Wolves' Fans Verdict v Southampton: We showed our class to get the win

Adam Virgo

What was your verdict on the match?

Unchanged for the seventh Premier League game running and even though we weren’t at our best for the majority of the game, we’ve still came out with three points.

It’s not always easy going into a Premier League game as favourites and Southampton proved to be a tough test in general. With the control they had for large parts, they didn’t really create many clear-cut chances, but we were patient and when we got our big chances in the second half, we took them.

For the first 20 minutes we were good and probably should have been ahead after Jonny’s chance which was sublime football leading up to it. Jimenez was unlucky with his chance as there wasn’t much else he could have done and Alex McCarthy produced a good save.

After that, until Cavaleiro came on, we were poor for our standards, we lacked any sort of control which wasn’t helped by Neves, Jota and Costa not playing anywhere near their best.

We lost to Leicester after playing well and creating good chances, yesterday we put in our worst performance of the season yet and won 2-0 which is football for you.

Considering we didn’t create much in the second half, it was great that we took the chances we got. Also when your RWB sets up the LWB and are both in the opponents box at 1-0 in the 87th minute, it goes to show how we want to play under Nuno and that we want to attack, create chances and score more goals.

Who played well and who didn’t impress?

The only players to have had a game below their usual standards were Costa, Jota and Neves but they’re key to us going forward and having control.

Doherty popping up with another assist again and probably could have had two on another day. Surely he’s staking a claim for a chance in the Republic of Ireland starting XI with his performances in recent weeks.

Jonny with another good performance, and he’s been very consistent all season. Should have probably scored in the first half but then pops up with a goal in the 87th minute to kill the game off. Barry who?

Jimenez full of running once again, unselfish play and good link up. Two assists in two games for him now, great forward play by him and set up Cavaleiro nicely. He’s always making himself available and getting in the box to try and score or set someone up.

Moutinho played well, better defensively than offensively though with five tackles. With Neves not at his best it made it harder in midfield for us but the experienced midfielder coped well and kept it calm. It was tough because Hojberg and Lemina both had good games for Southampton.

Boly, Coady and Bennett all key to us getting another clean sheet. Boly the best out of the back three yesterday, nothing got past him and he looked so comfortable bringing the ball out from the back. Bennett was solid and Coady’s range of passing helped us get the ball out to the wide areas.

Rui Patricio is the best goalkeeper I’ve seen in a Wolves shirt by a mile which shows how good he is. Claimed numerous crosses yesterday with ease, made some important saves that you probably would expect him to make but he still had to save them.

Traore wasn’t fantastic when he came on, some of his decision making wasn’t there but he came up clutch when it mattered. Beat the Southampton defender with ease and his cross to Jimenez resulted in our first goal.

He’s so much better running at people and trying to take them on as opposed to trying to find a pass through the defence because no one will catch him or stop him unless they foul him.

Cavaleiro was the real difference though. Scored with his first touch and stayed calm with his finish.

I’d still keep him and Traore on the bench for now because we’re winning games and there’s no real need to change anything just yet. Great to see him get off the mark so quickly in the Premier League though and hopefully he can add to that over the season.

Clive Smith

What was your verdict on the match?

So, how was your patience threshold? As with last week we started well and on the front foot. For twenty minutes the football we played was excellent. Passing, tackling, running, all in the Saints half - it was terrific stuff. The constant pressure failed to bring a goal though. Cynical fouls on Jota ( three and all by the same player) and a couple of wasted set pieces brought frustration. A couple of goal attempts were comfortable saved by their keeper as Jimenez, Doherty and Bennett tried to break the deadlock.

We failed to maintain our forward momentum however and Saints started to be more competitive. Initially their possession was mainly in their own half but gradually they advanced and we had to defend more and more. Our passing started to be just behind the player, a bit slow at times and Jimenez became more isolated and failed to keep hold of the ball.

The second half saw the stalemate continue. Costa soon went off with an injury, giving Traore plenty of time to influence the game. Well he got booked. As did our other ruthless brute Jota, quite a surprise after the first half no show of yellow cards.

Not for the first time this season our replacements influenced the final score. Cavaleiro had come on for Jota and a move, very similar to the Costa /Jimenez / Moutinho goal last week, saw Traore / Jimenez / Cav combine. A goal from Cav and you could see his big smile even from the Stan Cullis Upper Tier.

Relief then. Less than fifteen minutes to calmly close the game out. The Nuno plan does not include parking the bus however. Instead, we have our right wing back hitting the by line and crossing to our left wing back who had made a run to the near post. Just what was he doing there? Besides scoring of course.

