Doherty is hungry as Wolves see off Saints
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND assistant manager Roy Keane must have been impressed as Matt Doherty put in yet another strong display to help Wolves beat Southampton 2-0.
Once again Doherty was key for Wolves and Keane must have taken note of the trouble he caused Ryan Bertrand. One cross enabled Jonny Otto to curl a firm shot that Saints keeper Alex McCarthy punched away. Before half time the ex-Bohemians player snapped in a low cross for Raul Jimenez to clip a powerful first-time shot to test the keeper.
Doherty capped a fine display by bulldozing his way into the box and finding Otto, who took one touch to go past Wesley Hoedt then sent his finish between McCarthy’s legs with three minutes left.
With the Nations League double header with Denmark and Wales upcoming, it adds further weight to the argument that Doherty should be more involved in the national team than he is.
It took Wolves until the 79th minute to break the deadlock – and a goal with his first touch in the English top flight from Ivan Cavaleiro did it. He had to wait seven weeks for his Premier League debut but needed just 94 seconds to make the crucial contribution – as first touches in the top-flight go, burying a finish into the roof of the net ranks pretty highly.
Tottenham managed an easy 2-0 win at Huddersfield Town, Harry Kane with both goals, but Mauricio Pochettino saw both Jan Vertonghen and Mousa Dembele go off with muscle injuries. With Barcelona arriving at Wembley on Wednesday in the Champions League, he already has Dele Alli, Hugo Lloris and Christian Eriksen on the injured list.
‘The players are not machines,’ Pochettino said. ‘We want to push and push them. It’s not easy. Nobody helps. This season is a massive challenge for everyone, not just for us, a lot of teams have the same problem.’
Gylfi Sigurdsson missed a penalty but then scored two and Cenk Tosun also netted as Everton beat Fulham 3-0, while Leicester City deepened the gloom at Newcastle with a 2-0 win at St James’ Park thanks to a Jamie Vardy penalty and a goal from Harry Maguire.