Tottenham leapfrogged Arsenal to move into the top four with a stirring win at Molineux, consigning their promoted opponents to a third consecutive defeat, though by coming back from 3-0 down to have their visitors hanging on grimly, Wolves made a notable contribution to a pulsating game.

If the Premier League is beginning to look a tougher prospect than it did a month or so ago for Nuno Espírito Santo’s side there is no need to panic just yet. Wolves will not have to face opponents of Spurs’ quality every week, even if Arsenal are up next. Wolves still play a slick brand of football and they were slightly unlucky at times, notably when peppering the Spurs goal at the start of the second half and seeing a goal chalked off for an incorrect offside at the close of the first. “It was a clean goal,” the Wolves manager said. “It was a fantastic move and it should have counted, but the officials have a tough job.”

Mauricio Pochettino admitted there was relief at the end. “It was tight,” the Spurs manager said. “We should not have been in that situation from being 3-0 up, but we need to be more careful. We made a couple of mistakes and conceded two cheap goals.”

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Spurs began without Dele Alli, rested for the Champions League, and had to reorganise further when Mousa Dembélé injured an ankle in a second-minute tackle on Hélder Costa, but with Harry Winks playing in a deeper role than first envisaged they adapted well and could have gone in front even before Érik Lamela opened the scoring. Wolves had already had a couple of goal attempts by then, but Raúl Jiménez’s shot over the bar was speculative from distance and Matt Doherty finished a promising run with a tame effort that was virtually a pass back to Hugo Lloris.

The visitors’ first real effort of the evening had a touch of quality about it, Harry Kane running on to a superbly weighted pass from Lucas Moura and predictably managing to send in a shot on target, only to see Rui Patrício keep it out with a one-handed save.

The Wolves goalkeeper was unable to come to his side’s rescue when Lamela struck just before the half-hour, however, the Spurs forward finding the net with a shot through Patrício’s legs. There may have been a touch of luck about the return pass from Son Heung-min that led to the goal, in that Kieran Trippier on the right touchline seemed the intended target, but when Lamela controlled the ball on his chest to stride into the box there was never any doubt he was going to take full advantage.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Érik Lamela slots the ball beyond Rui Patrício to put Spurs ahead in the first half. Photograph: Peter Powell/Reuters

Spurs doubled their lead within three minutes and this time Tripper was involved, sending over a cross from the right that Lucas, who had started the move, headed confidently past Patrício from the six-yard line.

Willy Boly headed wide just before the interval as Wolves tried to get back into the game, which they might have done had Jiménez not been brought back for offside when stabbing a shot past Lloris. The flag was probably against Costa but replays confirmed both Wolves players were onside, a fact accepted by Pochettino afterwards.

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Wolves hit Spurs with everything they had when the second half began, only to find Lloris in inspired form. A terrific reverse pass from Costa to send Jiménez clear ought to have resulted in a goal but the striker’s shot was beaten out and when Costa attempted to follow up he slipped in the act of shooting. Costa’s next effort was denied on the goal-line by Lloris’s outstretched leg and when Rúben Neves thundered in a shot through a crowd of players the goalkeeper was able to get down to tip it round a post.

Spurs’ response to being put under such pressure was simply to bring on Christian Eriksen to restore midfield control. Within four minutes the game looked safe, Kane beating Patrício at the second attempt after the effective Lamela had cut back from the right.

Neves was able to make the scoreline more respectable from the spot after the debutant Juan Foyth fouled Jiménez following a mistake by Trippier, though Wolves were not satisfied with mere consolation. Persistent harrying forced Foyth into another naive mistake, this time putting an arm across Jonny Otto for Jiménez to put away the penalty.

It was hard in the closing stages to recall that Kane might have had a hat-trick but for two outstanding second-half stops by Patrício. With Dávinson Sánchez on as extra defensive insurance Spurs saw out the game, but only just. Better finishing by Costa when one on one with Lloris near the end would have earned Wolves a deserved point. When the whistle finally went it was the white-shirted players who dropped to the ground with relief.