Not quite winning ugly, because we played well early on and in patches, but it was not close to being our best performance. We batter Burnley for a 1-0 win, so winning 2-0 while playing so-so, is a step in the right direction of being more clinical in front of goal.

The win means we have at least reached our first target. Twelve points beats the record low of only 11 in a full Premier League season by Derby County.

Who played well and who didn’t impress?

Patricio was called upon to make some saves, too many from close range, so he earned his clean sheet.

Otto did well in defence and advanced positions. On the scoresheet too, he really is the new and improved Barry Douglas.

Doherty continues to play above himself since the Leicester game. Another telling contribution in the attacking third.

The back three all did well. Boly was probably the pick of the bunch although Coady did well sweeping up and steering attacks away from goal.

Bennett had, for him, a fairly routine game.

Neves was slightly below par but looks more comfortable at this level with every game.

Moutinho worked like a trojan, up, down, side to side, he has become a key contributor in the side and exerts considerably influence.

Hopefully the injury to Costa means he is not out of the starting line up. His form has been good lately.

Sadly Jota continues to struggle to find his form however. He started well, but after being repeatedly fouled, failed to make a significant impact.

You have to admire Jimenez attitude. For a twenty minute period he was poor at holding the ball up. He did not hide at all and over the whole game he was constantly involved, chased the ball down and worked the keeper more than once. A good assist on the opening goal and unlucky not to score on a couple of occasions. MOTM.

From the bench the impact was telling.

Traore lost the ball too often and in our half when he faced our goal, but once he turned and advanced he was the catalyst for our attacking threats in the final half an hour.

Cav took the prize for being the game changer. Firing into the net with his first chance. Welcome back - an additional option for our first team squad.

Bonatini played just a few minutes.

Gulraj Kular (musingsfrommolineux.wordpress.com)

What was your verdict on the match?

Going into this fixture I was feeling assured of victory. The first 15 minutes gave me no reason to believe otherwise. We continually start games well and create chances to match and this was no different, but we also continually miss these chances. We’re becoming a second half team, not necessarily based on performance levels, but the quality of our finishing. Just the one in the first half, and that was in the first game of the season.

What that meant was that we allowed a relatively decent Premier League outfit off the hook and the duly took advantage. They grew into the game without being overly threatening and while they were quite passive in possession at times, whenever we won the ball back we were forced into errors, with Jota and Jimenez paricularly guilty of giving it up regularly.

We have to get used to the fact that all Premier League teams have dangerous players. Barring Cardiff and perhaps Huddersfield. As much as this looked a winnable fixture on form on both sides of the coin, we were still dealing with the shell of the squad that took Southampton to the upper echelons of the Premier League.

The middle third of the game belonged firmly to Southampton. I don’t think I’ve seen Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves put in so much work which tells you how ragged we were at times. We also gave away a large number of free kicks which was down to the growing frustration of not being at our best. But the beauty of football is that you have a squad to work with. And how our extra depth worked wonders.

Few teams in the league will have the danger posed by Ivan Cavaleiro and Adama Traore lurking on the bench. They’re not Nuno’s typical forwards and that’s why they may not be seen starting games as often as fans might like this season. They’re a bit of controlled chaos but they both injected a bit of fury and energy into a relatively tepid game up to that point. And how it worked.

Cavaleiro remains our most thrilling presence, a real testament to his ability given he was one of the earliest signings of the Fosun era and he has a habit of making timely interjections. Traore will always be a source of frustration, but he will also always induce a little bit of excrement from defenders’ backsides too. We’re a much more wholesome football team now, which we needed to be on promotion and we seem to find all the answers we need to the problems posed.

Who played well and who didn’t impress?

Doherty was a peripheral figure for much of the game, through no fault of his own as Southampton made sure the big switch out to him was rarely on. When he did get on the ball he did create chances though and you can’t ask for much more than that.

Neves and Moutinho were dragged about plenty by the impressive Hojbjerg and Lemina, and their mileometers will probably at a high for this season.

Diogo Jota had probably his worst game this season. He had the beating of Vestergaard all ends up in the first half but made some poor decisions and had some poor touches throughout.

Jimenez once again impacted the fixture positively. He’s yet to have a quiet game, which is incredible for central strikers who often have the odd game where they can be marked out of it. Not quite as fluid as usual but he delivered when it mattered.

Traore took a while to get going. Gave it away pretty much every time he had for the first 15 of his appearance but once he settled down he was a menace.

