Wolves' Fans Verdict v West Ham: This is what football is about

Gulraj Kular (musingsfrommolineux.wordpress.com)

What's your verdict on the match?

There is no better feeling as a football fan than a late winner, miles away from home. Nothing beats it. And Wolves thankfully were able to provide us all with that feeling by the end of the 90 minutes. It was a relief.

I sat there at half time shaking my head. Had we come away? Why were we so comfortable? West Ham were there for the taking. Their negativity gave us encouragement that we probably wouldn’t have expected. I know The Hammers have had a bad start to the season, but they were more like The Pickaxes today. Tentative, vulnerable and just plain scared for the first half. I’d have been seething if we didn’t leave Stratford with 3 points but we pulled through.

It says a lot that we were pressing high enough in injury time to win the ball and set up the chance for Traore to score. This was all based on the encouragement that West Ham gave us to take the intiative in the game.

We had enough of the ball to create more and we perhaps could have done better in the first half to fashion chances, but ultimately the result was just reward.

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

Today was a day to commend the back line. I can’t believe I’m saying this but Ryan Bennett feels like a comfort blanket at the minute. Anytime any attacker came across him he dealt with the threat with the minimum of fuss.

The same can be said of Rui Patricio and his face-save was at a very important point in the game. You almost don’t notice that we have a world class presence in goal until he makes such important contributions.

Joao Moutinho continues to make a mockery of his transfer fee, his physicality and his age with every game. The class with which he operates is on another level to anything we’ve seen at Molineux, despite having Ruben Neves at the heart of our midfield. He is efficiency personified and near indispensable for us.

Each and every player looks more and more at home at this level, and this is our greatest attribute of all. To quote Nuno, we take our experiences, put them in a box and draw from them when required. Bring on the next challenge.

Adam Virgo

What's your verdict on the match?

Nothing beats a last minute winner. We thoroughly deserved the three points in the end after the control we had and the chances we created. Absolutely fantastic to get our first win on the board in the league too.

I feel like we had more opportunities to win the game at Leicester and we ended up losing that so to eventually take a chance and win the game was an unreal feeling.

For all the play we had in the first half, we didn’t do enough in the wide areas to create a good chance. We were restricted to long range efforts and hopeful crosses which was frustrating considering how many times we won the ball back off them in midfield, we just didn’t capitalise on their mistakes enough.

There was a period in the second half where I felt like West Ham were getting on top a little bit but we dealt with their threats well and we defended solidly for the majority of the game.

Big shoutout to Rui Patricio for his huge save at 0-0 with presumably his face but they all count. He kept us in the game massively last week and did the same again yesterday because without his important save, we could have easily lost the game 1-0 as opposed to winning 1-0.

That save plus the chance Jimenez had late on were arguably the two best chances of the game. It then looked destined for a 0-0 draw, but Bonatini brought back his link up play which we’ve missed, quick release to Adama Traoré and bang, we win the game 1-0, unreal scenes in the away end!

It’s crazy how quick your emotions can change within a split second in football. Adama was slightly frustrating because off the ball he wasn’t offering us much and then he goes and scores the winner, we’ll take it all day long though.

However, a thing I do like about Traoré is that he’s very positive when he has the ball, he does wait for it far too long sometimes and rarely makes runs in behind but I guess that’s his style of play. When he’s given the ball though, the first thing he’ll do is drive forward and go from

0-100 in about 0.2 seconds.

In the end I guess he had his chance and he took it. He’s a very threatening player but don’t get me wrong there’s still sides of his game he needs to work on. I do feel like Traoré has earned a start in our next game though due to his performance midweek and then him getting the winning goal yesterday, he’ll be beaming with confidence.

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

Defensively I thought we were solid across the back line and apart from maybe where Patricio saved us massively, we didn’t have any real problems. Boly, Coady and Bennett all dealt with everything superbly and Doherty/Jonny both did very well defensively too.

Patricio’s save was very important though because if that had gone in, we’d have probably lost 1-0 so it was huge for us. He’s a quality keeper and we all know that, it’s fantastic to see him pulling off worldie saves as well. Still can’t believe he plays for us, never mind getting him on a free transfer.

