Wolves rose to 11th in the Premier League table with a 1-0 win over Leeds at Molineux. Adama Traore’s long-range strike cannoned off the bar before going in off the diving Illan Meslier to give Wolves their third win in four games, which looks to have ended their poor run of form.
Rui Patricio
A second consecutive brilliant performance from Patricio, who has well and truly answered a minority of fans who were questioning him after the defeat to Crystal Palace in January. The stats show Wolves’ number 11 to have made a huge seven saves during the game, including one from Helder Costa in stoppage time as the former Wolves winger looked set to earn Leeds a point. Man of the match. 9/10.
Leander Dendoncker
Had a quiet game and was relatively untroubled by the Leeds front line. Blocked one Bamford effort early on in the first half and looked in control whenever the in-form front man was in his area. Has slotted in well to Wolves’ defence in the absence of Boly. 7/10.
Conor Coady
Has expectedly looked so much better since Wolves moved back to a back three, and that was evident today. Marshalled a defence that looked steady for most of the 90 minutes and made a superb tackle to deny Harrison down the left-hand side in the first half. With internationals coming up ahead of the Euros in the summer, the Wolves captain will need to put in plenty more performances like this if he’s to board the plane in June. 8/10.
Romain Saiss
Like Dendoncker, Saiss was rarely troubled by a notoriously potent Leeds attack, which is testament to Wolves’ midfield. Looked up for the battle as always, and his distribution was solid. Has impressed in Wolves last game-and-a-half. 7/10.
Nelson Semedo
Had one of his best games in a gold shirt. Semedo was up and down the right-hand side throughout the first half and looked strong defensively as well, something that Wolves fans haven’t become accustomed to from the Portuguese as yet. Provided Wolves’ best attacking threat for much of the game, but should really have picked up his first Wolves goal. Semedo deserves a lot of credit after bouncing back from some poor performances in mid-December to establish himself as one of Nuno’s key men. 9/10.
Ruben Neves
Another strong performance from Neves, who has enjoyed a brilliant seven weeks of 2021. The 23-year-old put in a battling, tenacious display in what turned out to be a scrappy midfield battle, while also driving Wolves forward on occasion. Neves has added a lot to his game so far this year, which has helped Wolves pick up 10 points from 4 games. 8/10.
Joao Moutinho
Was calm and collected in Wolves’ midfield and was tenacious in tackles like Neves. Had a good effort from about 20 yards which sailed just wide of Meslier’s goal. Credit must be given to Moutinho as well as Semedo, who has bounced back superbly from a string of poor performances in January to re-establish a solid midfield tandem with Neves. 7/10.
Jonny
It’s certainly no coincidence that Wolves’ improved performances and results have coincided with Jonny’s return to form. The Spaniard was a huge miss for the last six months, and the replacements of Marcal and Ait-Nouri have proved unreliable for different reasons. Jonny impressed in his 60 minutes, as he had in his previous three outings in the last fortnight. Hopefully that will advance into 90 in the coming weeks. 7/10.
Pedro Neto
Took on his mother’s advice to shoot more, and it nearly paid off in the first half as Meslier saved well from his effort from range. Neto shot a lot more often against Leeds than he had in previous encounters, which certainly isn’t a bad thing, but he would have been advised to pick his head up when Jose was free in the area early in the second half. Away from his shooting Neto was everywhere, putting in a very impressive performance. 8/10.
Willian Jose
Was quite anonymous during his 87 minutes on the pitch, as he still looks to find his feet in a Wolves shirt. Jose, whether his fault or otherwise, barely saw the ball but his hold up play was impressive on the rare occasions he was in possession. Should have been picked out while free in the area by Neto, which should have led to his first Wolves goal. 6/10.
Adama Traore
Wolves’ tactical switch of both wingers looked to have greatly benefited Traore, who finally got a league goal involvement for the first time since June. The Spaniard was a thorn in Leeds’ side throughout the game and beat players for fun in the middle of the park like the Traore of old. Had his long-range strike gone straight in it would have been a contender for Wolves’ goal of the season, but Traore was unfortunate it needed help off Meslier to find the net. 8/10.
Marcal
Was introduced to gain match fitness after a recent six-week absence but, to the surprise of no one, Marcal was forced off after just 18 minutes. The unfortunate Brazilian has impressed during his limited minutes in a gold shirt, but his body has never given him a chance of staking a claim for the regular left-wing back slot. 6/10.
Rayan Ait-Nouri
Replaced Marcal for the final eight minutes. Looked solid as Leeds ploughed men forward in the closing stages. 6/10.
Fabio Silva
Looked impressive in the final few minutes and bought Wolves time by having a good effort deflected wide by Struijk. 6/10.
James Wynn is part of the Talking Wolves editorial team – you can follow him on Twitter here.