Finally Cavaleiro, who always gives an injection of some sort of elixir that brings our forward play up a notch. Whether starting or off the bench, Nuno now has all of his clubs in his bag and he can draw for whichever the situation demands. He chose perfectly this time.

Rob Cartwright

What was your verdict on the match?

This game played out just as I expected. Southampton were more difficult opponents than their league position would have you believe. However, another clean sheet and game changing substitutions was enough to earn Wolves a deserved victory.

On paper, Southampton have a very good forward line in Austin, Redmond & Ings.

In reality, they were toothless and their game plan was more concerned with stifling Wolves play. This plan worked well to a certain extent, between 20th and 70th minutes.

Before then, Wolves had started very well. Positive and on the front foot we had carried the Old Trafford performance into this game.

I’m not sure why this was derailed, but we started to play about 15 yards too deep and unusually started to give the ball away.

Wolves were not firing on all cylinders and when this continued at the start of the second half, Nuno had options on the bench to consider. Traore was given his most Premier League minutes, when Costa got clattered, after about 50 minutes.

The game was fairly even at this point; both teams creating chances, both keepers making decent saves. We were lacking a spark still and it was about to come in the form of Ivan Cavaleiro. He came on for the last 13 minutes.

Wolves were back on top, due in the main to Traore’s impetus. You can see he is listening to his coach and improving his overall game.

His run and cut back to Jimenez was excellent. Jimenez set up Cavaleiro perfectly to score with what may have been his first touch of the ball.

10 minutes later, Doherty made a similar run and pull back; this time straight to Otto who placed the ball through the keepers legs into the net. Game over.

Who played well and who didn’t impress?

The defence remained assured throughout. Southampton were restricted to long range efforts that were safely gathered by Patricio. Boly especially looked good and also dangerous when venturing up field.

Neves and Moutinho were not quite with it. Both were just “very good”.

Otto, Jota and Costa were doing the right things but nothing spectacular.

I thought both Jimenez and Doherty were excellent once more. Jimenez could have scored three, again, with two good shots and a header producing excellent saves. His assist to Cavaleiro was also good for a striker in the opposition box.

Doherty was immense. What a season he is having. He never stopped runnng and seeking the ball. He got plenty of it and put good balls into the box, including the assist for Otto’s goal. He gets my Man of the Match.

The new boys in town are now up to 8th in the league. I feel there is still more to come.

We were not at our best, but not bad either.

Its great to have game changers on the bench to call upon when needed.

Chris Hughes

What was your verdict on the match?

Do you remember, the 29th day of September?

Jimenez turned away from defenders.

Laid the ball off for Cav to get a shot away...

1,2,3,4...

First thing's first. How good is it to finally have a team that can put in a 'below-par' performance and still win a Premier League game, with a clean sheet for good measure? For years at this level we turned up for games knowing we'd have to be absolutely at 100% to have a chance of getting anything and even then it was often not enough.

I'm not suggesting for a second that we were poor yesterday but it was clearly evident that, for an hour of this game, we were second best against a Southampton side who were well organised and did a good job of nullifying our threat, notably in often having a player close to Coady when we had possession to remove our usual 'out' ball. This forced us into going long to Raúl early far more often than usual and hoping he could hold the ball up against two hulking centre halves.

Nuno's commitment to our shape and organisation meant that, despite Southampton having more of the ball, much of their threat came in the form of shots from distance with little giving Patricio much of a problem. I mentioned in my first reaction verdict to Nuno's appointment to expect football that centred on being defensively sound and high on clean sheets and we continue to deliver this on the back of some solid performances from our back three.

The one thing we have had this season, with Adama's signing, is a game changer from the bench. Yesterday, we were finally able to welcome another back to the fold. There's been much chatter on social media about how good we would be when we get to add Cavaleiro back into the mix as another option for the forward line. As one of the biggest advocates of that opinion, even I didn't expect to see him score with his very first touch as a Premier League player! He struck it so sweetly too. The ball flew into the net faster than the first post-victory pint disappears down the gullet. For the second week in a row we scored from a beautifully-weighted lay-off from Raúl, who is fast becoming another favourite among the fans.

Credit to Nuno for not shutting up shop after the goal and encouraging us to keep pressing. After being on the back foot for some time you'd have forgiven him for throwing on Saiss and seeing out a 1-0 once we'd snuck ahead but, with 3 minutes remaining, we doubled our advantage from a situation where both of our wing-backs were in the Southampton box, Most definitely a case of 'he who dares wins'. I saw Roy Keane before the game and I hope he stayed for the full 90 minutes to see Doherty's timely reminder that he doesn't always play the ball inside!

