Rob Edwards’ Wolves were bested on derby day in his first away game in charge of the club. The away side started well, even netting the ball before it was notched offside by the linesman. Wolves continued the half as the better side before the interval. The second half remained even before the hosts opened the scoring with a terrific strike from Kamara on the edge of the box. Despite numerous chances to equalise, Wolves were unable to equalise. Edwards’ team still remain rooted to the bottom of the league after 13 games. Written by Tom Davison.
Starting XI
Sam Johnstone: 3/10
The Englishman had a shaky start to the game, failing to punch the ball away for an early Villa chance. There wasn’t much else to shout about for the keeper, as he didn’t provide many other saves to deny Villa.
Jackson Tchatchoua: 6/10
The fullback was at the forefront of some key moments, including a brilliant delivery to Strand Larsen that was ruled out by the linesman. He continued to charge forward as Wolves hit the hosts on the break. Elsewhere in the game, he mostly defended well but was beaten in a few key areas by John McGinn.
Toti: 6/10
Surprisingly starting ahead of Ladislav Krejci, the Portuguese centre half looked comfortable under the pressure of the Villa press. Toti contributed to nice passing moves and provided vital cover as Wolves were hit on the break.
Emmanuel Agbadou: 6/10
Retaining his place in the side after Palace, Agbadou looked much improved off the back of a poor performance. As a commanding presence, Agbadou kept the Wolves defence composed and became a challenge to beat in the final third.
Yerson Mosquera: 6/10
Possibly the strongest out of the back three, Yerson got stuck in and covered everywhere on the pitch. He was extremely unlucky with a great header, which needed a world class save from Martinez to keep it out. On the ball, Mosquera looked extremely comfortable and even provided a few incisive through balls.
David Moller Wolfe: 5/10
Going forward, Wolfe challenged a sturdy Villa defence, especially in the first half. As the game ticked on however, Wolfe’s influence up the pitch waned. Defensively, he didn’t make much of a mark as Malen enjoyed a wide amount of space on a variety of occasions.
Joao Gomes: 5/10
Unafraid to get stuck in, Gomes was on the receiving end of several unlucky decisions from the referee. Another player who covers large spaces at a time, he gave it his all but couldn’t make up for some questionable decision making in the final third.
André: 4.5/10
Another player who underperformed against Crystal Palace last week, André again didn’t live up to his ability. Despite carrying the ball well in the middle of the park, he was unable to significantly impact the game at either end.
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde: 5.5/10
Playing out wide, Bellegarde charged forward on the counter to put Wolves into dangerous areas. Featuring out of position didn’t seem to affect the natural midfielder as he piled pressure on the Villa defence.
Jhon Arias: 2/10
Linked to a January move away from the club, Arias was poor again as he works through a difficult period of form. Impeaching Martinez’s point of view for Wolves’ disallowed goal was arguably the only highlight worthy of note for the Colombian international.
Jørgen Strand Larsen: 4.5/10
A phenomenal first time strike was ruled out, marking the Norwegian’s major highlight of the game. He tested the keeper multiple other times and found himself in the box for several close chances, including an almost pinpoint pass from Bellegarde across the 6 yard box.
Substitutes:
Mateus Mane: N/A
A valuable experience for the young forward, but he didn’t get enough time to make an impact.
Tolu Arokodare: N/A
Another substitution that didn’t get enough time to make an impact, Tolu hardly touched the ball.
Tawanda Chirewa: 3/10
A surprising substitution to make, Chirewa hardly influenced an already uninspired Wolves front line.
Hugo Bueno: 4/10
A late substitute for Wolfe, Bueno attempted to usher his team forward. Beating his man a few times saw Wolves waste those chances however.
