Wolves Fans' Verdict v Bournemouth: Seventh heaven

Gulraj Kular (Musings from Molineux)

What's your verdict on the match?

Three wins in a row in the top flight. A first in my lifetime. What is this giddy feeling I’m getting? It’s addictive. Truth be told - none of the last three performances have been vintage Nuno... and how satisfying it has been to see us take 9 points out of them.

You see any time we dropped below our level from the start of the season so far, we’ve looked a dishevelled, ordinary side without too much substance. Watching the defeats to Cardiff and Huddersfield felt a world away from all of the performances we’ve seen under Nuno and there’s still the sense of a gap in the performances - but we’re winning.

Bournemouth were always going to be a tricky proposition, but as a team on a poor run and who have notoriously leaked goals throughout their Premier League tenure, there was always going to be chances to get on the scoresheet. It came in an unexpected way and it feels like Wolves haven’t been gifted too much so far this season, but the first goal - for the most part - was a gift. From there on in, in Nuno’s exalted position of being in front during a game, Wolves managed the game relatively comfortably.

Plenty of grit, discipline and endeavour was shown and Bournemouth found it extremely difficult to break us down. There was a free kick that hit the bar but I struggle to recall a genuine opportunity created by the Cherries.

It took us far longer to put the game to bed than it should have and some question marks remain over the performances of some forwards, but this team pulls through, it’s developing a character and a thirst for victory. This was quenched plentifully last season but there’s a drive visible to us now that wasn’t so obvious to us last year.

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

The back three were rock solid once more. Watching Willy Boly currently, if you were to suggest he was an established international footballer, then I can see many people being in agreement.

Ruben Neves still lacks some of the flourish to his performances that positioned him as one of the finest young prospects in Europe, but the silky passing and ball manipulation aren’t all he has in the locker. This is the youngest captain in Porto’s history and with that comes a sense of responsibility that belies his tender years. This was a display of industry and humility that will go under the radar with some who still seek out a 30-yard rocket but it’s just as valuable to the cause.

Raul Jimenez, the centre of much talk this week regarding his price tag, showed exactly why he may be valued so highly. A man who combines technique with tenacity in such a way that it’s hard to compare to any other striker I’ve seen in recent years. Think Kevin Doyle in that lone striker role years back but with an awareness of his surroundings that makes him a much more potent force to be reckoned with. This could be the game that sealed his deal.

Rob Cartwright

What's your verdict on the match?

We haven’t got a great record against Bournemouth, but this was a fairly comfortable win. Similar to Newcastle, in many ways, we had to be patient with the opposition having the majority of possession, but Wolves creating the most scoring opportunities.

Nuno sprang a surprise with four changes, but with the games coming thick and fast I think this is a good thing. Saiss and Cavaleiro can both feel hard done by, but both came on and contributed well to this game in their cameo roles.

Our defence and midfield were well marshalled and looked determined to keep a clean sheet; only two long range efforts giving us cause for concern.

However, Wolves were counter attacking with pace and opened up their defence a number of times. Jota had a great first half, before his injury, and Costa from a rusty start to the second half started to look more like his old self. I’m expecting great things from both of those players in the New Year.

Bournemouth gave the ball to Jota from their throw-in near half way line. He broke with pace into their box where Jimenez had broke with him and was unmarked at the far post. A simple tap in. Right place, right time doesn’t happen by chance!

Costa had a great chance to make it two. A shot on target or a cross to Jimenez who was free in the box, again, would surely have meant another goal. He blasted over.

We had to wait until added time to make the game safe. Coady headed clear to Cavaleiro who quickly passed to Costa. He returned the ball first touch inside their half with Cavaleiro breaking with just the keeper to beat. Game over.

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

This is a strange reality. We are not playing as well as we have previously with a few passes going astray and the form of some players dipping in and out. However, we have added more steel in both midfield and defence, and the forwards are looking sharper and more clinical. Play well and lose, or play not so well and win?

The conditions were awful in this game, for fans and players, with driving rain and in freezing temperatures. We were told they couldn’t do it in Winter. Ha Ha.

With hardly a long sleeve or gloves in sight, the boys didn’t do bad did they?

Jota was having an excellent game before his injury on half time.

Bennett and Coady were excellent at the back. Neves and Moutinho were good in the middle and so Bournemouth were not creating any danger.