On we go to Palace next week in what could be another tough challenge against a solid unit but one that we can all look forward to as we continue to thrive in the top half of the Premier League.

Who played well and who didn’t impress?

In a game where our standards slipped slightly, it was the back three who stepped up to the plate and prevented Southampton from turning the lion's share of possession into meaningful chances to trouble Patricio. Barring a couple of mis-kicks each Boly and Bennett were outstanding again, while Coady continued to press his claims to be given an opportunity to represent England by marshalling the line superbly.

At the other end, Raúl got through another impressive afternoon's work. The ball didn't stick as often as usual because some of the balls into him weren't to their usual high standard and he was isolated against the two imposing Southampton centre-backs but he continued to battle and work hard to make something happen. His lay-off to Cav was beautifully-weighted after having dumped Hoedt on the deck.

A mention for Costa too, who looked the most likely to make something happen before his unfortunate early withdrawal with a knock.

Of those whose standards were below expectations, Jota was the standout. Not for the first time this season he didn't quite seem at it here, was sloppy with his passing and hesitant to really drive on at defenders in the way we've become accustomed too. I'd expect to see him given another chance against Palace but he'll be the one who's place is most at risk now that Cavaleiro has joined Adama as an alternative option for the wide positions.

Natalie Wood

What was your verdict on the match?

Not every game is going to be a classic....and this one was definitely was not. It wasn’t our best performance but we managed to grind out a result and sometimes that is all you need!

We started well in the first 15minutes, creating a few good chances and taking control of the game. However after the first quarter of an hour we started to fade slightly, Southampton had an answer for everything and we started to make silly mistakes and gave the ball away very easily. We still showed a few flashes of the attacking side we are used to seeing but I think it is safe to say going in 0-0 at half time seemed fair

Second half we struggled to get going and Costa limping off in the first few minutes didn’t help! Southampton came out all guns blazing and we really had a tough time getting out our own half. I think though what was great to see was our defence standing so strong, Coady really looked like he had found his feet in the premier league and commanded the defence well. Our defensive work matched with Southampton’s lack of composure in the final third meant Southampton rarely looked like they were actually going to score. But on the flip side it was difficult to say where a goal would e coming from for wolves. We were struggling to break down a strong Southampton defence and the likes of Neves and Jota looked off.

Just when a goalless draw looked inevitable Traore entered the ring, He added that extra bit of pace we needed but we were still missing that killer touch in the box....enter Cavaleiro! Less than two minutes after coming on Cav was in exactly the right place to put us 1-0 up. It was a great run by Traore and Jimenez pulled the ball back perfectly for Cav to cooly finish.

After the goal we were completely in the driving seat and you saw our confidence grow and grow, Traore and Doherty absolutely destroyed that wing and on another day we could have scored a lot more than just one more.

Who played well and who didn’t impress?

It would be great to see Cav start next match over Jota, for me Jota is our weak link in the team and he is really starting to impact us now. He seems to have lost all confidence and is wasting some great opportunities.

It wasn’t really the best team performance but there were some great individual performances. Stand out players for me were Moutinho and Doherty. Moutinho is in my opinion our best addition over the summer, he controls the midfield and really drives the play forward. A perfect partner for Neves. He was continually looking to win the ball back and get the play moving, he also put in some great corners (also some not so great corners!). Doherty also had a great game, he very rarely has an off day and works so hard every game. He went on some great runs and put in some great crosses all game including a superb one for our second. He is a player that I don’t think gets enough credit!

All in all there were a number of learns to come out of the game,we need to be able to maximise our opportunities when we are on top, we have been lucky so far that our lack of confidence in our finishing hasn’t cost us so but we will get punished by many teams in this league if we don’t improve. There were however a number of positives as well- our strong defensive play really shone through and the confidence we showed up front in the last 10 minutes was fantastic. The biggest positive was the return of Cav- he looks like he is going to bring what we have been missing up to now! The other positive from the game is even though it wasn’t a classic we managed to grind out 3 points against a team we should be able to beat if we are to reach our potential.

Russ Evers

What was your verdict on the match?

Seven games with the same starting line up-deservedly so - but a couple of inspired substitutions from the bearded master changed the game late on. Despite some excellent football and almost total domination we failed to make the first half pressure count and Southampton were good value for a share of the spoils until the late goals. To be fair, it was more down to the shrinking Pete Davies who loudly declared he was going to 'get a lucky Guinness and Cavaleiro will score'. Bang. Guiness in, goal in. You got those lottery numbers Pete?