WOLVES FANS SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS ON A DRAW AT MOLINEUX TO EVERTON
GEORGE LAKIN
Very even game, and on balance, a point a piece was fair.
We didn’t do nearly enough to win it, and while Vitor didn’t get everything right tonight, he got more right than he did wrong. Proving again that he is more than capable of tweaking things effectively in-game and always seems to have a plan B. For me, this is one of his biggest strengths as a coach.
Like it or not, I think the way things played out tonight is what we’ll see more of going forward in the absence of Cunha: very controlled, gritty, and workmanlike but a bit slow and predictable, lacking any real flair. In fairness, it should see us grind our way to safety, so I’m not massively opposed to it, but it’s going to be a slog.
Sarabia coming on and making the most passes in the final third in the second half was no surprise. Some decent moments from him, and after Cunha, I think he’s our best technician. But the fact he didn’t start, and only came on due to a Munetsi knock, goes to show that shutting teams out is the priority now.
On individual performances, Jose Sa deserves a mention for his outstanding save on 70 minutes after we’d dared to commit numbers forward. As good as a goal was that. Bellegarde worked hard and provided the bit of quality we badly needed for the goal. Agbadou makes a world of difference to us, so, so, so much more assured at the back when he plays. Andre was solid again and is becoming a really consistent performer who seems to be thriving in the physicality of the Premier League.
Strand Larsen still needs to offer more for me. He has his moments of quality but is too often untidy in possession, and his hold-up play is lacking. I’m still questioning whether he is physical enough to fulfill the ‘focal point’ role in this league. In his defence, though, we simply don’t swing enough balls into the box, which, ultimately, is his bread and butter. It’s a situation made all the more difficult by the fact he has no genuine competition at present, a bit of rotation would probably do him some good.
All in all though, a very, very valuable point. 6 points clear now, plus goal difference. I’d call that daylight, and a solid foundation to build on going into Southampton next week. Yes, we look a very different—certainly less exciting—side without Cunha, but tonight showed that we don’t necessarily need him. And what pleased me most was that the players showed they were up for the fight against a really physical side who easily brushed them aside just a few months ago. Don’t get it twisted, we’ve progressed under Pereira, no doubt about it.
KARL WHITEHOUSE
In the first half of the game, we controlled things well, causing problems for Everton’s backline. Our pressing was good, and although we didn’t create many chances, our defending kept out Everton’s counter-attacks, with Agbadou and Toti being in the right place at the right time.
We were unfortunate to go behind with a goal that we could have defended better. However, we didn’t dwell on the setback; we kept pushing Everton and earned a deserved equaliser when Munetsi scored after being set up by Bellegarde. There were signs of this during corners, where Everton gave Munetsi too much space in the box. Wolves did an excellent job of getting back into the game.
The second half didn’t have the same fluency as the first. We didn’t create many goal-scoring chances and struggled to make an impact. We did well to contain Everton’s attempts on goal, but I have to be critical of Sarabia; he is lacking a cutting edge in his game. He performed well for 30 minutes, but Victor needs to reassess. As for Strand Larsen, it was a poor display from him. He was starved of service and isn’t the right replacement for Cunha in my opinion; we need someone better, but who is that?
Special mentions go to Toti and Andre tonight. They both performed excellently and caused Everton all sorts of problems. This level of performance needs to continue.
This is a point gained after today’s result, especially against the bottom three sides. We have an important game next week against Southampton, where we have a chance to build a nine-point cushion. This brings us closer to our goal of surviving in this league. Fingers crossed.
PAM WELLS
Everton were the visitors for a late Saturday night match. They have been doing very well since Moyes took over. How would we perform in our first match without our talisman?
From the kick-off, Everton attacked us, but we stayed strong in defence and countered well. There were chances for both sides, but both defences held firm. Agbadou made a significant difference to our defence, but I think his passing needs some work. Unfortunately, on the half-hour mark, they attacked, and the ball came out to Tarkowski, who had a shot that was deflected into the goal by Doherty, with Sa almost saving the deflection.
After that disappointment, we continued to counter-attack, with Bellegarde and Ait Nouri linking well together. Suddenly, Bellegarde made a great pass, and Munetsi got on the wrong side of their defender and found the back of the net for his first goal in a Wolves shirt.
We deservedly went into the break level. More of the same in the second half, please.
In the first ten minutes, we seemed a bit slow, but we soon found our tempo again. Sarabia took a great free-kick from just outside the box, but it hit the side netting. Suddenly, they broke on a counter-attack, two against two, and got away to shoot, but Sa made a great save.
Guedes came on for Bellegarde, and the first thing he did was put us under pressure after giving the ball away, but we defended well. We were on top for most of the last half an hour. They had some counter-attacks, but we played really well in defence.
In the last five minutes, Bueno came on for Andre. There were three extra minutes, but we couldn’t make the extra possession count, and the match finished level. I would have probably taken that before the start, but over the 90 minutes, I think we edged it. Overall, it was a great team performance.
There were a few contenders for man of the match, but for me, Andre was immense tonight. Performance rating: 8.
Onwards and upwards, lads.