Wolverhampton Wanderers finally managed to win their first Premier League home game since 2011 as they secured a comfortable 1:0 victory against Burnley earlier today.
Although the scoreline may suggest otherwise, the newly promoted outfit dominated their opposition. Nuno Espirito Santo’s men were absolutely relentless in the final third and could have scored more goals had it not been for a heroic performance from Joe Hart.
Here are the Wolves player ratings:
Rui Patricio (7/10): A quiet afternoon for Patricio who was hardly tested by the Burnley attackers. But, the Portuguese did respond quite well whenever he was called upon and overall, it was a pretty easy clean sheet.
Ryan Bennett (7.5/10): Just like most of the Wolves defenders, Bennett wasn’t really tested against Burnley though he did win a couple of important headers in his own defensive half. He was involved in the most number headed duels (9).
Conor Coady (7.5/10): Marshalled the defence with some excellent defending. But, it was his accurate diagonals which cause Burnley plenty of problems.
Willy Boly (7.5/10): Almost had his second goal of the season when he attempted a stunning volley from long range. Unfortunately, it looped over Hart’s bar. Defensively, he looked solid and was also very good on the ball, maintaining a pass accuracy of 90%.
Matt Doherty (8/10): It was his run which played a key role in Wolves’ only goal of the game as he broke into the opposition area and it ultimately led to Raul Jimenez netting the winner. Apart from that, it was a very good attacking display from the Irish international.
Joao Moutinho (8.5/10): A calming influence as always, Moutinho once again showed his amazing composure to keep things ticking in midfield. The Portuguese was excellent in his ball retention and overall, completed the most number of passes than any other player on the pitch with an accuracy of 86%. It will be interesting to see how he fares against Paul Pogba and co. next weekend.
Ruben Neves (9/10): Arguably the star of the show, Ruben Neves once again orchestrated the Wolves midfield with great passing coupled with his excellent movements. He was an important cog in his side’s pressing, often hurrying the opposition with his tenacity whilst using his vision and creativity to create chances in the final third. The former Porto starlet racked up five key passes and attempted three shots on goal, including an impressive long-range effort, which took Hart by surprise.
Jonny (8.5/10): It was one of the most impressive performances from Jonny this season as he constantly kept the opposition busy with his marauding runs into the box. He also completed the joint-most number of dribbles along with substitute Adam Traore
Helder Costa (7/10): Perhaps the least-influential Wolves attacker this afternoon, Helder Costa struggled to impose authority in the final third despite making some dangerous runs. Considering how effective his teammates were, the Portuguese should have done a lot better.
Diogo Jota (8.5/10): Made his presence count with an active performance throughout the game. Jota attempted four shots earlier this afternoon whilst winning three aerials duels and almost winning a penalty in the second half. His link-up play with Jonny on the left flank was very impressive and he will be certainly hoping to maintain his form next week against Manchester United.
Raul Jimenez (8.5/10): Missed a huge opportunity in the first half to put his team ahead and was also denied thanks to a series of classy saves by Joe Hart. However, he did manage to redeem himself with a smart finish in the 61st minute to score the winner.
Substitutes
Adama Traore (7.5/10): Looked promising whenever he got onto the ball, thanks to his dynamism and pace on the flanks. Traore indeed made a huge difference after coming on for Helder Costa in the 66th minute.
Leo Bonatini (6.5/10): Failed to make the most out of his opportunity after initially replacing Raul Jimenez for the final 15 minutes of the game. The Brazilian had the glorious opportunity of adding further gloss to the scoreline but a glaring miss didn’t go too well with coach Nuno Espirito Santo.
Morgan Gibbs-White (NA): Came on for Diogo Jota with just two minutes remaining.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored
