When Harry Redknapp listed the nine senior players unavailable to him because of injury, the Tottenham manager was attempting to illustrate the difficulties he faces in preparing for Thursday's Europa League game in Salonika, followed by a trip to Anfield next Sunday.

"The problem I've got is that this lot have just come back from playing two internationals, now I've got to slap them out to Greece and come back to play Liverpool," he said. "It's a nuisance, so there won't be too many of these going to Greece. I want to save them for Sunday."

A nuisance it may be, but only in the short term. Once William Gallas, Danny Rose, Michael Dawson, Vedran Corluka, Sandro, Steven Pienaar, Rafael van der Vaart, Tom Huddlestone and Aaron Lennon are fit, however, Spurs threaten to be formidable. "Yeah, we'll be there or thereabouts again, pushing Liverpool and Arsenal for a place in the Champions League," said Redknapp, almost as an afterthought.

The nuisance then is going to be placating those who miss out, because on Saturday's evidence, debutants Scott Parker and Emmanuel Adebayor are unlikely to be among the disappointed. In their different ways both contributed hugely to a victory that brought the visitors their first points of the season. Parker, playing alongside Luka Modric in central midfield, had Redknapp purring with appreciation and anticipation. "When I get Sandro back with Scott Parker in the middle of the park, we're going to be very strong," he said. "Luka can play elsewhere, he can play differently but you'd have two very strong midfield players there that would make us very difficult to beat."

The England midfielder Parker set the tone in the second minute with a superbly timed challenge that both dispossessed Karl Henry and gave Jermain Defoe a clear shooting opportunity. Always involved, either constructively or, on occasion, destructively, Parker gave Spurs the aggressive edge Redknapp admitted they had lacked in the heavy defeats against Manchester United and Manchester City in their previous Premier League games.

Up front, Adebayor's work rate and application as he reacquainted himself with the pace of the Premier League might have surprised Manchester City fans. In the second half, when Wolves appeared to tire, his touch came into its own, and he took his goal without fuss, running on to Parker's pass and rounding the Wolves goalkeeper, Wayne Hennessey.

The second, scored by Defoe after exchanging passes with Niko Krancjar, sealed a win that illustrated how much further the previously unbeaten Wolves have to travel before they can hope to compete with the bigger clubs on a consistent basis. "I never underestimated Spurs after the first two games and I think only a fool would have done – [predictions of] their demise were a bit silly," said the Wolves manager, Mick McCarthy.

For Adebayor, it was a case of job done. "When you have a chance to play alongside good players it can make football look easy," said the Togolese. "I'm a professional, they've signed me to score goals, and that's what I care about. We showed character today, but it's too early to say we are going to finish in the top four or whatever."