Wolves vs Southampton Player Ratings

Rui Patricio Denied Danny Ings on a couple occasions but couldn’t fault him for the combined mishaps between Jesus Vallejo and Conor Coady which led to the opener. The keeper also made an excellent save to prevent James Ward-Prowse from bending his free-kick into the top corner, four minutes from time. Patricio showed a clear improvement in his overall distribution out from the back, making 22 passes and completing four accurate long balls. 7/10   Ryan Bennett The experienced centre-half picked up a minor injury which saw him come off for Jesus Vallejo on the 17th minute but didn’t put a foot wrong in his duration on the pitch. 7/10   Conor Coady The skipper didn’t put on the greatest show in the middle of the back three, contrasting with his superb performance vs Man City a fortnight ago. Coady made sixty passes with a respectable 86% pass accuracy, but a rightful booking on 45th minute meant that the Englishman was treading on thin ice for the remainder of the game. His error in mis-timing the bounce led to Danny Ings’ goal six minutes after the interval, a mistake which wasn’t all his fault. 6/10   Willy Boly The Ivory Coast international has proved yet again why he’s so integral to this Wolves side, having won three aerial duels and making six recoveries, as well as achieving four accurate long balls, one of which found Raul Jimenez but was ruled out for handball. Boly’s overall composure and distribution is second to none, showing week-in-week-out how vital he is to the Wolves back three. 8/10   Jonny Otto The Spaniard showed integrity and determination when running down the left wing, something which he’s developed since arriving last year from Athletico Madrid. Jonny showed defensively and offensively why he’s such an annoyance to face, nullifying Valery as indicated by his seven recoveries. 8/10   Joao Moutinho The Portuguese maestro ran the show in the middle of the park, showing no signs of tiredness despite playing in both midweek European Qualifiers. 81 touches and a pass accuracy of 85% indicated how influential he was, dictating the tempo and his defensive awareness was up to usual standards yet again, making four recoveries on the afternoon. 8/10   Ruben Neves Wolves talisman hasn’t been himself in recent weeks, adopting a deeper role in the midfield to what he’s played in the past seasons. A low pass accuracy of 72% to what he’s usually achieving, as well as only making one successful recovery and tackle during the first half. 6/10   Leander Dendoncker The Belgian, likewise with Neves, hasn’t put on a display worthy of a mention in recent weeks, but he lifted his performance in the second half which contributed to his five recoveries and two aerial duels won. Dendoncker hasn’t lost his grit or energy, but he certainly hopes to have a greater impact from the midfield in the coming games. 7/10   Adama Traore Following his brace last time out, Adama showed signs of confidence in his play in the final third, but most notably, he couldn’t produce when necessary as he slashed his attempt wide of the post on the 80th minute. The Spaniard completed four key dribbles and was fouled three times throughout the 90 minutes, as well as making six recoveries from right wing-back. 7/10   Patrick Cutrone The Italian international struggled to break through the back three of Bednarek, Yoshida and Vestergaard during his time on the pitch, attempting only one shot which failed to hit the target. Cutrone’s 22 touches and lack of involvement in the game warranted his substitution for Diogo Jota just after the equaliser. 5/10   Raul Jimenez Wolves’ NO.9 could have bagged himself a potential hattrick, but due to the operation of VAR in the modern era, a handball decision and an offside call were both chalked off within the first half. His week’s rest recharged his batteries as he looked raring to go since the first whistle, chasing loose balls and linking up play as he usually does. The Mexican sensation dispatched his penalty with coolness and composure, with that being his first shot all afternoon. 8/10   Substitutions    Jesus Vallejo (for Ryan Bennett 18th minute) Making his second appearance in the Premier League, the loanee from Real Madrid looked out of his depth yet again, likewise with his poor display vs Chelsea a few weeks back. Was caught out on numerous occasions and found himself chasing the ball in-behind, as well as making a lackadaisical pass to Danny Ings which was fortunately saved by Patricio. However, a lethargic and underpowered clearance into the middle of the park led to Southampton’s opener on the 53rd minute. 4/10   Matt Doherty (for Ruben Neves 46th minute) The Irishman featured in only one game for his national side during the break, but his drive and determination earnt Wolves a penalty on the 61st minute, beating three players until Hojbjerg fouled him inside the 18-yard box. Winning two aerial duels and making two interceptions, his defensive display was what we all expect from the dynamic wing-back. 7/10   Diogo Jota (for Patrick Cutrone 62nd minute) Coming back from his injury, Diogo showed the drive and dribbling ability he’s used to displaying, cutting in from the left and deceiving defenders by comfortably using either foot in the final third. The forward didn’t have much of an impact on the game, but his four attempted dribbles indicates that he’ll eventually find his feet in this Wolves side. 7/10