WOLVES 2 SAINTS 0: WOLVES FANS GIVE THEIR OPINIONS
JOHN TARAS
One flash of brilliance from Cunha led to an unstoppable goal, and a cleverly worked move finished off by Sarabia came just two minutes in. That left 85 minutes to react. For the first time this season, the players were focused for 90 minutes. Toti, Dawson, and Bueno were outstanding at the back, repelling everything Southampton threw at them, ably supported by Ait-Nouri and Semedo.
As a fan, it was always in the back of your mind that they would score. They did, but unusually, VAR ruled it out for a foul! Even after six extra minutes in the first half, we held onto our lead. But there were still 45 minutes to play.
In the second half, Bellegarde came on for Sarabia. Why not bring on Forbs? But credit where it’s due; Bellegarde put in a shift. Russell Martin looked frustrated as we continued to fend off everything. When Cunha unleashed his shot, giving Ramsdale no chance, could our first win be on the cards?
The lads collectively snuffed out any further pressure, and full time arrived. Wolves climbed two places, pending the Spurs v Ipswich match tomorrow.
A solid 7.5 for defensive performance but 8 for organisation! We can all enjoy the satisfaction of our first win, but from two winnable home games, we only managed four points, not six. Next up in two weeks, Fulham away; that will be a tough game!
PAM WELLS
Wow, we finally did it!
What a feeling to get that win. We had a great start with Cunha making a fantastic pass for Sarabia to score in the first five minutes. As usual for Wolves, we then dropped deep and let them come at us. Seven minutes later, they scored, but for once, VAR was on our side and disallowed the goal for a foul on Semedo. They kept pressing for most of the half, but we stayed strong in defence and went in at half-time winning by the odd goal. Could we keep it up in the second half?
Bellegarde came on for Sarabia, and within about five minutes, we were 2-0 up after a tremendous goal from Cunha. What a player he is! He orchestrates most of our attacking play.
They came back again and had a lot of possession, but we put on a solid defensive display and they had very few, if any, clear-cut chances. We kept them at bay and finally got the win we have been waiting for so long.
There were some impressive defensive performances. I thought Toti had probably his best game this season, and Dawson and Bueno were both good again. But just for his determination and the way he can change a game, I’m giving my man of the match to Cunha.
Performance rating: I’ll give it a 7.5.
Come again, Ruben Neves! You brought us luck!
Onwards and upwards, lads!
GEORGE LAKIN
First and foremost, the result is what matters most. Finally, we have something to build from, and it still has the potential to be a morale-boosting win. With a clean sheet to boot.
First half, we sat back and allowed Southampton to dictate the play, making them look like prime Barcelona while we resembled Kidderminster Harriers. It was astonishing how we struggled to string three passes together and repeatedly gifted the ball back to Southampton after working so hard to win it back. It was night and day the difference in football the two sides were playing to be honest. Somehow though, we went into the break with a lead after a VAR decision, for once, went our way.
In the second half, Gary adjusted our approach, making us more tenacious in the press. Clearly, the instructions were to disrupt Southampton’s game, halt their build up at source, and it worked. While it didn’t necessarily improve our own play, it threw them off balance and swung the game in our favour. I thought they looked really really poor in the second half and I think they’re almost certain to go down.
Man for man, we have a far stronger squad than Southampton, so there’s little excuse for our lacklustre first half. But credit where it’s due—O’Neil’s tactical adjustments paid off. While we weren’t dominant in the second half, the game was more balanced, and Southampton’s threat diminished significantly. Our setup nullified their play, Cunha’s goal helped, allowing us to focus on breaking up the game with a healthy cushion.
We fought hard for this victory, but the performance was still unconvincing against one of the league’s weakest sides. There’s plenty of work ahead, but we now have three games unbeaten under our belt. I think Gary, for better or worse, will be keeping his job for the time being; another ‘individual moment’ from Cunha’s today and a battling performance has bailed him out. He’ll be here after the international break, and while his fist pumps to the south bank at the end might’ve been premature, it shows the fans will get back behind him if results improve. I’m going to think positively and say it’s time to look onwards and upwards, rather than inwards. For now.
BLACKPOOL WOLF
Well, what a relief! This has been a long time coming. Not only did we keep a clean sheet, but we actually won a game.
