‘Angry’ Pierluigi Gollini avoids penalty regret in shootout win

Pierluigi Gollini admitted his penalty rage helped Tottenham overcome Wolves in the Carabao Cup.

The goalkeeper saved Leander Dendoncker’s spot-kick in the shoot-out while Ruben Neves and Conor Coady also missed for the hosts to send Spurs through to the fourth round 3-2 on penalties.

Harry Kane, Sergio Reguilon and Bryan Gil scored to send Spurs through after they blew a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 at Molineux on Wednesday.

Gollini almost saved Hwang Hee-chan’s opening spot-kick and used his frustration to ensure Spurs booked a trip to Burnley in the fourth round.

“I was angry with myself,” the Italian told Spurs TV. “I said ‘I’ve got to save another one’ because if we lose because I don’t save that one then I’m going to regret it so much.

“I knew he was going there, I felt it and I was right but I couldn’t save it. I thought I had to save at least another one.

“My team-mates, they shoot perfect, very good and we’re very happy to go to the next round.

“The guys, obviously Pierre(-Emile Hojbjerg) made a mistake but that’s OK, the other ones were like very good penalties. I think all of them like Harry, Reggy and Bryan shoot like perfect penalties. It’s very good.

“We tried (practising) and the guys were on fire and today in the game as well.”

Wolves hit back after Tanguy Ndombele and Kane put Spurs in command, with Dendoncker and Daniel Podence hauling the hosts level.

They have lost five of their seven games under Bruno Lage but the boss remained philosophical despite defeat.

“That is how football is like. In the same way, I thought it was going to be a good game for us but this is football,” he said.

“This is why we have people around the world enjoying the game because it’s an emotional game. In one minute, everything changes.

“The way we played the game, and I felt it during the week, it was going to be a good game for us, a game to go through our plan. We began 2-0 down, we recovered the game and then Ruben misses his penalty.”