Wolves were edged out by Crystal Palace in a 1-0 defeat at Selhurst Park in a rather eventful match for both sides. Wolves controlled the first half, as they had many opportunities yet were unable to find the back of the net, epitomised by Tolu Arokodare’s penalty miss just before half time.
The second half was relatively even until Ladislav Krejci received a dodgy second yellow for kicking the ball away (it was very harsh, in my opinion, as it was unclear whether the ball truly went out or not). From that point onwards, the hosts took control and eventually found their way through with a late goal from Evan Guessand, meaning that Wolves came away from South London empty handed.
With that in mind, here are my player ratings.
Jose Sa – 7/10
Sa wasn’t really challenged, only facing 3 shots on target for the entire game. There was nothing he could do about the goal, and in that sense, he was unlucky not to keep a clean sheet.
Jackson Tchatchoua – 5/10
He was pretty useless when going forward, as per usual, although overall, he did a decent job defensively.
Yerson Mosquera – 6/10
A dodgy attempt at a clearance from Mosquera just minutes into the first half nearly saw the hosts go 1-0 up. However, Mosquera was measured in his approach to the rest of the game and even had a decent opportunity from a corner, which he headed just over the bar.
Santiago Bueno – 6/10
Santi kept former Wolves man Jorgen Strand Larsen quiet and had a solid game, as per usual.
Ladislav Krejci – 5.5/10
As I mentioned earlier, I don’t think Krejci deserved to be sent off. He had a decent game until that point.
Hugo Bueno – 7/10
Wolves chose to approach the game by going more direct and therefore, the wingbacks weren’t involved that much. However, Hugo impressed with his crossing on many occasions and was one of our better players.
Andre – 7/10
A well-rounded performance from Andre, proving to Edwards why he should be starting. That flick in the first half was beautiful.
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde – 8/10
In my opinion, Bellegarde was our best player, coming close with a free-kick effort and dictating the tempo for most of the game. He seems to be performing at the level that he was before he got injured, and that means that he should be starting every game.
Mateus Mane – 7/10
Another good performance from the youngster, who spent most of the time dribbling through the Palace midfield and defence. Arguably, his decision making could’ve been better, but hopefully that will come with time.
Adam Armstrong – 5.5/10
Armstrong rarely touched the ball, to be honest. We don’t play to his strengths, so I’m not sure what else we can expect from him. He also had to make way for Wolfe when we went down to 10 men, so I can’t justify giving him any more than a 5.5.
Tolu Arokodare – 4/10
I’m still not sure why Tolu was given the responsibility to take the penalty when, prior to today, he had only scored 5/10 taken in his career. Likewise, Krejci has scored 13/15, and Armstrong 25/33. Aside from that penalty, the rest of his performance was decent, holding up the ball well as per usual – I don’t agree with many of the reactionary takes that have been spewed on X following the penalty miss.
Subs:
David Moller Wolfe – 6/10
Wolfe played in Krejci’s position for the last 40 minutes and didn’t really look out of place. He deserves to play more often; it’s just a pity for him that Hugo Bueno is in such good form.
Joao Gomes – 4/10
I wouldn’t usually give ratings for a 10-minute cameo, but where was Gomes when Guessand was making the run into the box for the goal? He just let him have an unchallenged shot. Week by week, he looks increasingly disinterested. Maybe that’s why he hasn’t started the last two games.
Angel Gomes – N/A
He switched the play well for the last few minutes.
