Wolves continued their good form with a 3-1 victory over Southampton at Molineux on Saturday. Wolves took the lead mid-way through the first half with a calmly dispatched Raul Jimenez penalty after a rare VAR intervention in Wolves’ favour. Jose Sa pulled off several good saves to maintain Wolves’ lead before Conor Coady netted in front of the Southbank to make it two. A stunning free kick from James Ward-Prowse gave the Saints hope with ten minutes to go, but substitute Adama Traore slotted home the third in stoppage time to round off the victory. Bruno Lage’s men remain eighth and are firmly in the hunt for a European place ahead of next week’s trip to Brentford
Jose Sa
Played a huge part in Wolves’ victory with two excellent saves before half time to maintain Wolves’ lead. He was calm and assured throughout and is finally getting the recognition he deserves in the media. 9/10
Max Kilman
Yet another superb defensive display from Wolves’ latest hero. Kilman did everything that was required of him with ease and looked assured on the ball. He was desperately unlucky to see his looping header hit the post, but with performances like this, those ‘Kilman for England’ chants will only get louder. 9/10
Conor Coady
Another good display from the Wolves captain who had a memorable moment with his goal in front of the Southbank in the second half. He doesn’t score many, but his goal is just reward for his fine form this season. 9/10
Toti Gomes
A surprise inclusion having been recalled from Grasshoppers at the start of January, but Gomes repaid the faith of Bruno Lage who admitted he did not know anything about the Portuguese defender at the beginning of the month. Defensively, he was brilliant, and despite giving the ball away in possession, Gomes had as good a debut as he could have hoped for. 8/10
Nelson Semedo
A quiet afternoon for the Wolves right wing back who was solid and linked play well. He didn’t have the attacking influence we have seen in recent weeks but another good performance none the less. 7/10
Leander Dendoncker
Kept his place in the starting XI as Ruben Neves missed out with COVID-19. The Belgian midfielder put in a good performance, breaking up play and proving an effective aerial presence. He did however, slow the pace of play down particularly in the first half. 7/10
Joao Moutinho
Continued his good form with another performance full of class and quality which we have come to expect. Moutinho orchestrated the midfield with ease despite the loss of Neves alongside him. 8/10
Rayan Ait-Nouri
Ait-Nouri produced another excellent display, and like many others is arguably in the best form of his Wolves career. He won the ball back on several occasions and linked play well going forwards. 8/10
Francisco Trincao
Trincao was largely anonymous for most of his time on the pitch. He had little influence on the front three and despite some nice touches, is not staking a claim for a starting place with the imminent return of Pedro Neto. 6/10
Raul Jimenez
A much-improved performance from Jimenez following a recent dip in form. Jimenez linked play well and lead the press from the front. He dispatched his penalty well in the usual style to set Wolves on their way. 8/10
Daniel Podence
A quieter performance from Podence following his two goals against Sheffield United last week. He looked good on the ball and looked to bring Jimenez and Trincao into play when possible. 7/10
Subs:
Adama Traore
A very good cameo from the bench from Traore as speculation continues over his future. Traore missed a glaring chance with just minutes to go but finally got this first Premier League goal of the season, slotting home with his weaker foot in stoppage time. 8/10
Fabio Silva
Yet another impressive cameo from Fabio Silva who was very effective at getting Wolves higher up the pitch in the closing stages. He produced an excellent piece of skill to create a chance for himself which was well saved. 8/10
Luke Cundle
Came on for the final minute of the game for his Premier League debut. N/A
Ciaran Barker is part of the Talking Wolves editorial team – you can follow him on Twitter here.