Wolves all but secured their Premier League safety with a last gasp winner against Fulham at Craven Cottage. Adama Traore’s injury time strike sent Nuno’s men home with all three points, lifting them up to 12th in the table ahead of the weekends action. Fulham remain in the bottom three and look destined for relegation with a number of teams ahead of them having games in hand.
Rui Patricio
A relatively easy night for Wolves’ number one who had little to do with the majority of the home sides attempts off target. He came to catch a number of long balls and crosses into the box as Fulham tried to put pressure on the Wolves back line in the second half. 7/10
Nelson Semedo
An extremely pleasing performance from Semedo who has rightfully come in for criticism this season. He was strong defensively, coming out on top against the adventurous Antonee Robinson, while looking to contribute to attacking moves at every opportunity. He had the most tackles and interceptions than anyone else on the pitch, something the Portuguese international must continue and build on if he is to prove his worth at Molineux. 8/10
Conor Coady
Much has been made of Coady’s recent struggles against Fulham target man Alexander Mitrovic, but he handled the Serbian international with ease on Friday night. Mitrovic went the entire game without a clear-cut chance, as Coady along with Saiss and Dendoncker, protected the Wolves goal far better than in the calamitous first half against West Ham. 8/10
Romain Saiss
A solid display from the Moroccon international, who does look far more comfortable defending in a back three. He intercepted a number of low Fulham crosses as the home side searched for a winner, while also looking assured in possession. 7/10
Ryan Ait-Nouri
Looks as though he will have a run in the side until the end of the season with the continued absence of both Jonny and Marcal. The youngster put in arguably his best performance since his debut against Crystal Palace. He looked confident defensively against Decordova-Reid, and was far more direct in attack, a promising trait to his game which Wolves must exploit. 7/10
Leander Dendoncker
Started the game in his more familiar midfield position but switched into the back line following the injury to Pedro Neto. It was a typical ‘Dendoncker performance’ as the Belgium international pulled up no thrills but provided a solid base to start attacks, winning the ball back and recycling possession. 7/10
Ruben Neves
A solid afternoons work for Neves, but he will be disappointed to not have had a greater impact on the game. Fulham had certainly worked on restricting his space and time on the ball, meaning he could not get as far forward as he has done in recent weeks. Despite this, he did little wrong as the away side left with all three points. 6/10
Pedro Neto
Went off injured mid-way through the first half with an existing injury that was picked up playing for Portugal last month. He was involved in much of Wolves’ early possession on the right-hand side but provided little goal threat. 6/10
Daniel Podence
Started the game in a central role supporting Willian Jose before moving out wide following Neto’s injury. Podence looked keen to be on the ball and make things happen, but in truth it was a frustrating night for him as he gave the ball away numerous times and had little influence in the Fulham box. 6/10
Adama Traore
He will be relieved to have finally scored his first goal of the season, following on from his assist on Monday night. It was an excellent strike, powering the ball beyond the Fulham Keeper from a wide angle. Traore’s overall play on the left was good, mixing his game up looking to cut inside and get to the by-line, making him harder to defend against. 8/10
Willian Jose
Cruelly denied his first Wolves goal after a quite frankly ridiculous offside call against Daniel Podence in the build-up. The goal would have done the January signing the world of good, but he is still left searching for that elusive goal. Aside from that, it was a familiar story for Jose who saw little of the ball and failed to pose a goal threat. 6/10
Subs:
Joao Moutinho
Introduced earlier than he would have expected following his injury picked up on international duty. He had an average 60 minutes, with some passes going astray towards the end it is quite possible Moutinho wasn’t fit to play as long as he did. A solid job done none the less. 6/10
Morgan Gibbs-White
A surprising introduction for Gibbs-White, but he certainly took his chance. He looked lively in the final third, constantly looking to get on the ball and played a crucial part in the winning goal as he turned the Fulham midfield as was fouled before Silva took advantage to play in Traore. 7/10
Fabio Silva
A goal on Monday and an assist on Friday, an extremely pleasing week for the young Wolves striker. Silva continues to grow in confidence and is showing an increasing amount of intelligence in the final third, evident in his ball to Traore for the winning goal. He has surely earned himself a start in the coming weeks. 7/10
Ciaran Barker is part of the Talking Wolves editorial team – you can follow him on Twitter here.