Doherty was great and I thought Johnny had a very good return from injury.

Man of the Match was the impressive Jimenez who was awesome all over the pitch. He supported midfield when they were in possession, but startled many of our forward moves and was finding great positions around their box - hence the first goal, a simple tap in.

3 wins in 10 days will do while we are adjusting to the Premier League!

We have some tough games coming now, but fear nobody.

Certainly the fixtures in the second half of the season don’t look as daunting as they did at the start of the season. Well done Nuno.

Natalie Wood

What's your verdict on the match?

After Cardiff away I laughed when someone said should we be making Jimenez move permanent, now I’d be more than happy to chip in my House to get him signed!

After a couple of amazing results the Bournemouth game for me was the key game, could we continue our run against a team on paper we should be beating? The team sheet surprised me slightly, Romain Saiss would have been one of the first names on the team sheet for me after a couple of great performances but I was sure Nuno had a plan!

I thought Bournemouth started the better team, we sat back slightly whereas Bournemouth were breaking forward and really showing their pace, however both teams were also losing possession easily, this led to quite a disjointed first 10 minutes and wolves were struggling to get a foot hold on the game. An error led to the opening goal, thankfully it was a Bournemouth error! After a silly mistake by the cherries, Jota broke free before crossing (or an awful shot….jury is out on that one) for Jimenez to slot the ball home. The turnaround of Jota and Jimenez in the past couple of weeks has been nothing short of a miracle, all of a sudden they look quite the pair!

The rest of the half went without much more to discuss other than a few more poor errors by both sides. Just before half time it looked like Jota was about to make it 2-0 out of the blue but he was seemingly barged off the ball by Steve Cook. Watching the game live it looked like a potential red card however watching replays it looked more like a collision of bodies than anything else, credit to the referee for a good decision. The obvious negative to the incident was Jota hobbling off- fingers crossed it isn’t anything too serious.

The second half started exactly how the first finished, full of silly mistakes from both teams and not really masses to discuss. Our big chance to seal the game fell to Costa who was put clean through by Gibbs-White only for him to basically hit the Steve Bull upper. Costa was the one player that really didn’t impress. He looked very lacklustre and bar one excellent pass he didn’t really do a lot else! Bournemouth's one big chance was from a free kick. The free kick came at a time when Bournemouth were starting to look like the more likely of the 2 teams to score, not because they were hammering us with shots but because we were started to look a bit shaky defensively and it was starting to feel like it was only a matter of time until we lost concentration and let them in. It was a great free kick- thank god for the crossbar!!

Saiss coming on for Gibbs-White brought a bit more stability in midfield that allowed us to see how the game without much drama. Injury time brought the last twist in the game….a perfect pass by Costa followed by a great finish from Cav. It wasn’t the prettiest of premier league games and probably won’t be one we talk about for too long but the result is all that mattered!

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

My man of the match would be Jimenez, I had completely written him off a few weeks ago, I couldn’t see what anyone saw in him but he has had the most incredible turnaround. He suddenly looks dangerous going forward and a real asset to our team. Another great performance by my new favourite Mexican! Jota and Gibbs- White also put in great performances, both a real handful and using their speed to our advantage.

As I’ve already mentioned I thought Costa had a poor game and also Neves for me is still one of our weaker players, I personally would be playing Saiss over Neves purely based on the past few performances but I can’t see Nuno dropping him. He is losing the ball in key areas far too often and is still making some really poor passes….which normally leads to us losing possession as well Hopefully he will shortly have a turnaround similar to Jota and Jimenez!

This result also showed we can also grind out results against teams that don’t give us as much space, while there were plenty of silly errors from us we really looked like a team that deserved to be riding high in the league!

Clive Smith

What's your verdict on the match?

Three wins on the bounce. Seventh. Let's all pause for a sigh of contentment. After all, it's been a while. The game, however, was more memorable for the wind chill factor than the football. Two normally fluent passing teams both found the going tough as the ball frequently failed to reach its intended destination.

It was from a misdirected pass that Wolves opened the scoring. Jota pounced, attacked the box and Jimenez was on hand to score. It provided a welcome opportunity to get the blood circulating.