There were some very strong performances today: J. Gomes as usual, Dawson, Bueno, Cunha, Semedo. But my man of the match goes to Toti Gomes. I’ve been critical of some of his performances this season, and although others may favour different players, I couldn’t give it to anyone else other than Toti.
I now need to get real with my overall thoughts. I wasn’t impressed with the performance. Don’t get me wrong; defensively we did well and played decent football at times. However, I lost count of how many times we were slow on the ball and lacked creativity and support when we could have countered. The back four were structured and solid today, and I was impressed. But we didn’t seem to work as a team overall. Rayan Ait Nouri seemed to play a free role today. If he was supposed to be a wing-back, he was very poor defensively. Gomes and Lemina don’t really work for me; it’s not a partnership. Both players focus too much on their own games. Gomes had another solid game, and I love how he never stops and never gives up. But at times, he was the only one doing it. The gap in the centre of midfield looks massive at times.
A much-needed win, but there’s a lot of work to do on the training pitch. A better opponent would have caused us many more problems.
Gary O’Neil is not off the hook at all. The quality of Cunha eased the game for us. Tactically, I thought he got it wrong today but still managed a win. 29% possession at home against a team that is now bottom is not good enough to get us out of this mess.
CRAIG HICKEY
I woke up this morning feeling positive. Perhaps today would be the day we break the duck. I told my brother we would win 2-0, believe it or not.
The game started fantastically for us. We proved our worth, hustled, and broke quickly, and that’s how we took the lead. It was then a composed 10 minutes, but Southampton started to have more of the ball and controlled the game. We had chances to break, but our final ball wasn’t on point. We had some luck with a disallowed goal, even though the ref had to check the screen for a foul. I’m not sure what he didn’t see at the time.
The Molineux wonder kid, Ruben Neves, came out at half-time. It was fantastic to see him, and he gave us valuable advice. “Things will change after today,” he said. “Produce the atmosphere you’re giving now in the second half… Obrigado, Ruben.”
The second half was a full-blooded performance from the team. We closed down, broke at pace, and defended as a unit. This is what we’ve all wanted. It’s not perfect; we will face bigger tests to show our quality, but we have to savour the moment.
At the end of the game, the team got the ovation they deserved from the remaining fans. Gary O’Neil applauded the fans, and the South Bank demanded the winning three punches from him. He delivered. You can read it as you will… they are behind him. He respects us, and maybe he deserves a round of applause for the game plan and substitutions today.
Is it finally turning? I could hear fans around me in the Steve Bull saying the players are playing for him. No one turned on him; no one said he has got to go. I’m reserving judgement, as I always have. We all have opinions, and we will never agree.
Thank you, Ruben Neves, for your rallying call to us. You boosted the crowd’s enthusiasm today. Well done, our team, WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS! Three points at last! 🧡🖤
KARL WHITEHOUSE
We have finally done it, getting the win and a clean sheet since February. We showed we can play ugly despite having low possession throughout the game.
Our defence played its part, keeping Southampton from scoring. They put their bodies on the line, showing their qualities and limiting Southampton to long-range shots that went wide.
The midfield duo showed their qualities with runs into the Southampton half, both creating chances of their own. Mario Lemina returned to the side, feeding a lovely ball for a Wolves goal and playing his part in the game.
The strikers played their part today, with Pablo Sarabia and Matheus Cunha showing we can score goals in their positions. Matheus Cunha scoring and helping in the same match was a great sight, and his goal was a brilliant finish.
Will this win give Gary O’Neil more time in the job? We don’t know; let the owners decide. We now have a team with their confidence back after a first win in 21 games. We have to believe we can climb up the table and salvage our worst start to a Premier League season.
Player of the match is Joao Gomes, with a rating of 8.
SCOTT DRAME
Finally, a win with a clean sheet to celebrate. Well done, Wolves. Both halves of the match were solid, and credit to VAR for rightly ruling out that goal. Mario Lemina, Cunha, and Pablo Sarabia stood out with standout performances, showing their worth on the pitch.
FINLEY SMITH
FINALLY A WIN!!
The first half wasn’t great. We had good and bad spells. An early goal from Sarabia made it feel like we sat back and defended, which we shouldn’t have done. Overall, that first half wasn’t great.
The second half was better. Cunha scored a quality goal and got the job done. It was a deserved win, but we still need to improve. The performance was decent, but a win is the main thing!
Man of the Match ~ Cunha.
Performance Rating ~ 7.