Who would’ve predicted that?! Wolverhampton Wanderers’ 12 game losing streak finally came to an end at Old Trafford, grinding out a tightly fought 1-1 draw against Manchester United.
For the first time in what feels like forever, the Old Gold and Black faithful finally had something to celebrate as Ladislav Krejci buried home a pinpoint header to cancel out Joshua Zirkzee’s heavily deflected opener. Wolves defended resolutely and countered with purpose, and on another day, could have very easily walked away with all three points!
Season-changing result? Probably not, but this game was a huge breath of fresh air as we finally saw a bit of pride, quality and fight within the team – something that has been missing for far too long. If Wolves can make this display the new baseline, there may finally be something to build on as we head into the New Year.
Jose Sa – 7
I can’t fault Sa too much at all today. He was desperately unlucky to concede the opener following the huge deflection that took Zirkzee’s shot into the back of the Wolves net. Other than that he was fairly solid, although not tested too much. He commanded his area well and made a number of saves when called upon. As always, his distribution wasn’t great and his positioning for Mosquera’s backpass was questionable to say the least, but aside from nearly giving the entire fanbase a collective heart attack, Sa was decent today.
Yerson Mosquera – 9
Mosquera easily had his best game in a Wolves shirt today. The man was immense at the back – winning duels, headers even his passing was excellent today and played a huge part in converting our defence into attack. He owned that right hand side of the pitch all evening and was instrumental in today’s result. Even with his dodgy throw-in (a school boy error which cannot be ignored) Mosquera was outstanding. Man of the match comfortably for me.
Matt Doherty – 8
Matt Doherty also had a very good game today. The Wolves captain defended very well throughout the 90 minutes and looked comfortable leading that back line. The only thing I can really fault him on was letting Zirzkee get his shot away for United’s goal but other than that, the Wolves veteran put in a performance to be proud of.
Ladislav Krecji – 8
What a header to win us a point today! Fantastic movement in the box and buried his header perfectly into the bottom corner to earn us a point just before halftime. Other than that, he was solid and joined the other 2 CBs in defensive displays which Wolves fans will be desperate to see more of.
Jackson Tchatchoua – 5
It was the same old story with Tchatchoua today. Defensively average, and poor going forward despite his electric pace that commentators love to remind us of (did you know he was the fastest player in Serie A???). He put in a couple of decent crosses, but his ball carrying and decision making just doesn’t seem to be good enough for this wing-back role at this level.
Hugo Bueno – 6
Bueno had an okay game today. Defensively sound and linked up well on occasion going forward. Extremely unlucky not to have bagged himself a goal with his near-post strike in the first half. Something to build on for the Spaniard.
Joao Gomes – 8
Joao Gomes was great today and seemed much better without his usual partner Andre alongside him. He broke up United’s play consistently throughout the game and was a constant nuisance in the middle of the park throughout the 90 minutes. Definitely something Rob Edwards needs to think about going forward as we know how good Gomes and Andre are individually, but together they are far too similar which has left our midfield very one-dimensional all season.
Jhon Arias – 7
I definitely did not expect to give this rating before kick-off. Deployed in an unfamiliar role, Arias was quietly impressive. He won a fair few duels, wriggled his way out of trouble on a number of occasions and offered a real outlet in midfield which allowed us to push forward more often. Maybe there’s a player in there after all!
Mateus Mane – 7
Another very solid display from the 18 year old. Mateus Mane is one of the few players Wolves fans will be desperate to keep a hold of. Since his introduction to the first team this season, he has brought a spark that this side has been crying out for and it showed again today. Always looking to break forward, tidy on the ball, Mane just oozes class and although still very raw, he has already become a fan-favorite. Don’t you dare even think about cashing in Fosun – this kid is the real deal.
Hwang Hee-Chan – 3
I think Hwang was poor again today. Consistently awful decision making, shot after shot blazed over the bar not to mention his error which led to United’s goal. It feels as if Hwang Hee-Chan is just void of any sort of confidence and is an absolute shadow of the player he was during the 23/24 season. Unfortunately, he has been one of, if not, the worst player at the club for a long time now and a replacement is desperately needed in January.
Tolu Arokodare – 6
Arokodare had a fairly average game today. Solid as ever in his hold up play, an aerial threat as always, linked up fairly well when needed but it didn’t quite land for him today. Still though, I have enjoyed watching him come into the starting XI and hope to see more of him going forward. The goals will come.
Substitutes:
Jorgen Strand-Larsen – 4
Strand-Larsen didn’t do too much today. I think his aerial ability and hold-up play are massively inferior to Arokodare’s at the moment and his introduction took away a strong focal point up top. Nevertheless, an average performance in the 25 minutes he played.
Fer Lopez and Moller Wolfe – N/A
Brief cameos from Fer Lopez and Wolfe so not much at all to even rate here aside from Lopez’s corner. The less said about that the better.
