Wolves put in a poor and concerning performance away to fellow strugglers Crystal Palace on Saturday, with the hosts climbing above Nuno’s men in the table. Ebere Eze’s second-half strike was enough to see Palace through in a game where Wolves created little, much to the displeasure of fans watching on from home. New signing Willian Jose had Wolves’ best opportunities, but he couldn’t find a way past Guaita as Wolves failed to win in eight straight league games for the first time in Nuno’s reign.
Rui Patricio
It was a relatively quiet afternoon for the Wolves shot stopper, but he will be disappointed to let Eze’s winner go straight through him. Patricio went to ground in order to try and save Palace’s winner despite the shot being straight down the middle of the goal. 5/10
Willy Boly
Boly followed on from his man of the match display at Stamford Bridge, producing a solid defensive display against Palace’s pacey and tricky wingers. Boly was firm in his challenges and won the various aerial duels which he faced. The best of a bad bunch on a concerning afternoon for Wolves. 7/10
Conor Coady
It was a disappointing afternoon for the Wolves skipper who struggled against Wilfred Zaha and Palace’s frontmen throughout the game. In addition to this, Coady’s cross-field passing, which often starts Wolves’ attacks, was far from on point and ultimately failed to make anything happen going forward. 5/10
Max Kilman
Like Coady, Kilman struggled against the pace of the Palace front line, giving numerous fouls away which led to increased pressure on the back line and meant that Wolves could not launch attacks late on in the game. 5/10
Ki-Jana Hoever
Was largely comfortable defensively and in possession, giving little away and proving to be a reliable option in defence. Hoever put in an excellent cross early in the first half which was not attacked but failed to make a meaningful impact on the game. 6/10
Leander Dendoncker
An extremely poor game from the man who so often raises Wolves’ game. Dendoncker failed to gain a foothold in the midfield and looked lethargic in the final third as he looked to support Willian Jose in attack. Dendoncker’s performances must improve, particularly in an attacking sense, if he is to keep his place in this Wolves side. 4/10
Joao Moutinho
Moutinho’s surprise inclusion was not justified as he turned in a poor and ineffective performance, failing to up the intensity of the side. Moutinho’s passes were often sideways and backwards and he, like many others, gave away needless fouls which meant Wolves failed to create any momentum in attack. 4/10
Nelson Semedo
Semedo tried to create down the unfamiliar left-hand side but many of his teammates were not on the same page. Being played out of position, Semedo was also inclined to cut inside and slow the pace of the Wolves attack down. He was largely faultless in defence, but his ineffectiveness going forward was disappointing in a game where Wolves were looking for inspiration. 5/10
Daniel Podence
Played on both the left and the right of January signing Willian Jose and saw a lot of the ball deeper in the pitch but was ineffective in the final third. Podence had just two touches in the Palace penalty area and failed to link up with his fellow front men which ultimately led to him being withdrawn in the second half. 5/10
Willian Jose
Wolves’ new man was handed his first start and showed promising signs going forward but failed to make a positive impact on the game as a whole. There were various examples of Jose linking the play and brining midfielders and wing back into attacks, something that had been lacking since the injury suffered by Raul Jimenez. However, Jose did have Wolves’ best two chances of the game, both of which were too close to the goalkeeper and failed to find the net. 6/10
Pedro Neto
Neto like Podence played on both sides of Jose but failed to make an impact despite his impressive form in this inconsistent season. The pacey wingman was frustrated on numerous occasions when getting in promising positions, but his passing, like many others, often went astray. 5/10
Subs:
Adama Traore
Introduced shortly after the Palace winner and replaced Hoever at right wing-back. Traore saw a lot of the ball in the closing stages of the game and managed to get into promising positions down the right flank. However, his final cross did not come to fruition or, far more likely, the pace of the attack was far too slow as Traore waited for support. 6/10
Vitinha
Was largely ineffective in the closing stages of the game. Gave away two fouls in the final five minutes which prevented Wolves from regaining possession and a crucial time in the game. Certainly did not stake a claim for a regular starting place. 4/10
Fabio Silva
Played the final five minutes and saw very little of the ball as Wolves struggled to create as the game edged to its conclusion. His first touch continued to let him down as he gave the ball away whenever Wolves aimed to keep possession and create chances in the final third. 5/10
Ciaran Barker is part of the Talking Wolves editorial team – you can follow him on Twitter here.