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Wolves 3-1 Southampton – Player Ratings

January 16, 2022

by Ciaran Baker with No Comment Player Ratings

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.

Wolves 3-1 Southampton Match Report

January 16, 2022

by Matt Cooper with No Comment Match Reviews News

Four goals at Molineux, a treat from Bruno’s Wolves in another convincing victory, as they overcame a Southampton side in good form. Wolves took the opportunity to maintain pressure on those ahead of them this season, keeping those European dreams of seasons past well and truly alive. Finally, the Wolves have left their teething phase in their Prem campaign, they’re on the hunt for the top six.

Upon arrival, the team sheet probably surprised every single Wolves fan, as Neves was out with COVID and Toti Gomes was brought in for his Wolves debut. Quite the step up from the quality of opponent he was used to at Grasshoppers, nonetheless, Toti (with the ever-present support from our captain) looked like a seasoned member of the Premier League; certainly, a debut to be proud of. The reason Lage gave for not playing Leander Dendoncker at centre-back was to maintain the system they had been working on, and instead opted for the Belgian to operate from his more comfortable station if midfield.

Despite the result conveying a relatively comfortable afternoon at the office for Wolves, this was far from the truth in the first half. Southampton raced out of the blocks with an intense pressure, causing Wolves problems in possession – conceding four early corners, but these were defended confidently despite quality of delivery. A combination of poor touches and lacklustre passing frustrated fans in the first half particularly, but this was soon rectified in the second period of play, as Wolves took control of the game and highlighted the difference in quality between the two sides. Key performances from Coady, Kilman and Jose Sa kept Southampton at bay, with the away side needing a piece of alien-like brilliance to prevent yet another clean-sheet for the home side.

One performance stood out from the rest, that being the one of Michael Salisbury. That first half was possibly up there with one of the worst officiating performances I had witnessed at Molineux. Six blatant fouls weren’t given against Saints players, and it took the involvement of VAR (not hugely popular amongst the Wolves faithful) to overturn Salisbury’s original penalty decision. It’s a topic that’s discussed widely across the league, but the standard of officiating this season most notably, is deteriorating rapidly, and you know it’s poor when I mention it following a 3-1 victory.

Key moments

Proceeding the VAR decision to award Wolves a penalty ten minutes before the break, Raul Jimenez calmly dispatched his fourth goal of the Premier League season; a much-needed confidence boost our star man. Not long after the break Wolves made it two, Forster was caught out as Kilman looped an effort towards the far post, before Conor Coady headed home from two yards out, and a due reward for what’s been an incredible season so far. James Ward-Prowse decided it was time for another goal of the season nomination, with the best goal I’ve ever seen live, period. This gave the Saints a foothold back into the contest, yet all hopes of a draw were ended as Adama Traore (finally) gained an ounce of composure in front of goal. The winger slotted home his first goal of the season. Even those who want him sold enjoyed that one, right?

Man of the Match – Conor Coady

No player had an outstanding performance as such, but my man of the match is his first of the season: Conor Coady. His league goal in front of the South Bank was a moment a long time coming, but the MOTOM award isn’t because of this. Coady had a young, inexperienced centre-half by his side, who had been in the country less than two weeks. I closely watched the partnership of him and Toti yesterday, and I genuinely don’t think there’s a player in the league who can make a debutant feel more comfortable in that context than Conor. Last season, Coady was a captain with incredible leadership quality, but many questioned his footballing ability. He must be in contention for most improved player of the season, leading though exemplary performances in addition to his elite mentality. What a person, what a player, what a captain.

Improvements

The first half highlighted our struggle to deal with a quickly enforced press, sloppy passing and hesitation on the ball caused for too many turnovers in possession. Additionally, we had a cluster of counter attacks that demonstrated our ability to move the ball quickly and efficiently, but this wasn’t common enough. Overall, it was a good performance but there’s just an element of complacency to tidy up before Brentford. Three goals at Molineux, though, I can’t complain too much.

Sam Beeken is part of the Talking Wolves editorial team – you can follow him here

Southampton 0-1 Wolves – Player Ratings

September 27, 2021

by Ciaran Baker with No Comment News Player Ratings

Wolves picked up just their second victory of the season winning 1-0 at Southampton on Sunday afternoon. Raul Jimenez got his first Premier League goal in an incredibly emotional moment in front of the travelling Wolves fans, with an assist from goalkeeper Jose Sa. Sa made some important saves in the second half in what was a poor game, but Wolves came out victorious and head back to Molineux next week to face Newcastle United.

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Jose Sa

Quite easily the new Wolves shot stopper’s best game in which he commanded his area well, made some vital saves including a double save mid-way through the second half, and played Raul Jimenez in for the winning goal. His distribution is certainly helping Wolves’ more attacking style of play as he begins to look like a real bargain. 8/10

Max Kilman

An assured performance from Kilman on the right-hand side of defence as he dealt with anything that came his way. He did not impose himself on the game in possession as he has done in previous games, but his defensive display was faultless. 7/10

Conor Coady

Came in for heavy criticism after his performances against Brentford and Tottenham but the Wolves captain looked back to his best on the south coast on Sunday. He was confident defensively, organising the back three throughout the game. He was also good on the ball, looking to link play with the wing backs at every opportunity. Hopefully his early season slump is now behind him. 8/10

Romain Saiss

Saiss, like Kilman did what was required of him defensively, which was a big improvement on his recent performances. Many had expected Wily Boly to return in place of Saiss but the Moroccan captain will have given Bruno Lage a selection headache going forwards after a confident display. 7/10

Nelson Semedo

Could and perhaps should have put Wolves ahead in the first minute but his shot was straight at the Southampton goalkeeper. Otherwise, it was an impressive display from Semedo who looked lively down the right hand side. Had a couple of concerning moments with the tricky Djenepo but in general dealt with him well. 7/10

Joao Moutinho

A quiet afternoon for the Portuguese international as he looked to keep possession with many passes going astray from those around him, particularly in the first half. A solid if not unspectacular afternoon. 6/10

Leander Dendoncker

A surprise inclusion in place of Ruben Neves but perhaps deserved a Premier League start after impressing and getting on the scoresheet in midweek. Dendoncker provided Wolves with something they have been missing this season, the ability to break up play in midfield and prevent teams dominating the ball in the middle of the park. 7/10

Fernando Marcal

A below-par performance from Marcal who had started the season well. Marcal struggled defensively with Coady and Saiss covering for him on more than one occasion. His passing was out of tune with those around him leading to possession being lost on more than one occasion. 5/10

Daniel Podence

A deserved start for Podence after impressing in both games he played in the Carabao Cup. He did not live up to those heights here, with many of his passes going astray. He was however direct and looking to link with Jimenez and Hwang wherever possible. 6/10

Raul Jimenez

What a moment for Wolves’ number nine as he finally gets on the scoresheet in the Premier League. It was an extremely good finish which sent the Wolves away end barmy. Jimenez had a lot to do once he received the ball from Sa, but he left two Southampton defenders on the floor as he slotted past McCarthy. 8/10

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Hwang Hee-Chan

Given his first Premier League start in a Wolves shirt and provided great energy in his pressing and will win the ball back. He forced Southampton to give up possession in good areas but failed to have any impact on the game with the ball. 6/10

Subs:

Adama Traore

A surprise omission but he did come on for the closing stages of the game. Didn’t have too many opportunities with the ball at his feet but did help Wolves get the ball up the pitch as the aimed to see the game out. He was in a great position for a late counter attack, but Jimenez failed to get the ball across to him, opting to go for goal instead. 6/10