WOLVES FANS SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS FOLLOWING WOLVES WIN AGAINST ASTON VILLA
BLACKPOOL WOLF
CRAIG HICKEY
TYLER PRICE
WOW. WHAT A WIN
Wolves moving out of the bottom 3 due to a shock victory…. fight, fight wherever you may be!
Jean Ricner Bellegarde has received so much criticism and rightly so but today in a midfield 2 he played unbelievable and he thrived next to Andre. Sarabia too I thought was absolutely brilliant and he had fight and dug in so deep to win the ball.
Cunha was poor and really quiet and then got placed upfront after some subs and he began to wake up and to bag the winner in the way he did and the celebrations were AMAZING.
That is such a huge win and the atmosphere was rocking. Credits due so highly to Agbadou and Toti also as they were vital in that win, winning all their duels and they were so composed. We have really missed Toti so it proves getting in that experienced centre half would improve us so highly.
Up the Wolves.
GEORGE LAKIN
Without a doubt our most important victory of the season. Turned up under huge pressure. No hiding.
We dug as deep as I’ve seen for a long time tonight, and in the end, did it the hard way. Fine, we’d love to be more clinical but there’s as much (if not more) to be said about that type of performance as killing the game in the first half and seeing out a comfortable 3-0 win.
Dubious VAR decisions aside (I thought Rogers interfered personally- plus we should have had a penalty) that second half was a test of character, mettle and desire-and we passed it with flying colours.
Ideally, do we want to see Wolves sitting back like that for long periods and protecting a single goal lead? No, of course not. But sometimes needs must. And we did it with a level of composure that deserves credit.
Overall, we seem more assured when sitting back and absorbing pressure under Pereira, there’s a belief that we can actually hold onto a lead if we shut up shop. We’ve picked up points in every game in which we’ve taken the lead so far in his tenure. That speaks for itself. Scoring first is vital for us now. Good teams are built on that premise, massive when it comes to confidence.
As for the result itself, it’s not just what it does for us, but -given the context of today’s other results- what it does to the teams around us. Absolute Sucker punch. A real statement victory.
From here we have to believe we have more than both Ipswich and Leicester. So pull away, like Everton did. Get a couple of signings through the door tomorrow/Monday and land another blow. Destroy their belief. It’s dog eat dog, so show our teeth a bit. We have the prowess, the resources, the status, it’s time to stop this tinpot non-sense and rise above it.
Still maintain 30 points will do it this year. That means just 11 more points required. Why wait? Just go win 3/4 of the next 6/7 games. It’s there for the taking now.
Dare we look up the table? Spurs in our sights…
JOHN TARAS
KARL WHITEHOUSE
We started the game well, with good pressing and intent, along with a clear identity that stopped Villa’s forward movements.
We’ve talked about Bellegarde all season, and he delivered his first goal at Molineux through some great team play. He needs to keep delivering for the team if he wants to stay in the starting 11.
Our side was in the faces of the opposition at every moment. We played a style we haven’t seen for a while. This must be maintained to keep Villa from seeing our goal.
Cunha and Guedes should have done better with their shots at goal. Was that a missed opportunity to double our lead? Or could it haunt us? Time will tell.
We were guilty of missing chances in this game. We could have been 3, 4, or even 5 goals up. The goalkeeper wasn’t tested where they ended up. I hoped this doesn’t come back to haunt us in the second half. We need to be more clinical in our finishing.
We needed a second goal in a game we controlled well, with good counter-attacking movements in a compact unit, sometimes playing deep to manage the game. It was a good first-half display.
In the second half, we didn’t start like we did in the first. We were camped in our own half, and Villa nearly equalised, but VAR ruled out their goal, which was a relief. We haven’t started applying pressure on their goal. We need this second goal with some urgency.
We defended well tonight, keeping Villa out of the game. You can point to one or two players who started together for the first time. They were there every time a ball came into the box. Toti and Agbadou were immense.
At the end of the game, we were camped in, facing little trouble and limiting Villa to long-range efforts. Our defence kept us in this match.
Game set and match at the end, as Cunha got the goal he deserved to seal the win. We were nervous in the second half, but this win was big after what happened in the league below us. Now we need to keep this going and believe we can do it. This was a different Wolves team compared to the last game, with players showing shape, desire, and play. Keep the faith, everyone—this is what we needed.
Bellegarde was the player of the match tonight, earning our team a rating of 8.5 for their effort and commitment.
PAM WELLS
Well, after earlier results, we needed something from this game—at least a draw, but a win would be great. Could we do it against the Villains?
When I saw the team, I wasn’t so sure about Bellegarde in a two-man midfield and Sarabia keeping his place after a poor performance last week.
The game started with a quick tempo, and we pushed forward with aggression. Defensively, we were immense.
After just 12 minutes, Bellegarde got forward and hit a good shot, which I thought Martinez might have saved. But no, the ball hit the back of the net, and we were in front. We had some good play after that; Guedes had a couple of chances, and Sarabia was playing well.
By half-time, we could have been 3 or 4 up. I hoped this wasn’t going to be another game all about the misses.
Villa came out in the second half and made four substitutions. They really came at us, attacking in numbers, but we stayed strong. It was our turn to make three subs. After a mix-up by the fourth official, Doyle and Rodrigo Gomes came on, and Sarabia and Guedes came off. However, Sarabia shouldn’t have come off, so eventually, he came back on for Ait Nouri.
Villa kept coming forward. They had the ball in the net, but it was rightly flagged offside. Bellegarde then had to come off, and Hwang came on.
It was a very nervy last ten minutes, and with all the stopping and starting, another eight minutes were added. Could we hold on?
Guess who made sure we not only hung on but also scored a goal to make it 2-0? It had to be Matheus Cunha, and him blowing kisses to the fans hopefully means he is staying.
We had done it. It was a great team performance, with everyone fighting for each other and never giving up.
My man of the match, unbelievably, was between Sarabia and Bellegarde, but for his goal, Bellegarde just edged it.
Performance rating: 8.
My apologies to VP for ever doubting his team selection.
A break from the tension.