply the finish.
Carlos Vinicius and Rodrigo Muniz look unlikely to be the long-term answer either.
Going into this game, Fulham had made their worst scoring start to a season in 30 years. Two penalties in the second half couldn't mask the fact they need more in attack.
Peter Smith
The 10-game unbeaten run that Tottenham embarked on at the start of Ange Postecoglou's reign feels a long time ago now.
Three successive defeats and a catalogue of injuries have seen the Premier League pacesetters drop out of the top four and set an unwanted record.
Spurs are now the first team in Premier League history to lose three successive games after starting a season with a 10-game unbeaten run. Talk about a shift in momentum.
Pau Torres' header at the end of the first 45 minutes was also the fifth consecutive goal Spurs had conceded in stoppage time at the end of a half.
The way in which Villa wrestled control of the game away from the hosts in the second half adds to questions over whether Postecoglou's injury-riddled squad are running out of steam in games.
Unfortunately for Spurs, the fixture list provides no let-up, with Manchester City, West Ham and Newcastle next up. Those games will be crucial in determining how realistic their European hopes are this season.
Joe Shread
As hard as Unai Emery is trying, it's impossible to see Aston Villa as anything other than genuine Champions League contenders.
Fifth place in the Premier League may be enough to secure a place in the competition next season due to the changing format, but Villa are already up to fourth after leapfrogging Tottenham.
It's the highest Villa have been in the top flight at this stage of a season for 14 years. You only have to look at their 13-game winning run at Villa Park to see they are the real deal.
Emery used his post-match press conference to list the seven teams he sees as having more realistic European ambitions than Villa - Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Newcastle.
But Villa have now beaten two of those sides away from home. They are 12 points clear of Chelsea and five above Newcastle. Emery may have to cross some of those sides off his list sooner rather than later.
Joe Shread
The on-air player of the match award went to Alejandro Garnacho given his remarkable goal, but Manchester United supporters will be equally enthused by Kobbie Mainoo's first Premier League start as their team won 3-0 away to Everton.
It was astonishing how composed he looked in the middle of the pitch.
It was instant too. On an occasion when the febrile atmosphere at Goodison Park had many wondering whether Manchester United would be able to cope, he found time and space where there should have been none, unafraid to put his foot on the ball.
"He has a lot of abilities," said Erik ten Hag afterwards.
"It was a really disappointing moment in pre-season when he got a bad injury, for him and also for our team because I know he can progress a lot if he plays as he did today. I know young players can develop quickly. We thought it was the moment to bring him in."
When substituted to a warm ovation from the travelling support, Mainoo had completed 34 of his 41 passes - boasting the best passing accuracy of anyone in the United starting line-up. It was a vindication of the faith shown in him by Ten Hag, preferring him to Sofyan Amrabat.
Couple that with the defensive work that he did, most notably clearing the ball off the goal-line when it appeared that Dwight McNeil had forced home the equaliser, and Mainoo appears to be a player who can impact the game with and without the ball.
The form and fitness of Casemiro has left a void in midfield and with Mason Mount out for the foreseeable future, a double pivot looks likely to be the preferred option. His manager now knows that he has a talented teenager ready to step into that role.
"He did a great job," added Ten Hag. "Now he has to build on this."
Adam Bate