Moutinho was unbelievable just like he was last week, he retained possession on numerous occasions and with the ball he was so calm with it, getting him for £5m was daylight robbery. Neves wasn’t at his best but he was still decent in possession, I feel as though he and Moutinho are a good fit in the middle and they did have control of the game a lot of the time.

Going forward we lacked that cutting edge until the 93rd minute. In the wide areas we didn’t do enough to hurt them when we won the ball back. Costa and Jota weren’t great again, although Costa was the better of the two but he tired after a while.

Jota had a very poor game and was rightly replaced first with Traoré as a lot of people expected. I don’t know if it’s just me but he looked tired from the off and a bit lethargic in his play and whenever he had the ball he seemed to lose it more often than not.

Costa seemed like he was afraid to beat Cresswell at times which was frustrating because we all know when Adama has the ball, the first thing he will do is run at someone and more often then not, beat them, even if there’s three players on him.

This was probably Jimenez’ weakest game although he wasn’t that bad. He missed a glorious chance at 0-0 which he should have buried but he didn’t stop running and put in a lot of effort up top, the ball was just rarely coming into the box for him when we had opportunities to get it in there.

Great to see the two subs linking up for the goal, Bonatini made a positive impact which was good to see and Adama got us the winning goal, although his overall cameo wasn’t great. He’s shown enough in the past few weeks to warrant a start in our next game.

Vinagre made a positive impact when he came on too, wasn’t afraid to run at their defenders and try to make something happen.

Natalie Wood

What's your verdict on the match?

That 93rd minute moment is what football is all about!!

Our performance we put in against Man City mixed with West Ham’s awful start to the season led to me being unnervingly positive before the match.

First half was quite a scrappy affair and I’ll be honest I didn’t think it was our best performance. We were still the better of the two teams but that probably says a lot more about West Ham than it does us. We had clear attacking intent getting the ball forward as often as possible but we were missing the killer touch. Neves couldn’t quite get control of the game and while he put some good passes together he also made some really lazy mistakes that led to us losing the ball in some good positions. Boly also looked nervous at the back making some silly mistakes. That been said We did create a couple of good chances in the first half mainly through Doherty getting ball into Jimenez but he was just missing the finishing touch....story of his match!

Going into half time you could feel a lot of fans around me feeling quite deflated, West Ham were there for the taking and we just didn’t hit them with the killer blow. We were lacking that extra bit of pace and that extra bit of magic.

The second half seemed to open up the game a little bit more and it was really end to end at one point. West Ham created some great chances especially the header from Michail Antonio which caused another great save by Patricio. We were still creating a few of our own chances a number of which you would have bet your house on wolves to score but that final touch was missing and it seemed destined to be a 0-0. The key moment of the game was Traore entering the field, you literally heard the groans from the West Ham fans as his name was announced! From the moment he arrived onto the field he gave us that extra 2-3 yards of pace we needed and you could really see the screw starting to turn. We have learnt over the past year a Nuno team never gives up so I knew we would keep creating and attempting to get the ball forward as often as possible. The magic moment was created by Bonatini who fed the ball through perfectly to Traore who finished so well. Que absolute scenes in the away end!!!

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

Man of the match for me would be a toss up between Moutinho and Bennett. Moutinho is one of the most perfect footballers you will see, he is neat, forward thinking and strong. The guy controlled midfield and constantly was the one to win the ball back when other players were having a sloppy moment. Such a special player for wolves already. Bennett had another fantastic game, really solid at the back winning tackle after tackle and even at a few points finding himself sneaking up towards goal at a few different opportunities. He was the one player I was nervous about in the premier league but I’m so happy he has proved me (and many others) wrong- a great asset to our team!

The performance yesterday wasn’t up to the standard of Man City but there were still lots of positives to take from it, you can really see the team Nuno is trying to create come together now but there is still lots to improve on...namely finishing! Jimenez had a good game yesterday overall and really led the attack up front....his lack of composure infront of goal is slightly concerning but you can see the talent is there he just needs some confidence. His tripping over his own foot incident has probably won miss of the season already though! The biggest positive from yesterday was our work ethic, as mentioned it wasn’t a perfect performance and there were lots of mistakes made but it was a battling performance and the never give up attitude paid off in the most perfect way!

The big discussion after the game was should Traore start next game? I would say against Burnley the answer is surely yes! He gives us that extra spark we need and I can’t see the Burnley defence being able to control him! The win yesterday will hopefully boost the players confidence a bit more and we can really go and attack Burnley and get our first home win- it is just a shame we have to wait 2 weeks!!

