Wolves continued their impressive form in the Premier League with a comfortable 1:0 win over Burnley yesterday. It was their first home win in the English top flight since 2011.
Raul Jimenez scored the only goal of the game even though the home side should have perhaps a scored a few more given their dominance yesterday. Regardless, however, it was a convincing performance from Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, which has fired them to ninth position in the league table.
#3 A fluid attacking display by Wolves
One of most notable takeaways from Wolves’ performance against Burnley was the impressive offensive display that was on offer. Wolves were pretty easy on the eye, thanks to clever movements and almost telepathic understanding between Diogo Jota, Jonny and Ruben Neves.
Neves, in particular, was an integral force behind Wolves’ creativity, having made five key passes and 69 passes with an accuracy of 80%. He also attempted three shots on goal, including a long-range effort, which definitely took Joe Hart by surprise.
Jota was also impressive, especially with his link-up play with Jonny. The Portuguese duo used their fluent movements and skillset to run rings around the Burnley defence.
Overall, it was a comprehensive attacking display from Nuno Espirito Santo’s men, which, he will be hoping, his side can replicate against Manchester United next weekend.
#2 A tiring Burnley side
Burnley have always been regarded as one of the most disciplined sides in the Premier League under Sean Dyche. However, the Clarets looked completely all over the place, often appearing tentative with and without the ball.
While the defence somehow managed to stick together as a unit despite a plethora of attacking surges from the opposition, the attack was absolutely awful with the trio of Ashley Barnes, Aaron Lennon and Johann Berg Gudmundsson failing to provide anything of note in the final third.
Throughout the game, Burnley could only muster seven attempts, three of which came from set-pieces. This disappointing performance can be attributed to their lack of competence, as most of the Burnley players looked jaded during the course of the game. Dyche will hope his side can bugger up before they meet Bournemouth next weekend.
#1 A coherent display from Wolves
Wolves should have done a lot better in terms of their conversion rate in front of goal. But, it’s also fair to acknowledge the fact that the team showed excellent coherence throughout the entirety of the game.
While Ryan Bennett and Willy Bolt kept things in tip-top shape at the back, Conor Coady produced some excellent diagonal passes to power up Wolves’ build-up play.
Moutinho’s incredible composure and ball circulating qualities also helped them maintain control in midfield and also complement the work done by Ruben Neves, who was involved in much more than just recycling possession.
The Portuguese starlet was the creative force behind Diogo Jota and Raul Jimenez’s excellent performances in the final third while the duo of Jonny and Helder Costa (and later, Adama Traore) also caused havoc from wider positions.
From defence to offence, it was a coherent display as the players worked as a collective unit, which, at the end, proved too much for a tiring Burnley side.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored