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Adebayor off the mark at Spurs

Wolverhampton - Debutant Emmanuel Adebayor scored the opening goal as Tottenham Hotspur belatedly got their season in gear with a 2-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

Adebayor, a loan signing from Manchester City, was teed up by fellow new recruit Scott Parker in the 67th minute, before Jermain Defoe netted Tottenham's second.

The result ended Wolves' fine unbeaten start to the season and gave Spurs their first points, after Harry Redknapp's side lost 3-0 at Manchester United and 5-1 at home to Manchester City in their opening two fixtures.

Spurs handed starts to both Parker and Adebayor, while Wolves coach Mick McCarthy changed his starting line-up for the first time this season as Michael Kightly came in for injured winger Matt Jarvis.

Wolves narrowly escaped falling behind early on, with Wayne Hennessey doing well to prevent Roger Johnson putting Benoit Assou-Ekotto's cross through his own goal before Niko Kranjcar's follow-up was cleared off the line.

The hosts gradually asserted control of the game, however, and visiting goalkeeper Brad Friedel had to save twice in quick succession from Spurs old boy Jamie O'Hara and the marauding Karl Henry.

Tottenham centre-back Ledley King, making his first start of the season, headed into the ground and over the bar after being picked out unmarked at a corner, but Wolves soon reassumed their assault on Friedel's goal.

They should have gone ahead in the 36th minute, but Kightly's inswinging free-kick from the left was headed wide from point-blank range at the back post by skipper Roger Johnson.

Inattention from O'Hara almost enabled Spurs to snatch the lead on the cusp of half-time, but after he had been robbed by Defoe, Hennessey got down well to push away the England striker's low effort.

An open first half gave way to a more attritional encounter in the second period, until Spurs' new boys combined to break the deadlock.

Kranjcar found Parker in space on the edge of the Wolves box and he stabbed a first-time pass into the path of Adebayor, who rounded Hennessey and slotted the ball home.

Adebayor has now scored on his debut for all the English sides he has represented, having also found the target in his first league games for City and Spurs' bitter north London rivals Arsenal.

Defoe, who claimed a brace at Molineux in a 3-3 draw last season, extended Spurs' lead with 10 minutes to play, gathering Kranjcar's pass in his stride and slamming a crisp shot into the bottom-left corner.

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