Clive Smith

What's your verdict on the match?

Wow, what a great way to win. It was like the Bristol City moment from last season. A winner with virtually the last kick, delirium and pandemonium in the away end and the pulse rate suddenly going through the roof. A grand day out.

It might have been a good time to play the winless Hammers but they probably thought it was a good time to play the winless Wolves. Much talk of them having to integrate their new signings, well praise to Wolves as we have introduced four new starters seemlessly.

It took us four minutes to get going, by which time Patricio had already made a decent save. Is it my imagination or has the focus on keepers become more intense lately.

The game was open and free flowing. Wolves moved the ball around well looking far better than West Ham who constantly lost the ball, either from bad passes or our interceptions and tackles. Neves and Moutinho are winning the ball back cleanly in midfield far more than Neves and Saiss did last season.

Only in the final third did we disappoint. Often our good play came to nothing on the edge of tbe box, when we worked the ball well, got the cross in, we lacked the bodies in the area to offer a telling challenge. A good Doherty shot was the only time the keeper was tested. Jota had a chance from a header he should have hit the target with.

It looked like the team talk with the most shouting was theirs as West Ham began to have more of the ball after the break. Our defence stood firm, with Bennett particularly impressive. The game opened up and you wondered how the individual one on one battles would end up. What we were good at was covering for each other. When one man got beat someone else quickly came to help.

At times we showed a safety first approach but as West Ham attacked we looked more of a threat on the break. We played the ball out from the back with precise passes which allowed for a forward pass to bring Jota, Costa or Jimenez into the game and in advanced positions.

Just on the hour one swift break saw Jota go down the left. With good options to his right he wasted what looked a great opportunity. By coincidence or design, he was replaced by Traore. That injection of pace is such an asset. Ten minutes later Bonatini came on for Costa and suddenly our front three started to put their defence under more pressure.

Elsewhere on the pitch we looked more tired, it was a very warm day, but it meant the game became stretched with attack v defence at both ends.

Chances to win the game came. First Bonatini from close range hit the keeper, then a perfect Doherty cross from the right seemed to provide Jimenez a straightforward tap in. Of all the players though.. .. he somehow managed to tackle himself and waste the chance. You thought, ok, we'll take the 0-0 now, still a point gained.

Then almost at once at the other end Coady gets turned, only for Patricio to get a magnificent block. Give us our point now!

The board goes up, added time, two, three minutes gone. Hold on. We win the ball again in their half. We make the right pass for once. One on one..... you beauty! Yes! Like a whirl pool my head is spinning. Dizzy. Happy days.

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

Patricio - he followed up last week's impressive performance with another one today. Two excellent saves that contributed considerably to our result.

It was more of a typical Doherty performance. On the end of several long passes from the keeper and midfield. He got in behind them well, had our best attempt in the first half and worked hard defensively.

Johnny goes unnoticed at times as a lot of the attacking play is on the other flank. He goes box to box though and covers well defensively.

Collectively the central three worked well to cover each other when their attackers moved across the line and ran at us.

Boly was far from solid and got into the habit of heading the ball to the opposition far too often. Three times he gave the ball away in our box and we were lucky to get away with that.

The positioning of Coady was good but he was turned inside out more than once. I did like the way he found row Z on halfway when we needed a breather.

Bennett may not appear in the sexy highlights but he was again outstanding. Looking stronger in his challenges and reading the game so well. Add that to his well timed tackles and he gets my MOTM. During the summer many people might have expected him to be the weak link in central defence but so far he has looked the strongest.

Neves looked full on for the opening thirty minutes, less so after that. His midfield partner helps take that strain. With his passing though he continues to delight, including the one for the goal.

Moutinho was constantly on the ball throughout the game. He reads the game so well, picking off passes then starting moves for us.

Costa had a decent game but the least effective of the front three.

Finally Jota has started to run at the defence more, which is when he looks at his best. He should have scored with a header and his pass selection frustrates at times.

Jimenez ran the line so well. He continues to impress. It would have been nice for him to score from his perfect chance, even if we would not have had the drama at the end.

Traore - at last, an end product to savour. Quite the hero for the day. Losing the ball, missing passes and being slow to get up and be onside are forgiven today.

