A good performance and a very welcome three points mean that Spurs' season is finally up and running after an awful start. Wolves, by contrast, had begun their Premier League campaign with two wins and a draw, so a win for the visitors was by no means a sure thing. Mick McCarthy's side already look like a much more assured outfit than the one that struggled last season and Spurs had not, in any case, enjoyed much success in recent meetings between the teams.

Wolves certainly had their fair share of the play but, as their manager observed: "In the end we were beaten by a team that had a bit more quality than we did. They're far more advanced than us, with better players than us, and they are a better team than us."

Harry Redknapp will certainly be gratified by the performance of the two debutants on show. Adebayor took his goal with the ease and economy of a top-class finisher, and he will be a handful for any defence when he is in the mood. His opportunity was created by the excellent Scott Parker, who slotted into the Spurs line-up as if he had been playing there for years. Busy, tenacious and, as he showed, not lacking in creativity, Parker was probably Spurs' best player on the day. It was also notable that Luka Modric had a much better game than on his last outing against Manchester City, which may have been due in part to Parker's energy in the middle of the field.

In fact, none of the Spurs team let themselves down at Molineux. Most notably, Defoe looks like he could well form an effective partnership with Adebayor, Friedel was excellent in goal once again and Assou-Ekotto - who never quite seems to get the credit he deserves - worked hard as usual to build Spurs' attacking momentum from the back. Even Younes Kaboul looked better, no doubt thanks to the presence of Ledley King alongside him.

The squad will be strengthened further when players return from injury, although Redknapp was perhaps exaggerating just slightly when he claimed that "we're missing nine world class players, who would make a brilliant team themselves". Presumably he is including the likes of Huddlestone, Pienaar and Dawson in that list, who - whatever their undoubted attributes - would hardly walk into many of the world's top sides. Closer to the mark would be van der Vaart, who may make an earlier than expected return to fitness following his hamstring problem. Where Harry will now play him is another question.

Another player out of the side through injury - and who certainly has the potential to become world class - must also be wondering if a place in the starting eleven is a given. Sandro possesses many of the same qualities as Scott Parker, but simply as a function of age and experience cannot compete with the reigning Footballer of the Year in terms of influence, both on the pitch and in the dressing room. In light of that, it was encouraging - as well as being in marked contrast to the Modric saga - to hear that Sandro had signed a new five year deal, despite reported interest from some of Europe's top clubs. If Spurs can build on the first win of the season, perhaps other players - and one in particular - can be convinced that their long-term future remains at White Hart Lane.

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