Spurs star Dier turns in excellent display against Wolves
Eric Dier enjoyed an excellent performance as Tottenham Hotspur managed to grind out a gritty 2-1 win over Wolves on Sunday.
On the chalkboard
Spurs needed an injury-time goal from Jan Vertonghen to take all three points away from Molineux, leaving them in a position to climb into the top four next week, should they manage to beat Chelsea.
While Vertonghen will have grabbed the headlines, Dier turned in a quietly efficient performance in the central midfield engine room.
Per WhoScored, the 25-year-old had a total of 74 touches of the ball, more than any other Spurs player.
He completed one dribble, won two aerial duels and also made four clearances throughout the 90 minutes.
Dier also registered one key pass and had one shot on goal, which unfortunately bounced off the post and out of danger.
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This was more like it from the Englishman, who has thus far struggled for form under Jose Mourinho’s management, including being taken off in the first half against Olympiacos in the Champions League.
A turnaround
This could be the beginning of something big for Dier.
He picked up a rating of 6.95 against Wolves which, when coupled with his 7.62 against Burnley, points to serious improvement from the midfielder.
He had previously struggled this season – reaching a nadir of 6.4 against Brighton in the 3-0 defeat under Mauricio Pochettino.
Throughout Mourinho’s admittedly short tenure, he has repeatedly been played from the start and is finally looking like the player that the Portuguese surely hoped he’d become.
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The signs for Dier, then, are very good.
Meanwhile, Spurs boss Mourinho has hailed one man for his showing against Wolves.