Bonatini put in a typically good cameo. A chance to score wasted but kept their defence honest and was instrumental in the pandemonium.

Vinagre was the final sub, on for just a few minutes.

Russ Evers

What's your verdict on the match?

A well deserved away win and first win in the premier for far too long. Almost totally dominant from start to finish we just seemed to lack the finishing touch and the kind of belief that we as fans have. A great stadium but not a football ground and that should help many visitors to jellied eel land this season. Traore won it as part of his bag of tricks and it could and perhaps should have been more. Three points and smiles all round the away end.

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

Whilst it didn't quite happen for Costa or Jota, the remains nine were excellent and a draw would not have been due reward for our efforts.

Chris Hughes

What's your verdict on the match?

2,401 days of waiting are over. For the first time since February 2012 we got to savour the taste of victory in the Premier League. A victory made all the sweeter by it coming via a winning goal deep into added time that sparked scenes of unbridled joy in the away end.

Our first visit to the soulless bowl of the former Olympic Stadium their supporters have been forced to call home for two years demonstrated why Fosun should seriously consider any ideas of us leaving our Molineux home ourselves. In an arena lacking any of the intimidating atmosphere West Ham’s old Boleyn Ground would provide our players were free to impose themselves and control the game in much the same way as on our visit to Leicester a fortnight ago.

While West Ham had some chances, with Rui Patricio again demonstrating why he’s renowned as an ‘elite’ level goalkeeper in some parts, we were the team doing the high intensity pressing and forcing them into basic errors.

Our metronomic midfield maestros Neves and Moutinho ran the show and, amazingly, both finished the game with over 90% passing success rate despite both demonstrating a penchant for switching the play with raking 40+ yard passes.

Picking Moutinho up for £5m may prove to be one of the bargains of the season (Patricio on a free WILL be the bargain of the season) and the presence of £7m George Saville among the away support only proved to remind us even more of what an astute signing the former Monaco man is.

The two glaringly obvious takeaways from yesterday were that we must get better at taking our chances and at defending set pieces. For all of our control of the game, wasting a handful of good goal scoring opportunities before the late winner is not something we can continue to do. Ignoring the complete hash Raúl made of his second half chance, he’d also had a good headed chance along with a Bonatini effort from 6 yards and a good chance for Doherty but all three contrived to waste the opportunity.

For free-kicks and corners we’re defending there seems to be a lack of awareness that leaves opponents with free runs or headers too often. Balbuena should have done a lot better with his second half header after Neves had allowed him to run free. I’m sure Nuno will be working on this during the International break with the players who won’t be joining their national squads and we will continue to get better in these areas as we have done since his arrival.

When the goal did arrive it was down to us continuing to press the ball high up the pitch, even into stoppage time, when most away sides would likely have been looking to shut up shop and head home happy with the point.

This is something that I believe will help us to pick up a fair few late goals this season when opponents are starting to switch off in the manner Sanchez did for West Ham with Neves catching him out. Watching Traore give Cresswell a 5-yard head start and still be 6 yards ahead of him when receiving Bonatini’s pass 30 yards later was amazing. The lad has definitely got a set of wheels on him! Cresswell knew he was beaten but the Spaniard is so quick that even the West Ham left-back couldn’t even get close enough to bring him down with an attempted trip!

Traore’s rifled finish made supporters in the away end happier than an evening in a Manchester hotel room with a ‘human sex doll’ and sent us home chanting for our Nuno-lead heroes as we departed the stadium.

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

A solid all around performance but Moutinho was the pick of the outfield players. He seemed to be everywhere, winning the ball back and spreading the play effortlessly. A mention again for Ryan Bennett too.

Absolutely nothing came down that right hand side all day that troubled him. He’s been a rock for a month at the back for us and is well deserving of his continued presence in the starting line up. Raúl again lead the line magnificently but he’ll be disappointed to not have put his name on the scoresheet. Patricio also displayed his credentials with three terrific saves.

Of those who we might expect more from, Jota is the clear standout. He’s continuing to work hard out of possession and harries opposition players but doesn’t seem to have the same confidence on the ball as he did last season and is reluctant to try and take on defenders. Boly also dropped his standards from last week and lacked positional awareness several times that could’ve cost us.