Joao Gomes' brace grabbed the headlines for Wolves at Tottenham last weekend.

The midfielder has been an understated part of his side's excellent season to this point, forging a solid engine room partnership with Mario Lemina.

But scoring twice in a 2-1 victory over Spurs courtesy of a header from a corner and a clinical finish to a counter-attack banked him some overdue credit.

Ahead of Wolves' clash with Sheffield United today, we reflect on Gomes' impressive contribution in recent weeks.

Midfield engine

Goals are not a big part of Gomes' game.

The 23-year-old scored just four in well over 100 appearances for Flamengo, netted just once last term for Wolves and had yet to bag in 2023-24 before the trip to Spurs.

He is in the side primarily to do the dirty work in midfield and give his more attacking team-mates the platform to create chances.

The Brazilian ranks second in Wolves' squad for possessions won in both the middle third (55) and attacking third (20).

And his ability to regain possession and facilitate the likes of Matheus Cunha and Pedro Neto in transition has made him an integral part of Gary O'Neil's team.

But with a goal threat added to his game, the Rio de Janeiro native could be one to watch for the remainder of the Premier League season.

High praise

Unsurprisingly, O'Neil was particularly impressed with Gomes's off-the-ball work at Tottenham.

The Wolves boss said: "We were going to be without the ball for spells but we were going to try to make it compact and we knew he [Gomes] would be able to press people and regain the ball like he did. And I thought he was excellent at that.

"I'm very keen to still try to improve what he is with the ball. We work very hard on it with him, his understanding with the ball and how clean he is with it, sometimes with his passes.

"We just have to give him some criticism, just to keep him grounded.

"I want for him to be perfect, as well as what he was able to do today without the ball and obviously getting two fantastic goals.

"For a 23-year-old to come away to Tottenham and produce that performance is extremely impressive."

Unpolished gem

Gomes is in his first full season at Wolves so is still adjusting to an entirely new environment in the Premier League.

But O'Neil is right, he can still improve in possession of the ball.

Gomes has a pass completion rate of 82.37% in the top flight this term — a fair bit lower than Lemina on 85.4%.

But though that area of his game remains unrefined, Gomes offers a nice contrast to his partner and the two appear to have developed a good understanding.

It is a key reason why Wolves have impressed so much and why they will fancy their chances against the Blades.