Wolves picked up a much needed three points at home to Chelsea on Tuesday evening thanks to a stoppage-time winner from Pedro Neto. Wolves had fallen behind just after half time as Oliver Giroud poked the ball through Rui Patricio from close range, but the home side were level thanks to Daniel Podence shortly after. The closing stages of the match were end to end but Wolves won it deep into stoppage time as substitute Vitinha picked the ball up in his own half and played through Pedro Neto who fired into the bottom corner on a memorable night for Nuno’s men.
Rui Patricio
A relatively quiet afternoon for the Wolves shot-stopper who had little to deal with. He may be disappointed to have let Giroud’s effort squirm underneath him and just over the line, but the powerful effort from close range should have been prevented by those in front of him. 6/10
Nelson Semedo
It was yet another night to forget from Wolves’ big money addition who made a plethora of mistakes and was clearly targeted by Chelsea as a defensive weakness. He should have been sharper to read the run of Ben Chilwell for the goal Wolves conceded, but that was not where the problems ended for Semedo. He struggled throughout giving away numerous fouls and missing clearance chances with the large number of crosses Chelsea put into the box. Semedo had a great chance of his own to score but he decided to cross to an under pressure Otasowie when he may have been better going for goal himself. It is still early days, but performances must improve if he is to justify his price tag. 5/10
Willy Boly
Having been restored to the starting XI, Boly produced a largely solid performance but will be disappointed to have been caught flat-footed for the goal which Wolves conceded. Boly waited for the ball to come towards him to clear but Giroud was sharper and got to the ball ahead of the Ivory Coast international, allowing him to strike from close range, catching Patricio by surprise and giving Chelsea to take the lead. 6/10
Conor Coady
An impressive night for the England international who benefitted from a return to the three at the back system. Coady was allowed more space to play his cross-field balls out to the wing backs and wide forwards that he has become renowned for in previous seasons. He organised the defence well and did not put a foot wrong all evening. 7/10
Romain Saiss
A return to a back three also meant Romain Saiss kept his place following the defeat to Aston Villa. The Moroccan produced a confident performance, with a number of vital headers to deny Chelsea as they bombarded the Wolves areas with crosses. Saiss was calm on the ball and often tried to pick a pass to start an attack after an interception, something that was evident as he played the ball to Vitinha who went on to set up Neto for the winning goal. 8/10
Marcal
Of all Wolves’ summer signings, Marcal may just be the one to have the biggest positive influence this season. At just £2m Wolves have themselves an extremely solid left sided defender who has not made a mistake in his time at Molineux. He dealt with everything that came his way which ultimately led to Chelsea targeting the opposite side where they found more joy up against Semedo. Marcal is not afraid to get forward either, but a lack of pace and technical ability means he can at times seem to slow the intensity of a counterattack. 7/10
Leander Dendoncker
Unusually substituted at half time in what many have assumed to be a fitness-based decision rather than a tactical one. Nuno stated in his pre-match press conference that Wolves had a number of knocks after the Villa game and it is quite possible that Dendoncker was carrying one. He had a solid first half winning the ball back on numerous occasions and getting forward where possible in what was a largely uneventful 45 minutes of football. 6/10
Ruben Neves
The absence of Joao Moutinho meant a big performance was needed from Ruben Neves and he duly delivered. In the second half in particular, Neves was looking to play through balls out to the wing backs and wide forwards, trying to increase the intensity of Wolves play going forward. His tackling once again left a lot to be desired at times, but a far better performance from Neves who seems to prefer this system having struggled in recent weeks. 7/10
Pedro Neto
What a season this has been for Pedro Neto! The young Portuguese international ran the show at times in the second half, looking to take players on and create chances after a dull first half. After receiving the ball from Vitinha deep into stoppage time, Neto was direct in running at Zouma and getting the ball on his stronger left foot before unleashing a superb strike beyond Mendy to win the game for Wolves. He is going to be a star, and that becomes for certain with each game he plays. 9/10
Daniel Podence
Podence once again showcased his talent too, combining with Neto to put Wolves on the front foot in the second half. After receiving the ball from Otasowie in the area, Podence’s neat foot work and trickery saw Ben Chilwell fall to the floor and put Reece James off balance. Podence’s sweet strike took a deflection off James before rifling into the back of the net. A huge moment which provided the foundations to go on and win the game. 8/10
Fabio Silva
It was yet another solid if not unspectacular performance from Fabio Silva who, despite not being among the goals, is really beginning to show his quality. His intelligence in his link up play is evident even at such a young age, winning free kicks in dangerous positions and playing in Podence and Neto at the right moments who both look to be enjoying linking up with Silva. He did have the ball in the net, but replays show he was a yard offside. However, his goal will certainly come if he keeps this level of performance up. 7/10
Subs:
Owen Otasowie
A Premier League debut for the young USA international, replacing Leander Dendoncker at half time, and what a debut it was. Otasowie seems to possess many traits that the senior Wolves midfielders do not and could yet prove to play a huge role this season. His tall and physical nature was of great benefit as he was not afraid to get stuck in and win the ball back. He was a big presence in aerial battles too, managing to gain an assist for Podence’s equaliser after nodding the ball down to him. An excellent 45 minutes and based on this showing it certainly won’t be the last we see of him. 8/10
Adama Traore
Just where do you start with Adama Traore? Brought on for Fabio Silva and told to play a more central role than he would usually adopt. There were some bright touches and positive moments, but overall Traore is just failing to make the impact we know he can, and we know he should. He is a far cry from the player who scored two big goals and a number of assists over the Christmas period last season and needs to re-find this form quickly if he is to help fill the void of Raul Jimenez. 6/10
Vitinha
Another short cameo for the summer signing from Porto and this may have been the most impressive yet as he left the field with an assist. Vitinha picked the ball up deep in his own half after a pass from Romain Saiss and, with just minutes remaining, made great strides forward to play in Pedro Neto to win the game for Wolves. Like Otasowie, Vitinha has started to show his worth and may well be in contention for a start very soon. 7/10
Ciaran Barker is part of the Talking Wolves editorial team – you can follow him on Twitter here.