Wolves made it two wins on the bounce in the Premier League for the first time since last April, netting yet another last minute winner in a 2-1 thriller against Liverpool.
In arguably the most resilient performance from Wolves this season, Wolves started the game with great energy and pegged Liverpool back for the first 25 minutes. However, the visitors took control and threatened the Wolves defence on multiple occasions, until Rob Edwards made a plethora of substitutions which completely changed the game.
Rodrigo Gomes scored off the bench, chipping Alisson with a beautiful finish from a devastating counter attack. Just a few moments later, the foundations of the Wolves defence began to crumble under pressure, as Jean-Ricner Bellegarde gave the ball away and allowed Mohammed Salah to grab an undeserved equaliser.
Yet, Wolves were far from done. In the last minutes of the game, the resilience of Wolves shone through for one last time, as Andre netted a 90+4 winner with the help of a deflection off Virgil Van Dijk. Molineux erupted for the second time in a few days, something that we can hopefully replicate once more on Friday.
With that in mind, here are my two very good, and two not so bad, as we reflect on the first of the two fixtures against Liverpool this week.
Good: The resilience
Rob Edwards (and his backroom staff) have to take all of the credit for the setup and the way that we kept organised in that game. Aside from Bellegarde’s slip, we defended our box incredibly well: even when Liverpool came close there was always someone to clear it. I’d argue this was our most complete performance, especially defensively, in nearly a year.
Obviously, with the tightly packed fixtures, Edwards took the correct choice to rotate the squad and give a rest to those in need, like Hugo Bueno and Yerson Mosquera. However, the pre-planned substitutions worked a treat and gave just the right amount of firepower in the last half an hour to completely change the game for Wolves. It truly shows how far we’ve come, especially with players like Jackson Tchatchoua having the confidence to finally play without fear.
Good: Rodrigo Gomes
I fear that this is leading on from the first point, but it’s nearly midnight and I don’t care. I could also choose to talk about João Gomes, who was absolutely superb again today, but why not give the super sub some credit?
I’m not sure what his best position is, or whether he’s better starting or coming on as a sub, but boy has Rodrigo made an impact in these last two games. His unmatched energy and striker’s instinct gave Wolves the lead against the run of play, giving him two goals in two substitute appearances. I can’t wait to see him absolutely tear up the Championship.
Bad: Bellegarde’s mistake
I won’t dwell on this point too much, as it’s not totally Bellegarde’s fault, but the post-goal panic reminds us why we’re in such deep trouble. At the beginning of the season, in the few times that we scored, we conceded soon after, and it was this characteristic that reappeared again today.
Thankfully, on this occasion, our players actually know how to score.
Bad: Mané’s minutes
I’ve praised Rob for his management of minutes today, but I’m worried for poor Mané’s knees; as a young player he needs to be nurtured and I feel like we’re riding our luck with his fitness. Although he did finally get subbed off today, I was hoping that he’d get a rest from the beginning, but maybe that’s the plan for Friday.
I’ve had to be picky with that last ‘bad’, but that just shows how far we’ve come from the beginning of the season, where we could have listed at least 10 ‘bads’ if we wanted to. Is the great escape on? 8 games to go, 11 points to Forest. It would only be the Wolves way. Feed your delusions, enjoy it. We deserve it.