Our game plan seemed to be to surrender possession and then try and score on the counter. Bournemouth played some neat passing, often in tight triangles, and got behind us too easily at times. Crosses into our box, however, were dealt with comfortably so, despite seeing less of the ball, we looked more likely to score again on the break.

It was in the final third that our passing let us down, Jota being at fault more than once. The long diagonal pass to him, over a high defensive line, seemed potentially our most dangerous outlet. Just before the break as Jota was onto one of these breakaway's, a challenge floored him and put him out the game. Annoyingly it looked a fair challenge so there was no red card this week.

The second half was more of the same. Bournemouth had most of the ball but we looked a threat on the counter. Doherty got into some good positions but the final ball was wasteful. Costa had replaced Jota and he was best placed to increase our lead. A great breakaway meant he raced through on goal but his final effort was way off target.

That would have sealed the points and avoided our nervousness over the last thirty minutes.

Our midfield looked overrun too often but thankfully our central defenders all had good games. With Moutinho and latterly Saiss getting a foot in to break up moves there was rarely a scare.

Then, not for the first time, we got a late goal, with input from a substitute. Costa made the through pass and Cavaleiro showed him how to finish a one on one.

Seventh eh. Premier League. We're having a laugh. Let's not get carried away, but let's enjoy it while we can. Playing the top three in our next five games will be interesting.

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

Patricio hardly had a save to make but his kicking was below par.

Otto was back with a bang but maybe a bit too adventurous for his own good. He struggled defensively during the first half.

Doherty could not retain the ball much in the first half but looked good attacking in the second.

Boly, Coady and Bennett provided an excellent defensive shield. With blocks, tackles and several headers, particularly by Boly, meant Patricio had an easy life.

Neves is still not at his best. He looked frustrated with himself when passes went astray but he continued unperturbed and put in a shift.

Moutinho had a spring in his step. He was neat and tidy on the ball and worked hard to break up play.

Sadly Gibbs-White struggled throughout. Perhaps it was my imagination but I sensed the crowd were all willing him to do well but he got caught out too often and lost the ball easier than in the past. The resilience in possession he has shown before seemed lacking today.

Jimenez again impressed me immensely. Man of the match. A good touch, great work ethic and no shortage of skill. To accommodate MGW his position varies at times and he is often a long way from a colleague but he frequently found a way of circulating the ball.

Jota continued his recent form and looked sharp although his passing was poor. Hopefully his injury does not mean he is missing on Friday.

From the bench Costa played all the second half. He continues to frustrate. His quick feet and dribbling skills are good but his vision and end product needs to improve as does his defensive contributions.

Saiss came on and was able to freshen up midfield and offer more energy. Although it was only fifteen minutes it was a very useful performance.

Cavaleiro came on after 89 minutes so what was the point! He only went and closed the game out. Competent finish. Quite a cameo.

Adam Virgo

What's your verdict on the match?

Three wins in a row, up to 7th in the Premier League and we’ve already equalled our points tally from our last time in the top flight, you can’t ask for much more than that.

Thoroughly deserved win and we should have killed the game a lot sooner in all honesty. The only negative was Jota’s hamstring injury which hopefully isn’t too bad.

Jota did brilliant for the first goal after Charlie Daniels’ error, putting it on a plate for Jimenez, which he gobbled up of course. Five goals and five assists so far for the Mexican which is a fantastic record and surely if he continues at that rate, Wolves will pay the money to sign him.

Bournemouth hardly tested Patricio and apart from the King chance which he blocked early on and then Stanislas hitting the bar from a free kick, I can’t remember many other times they created a good opportunity.

We deserved the second goal and probably should have got it a lot sooner than we did, especially with Costa’s chance but the less said about that the better.

Cavaleiro took his goal well and he’s definitely one of the best finishers we have, three goals for him this season and he’s not featured anywhere near as much as our other wingers. I had no doubt that he’d miss when he was through on goal, calmly finished.

We’ll now go into the Liverpool game full of confidence and it was also great that Coady and Bennett both avoided bookings which is a huge boost for us knowing that they’ll be available.

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

A few players could have got man of the match and deserved it but for me, Jimenez was the best player on the pitch. His work ethic and link up play were so integral to us going forward and with his goal made it an outstanding performance from the Mexican striker.

Neves was back to his best again, did a lot of dirty work too. He read the game so well with his interceptions and kept things simple when needed. Him and Moutinho haven’t had the best of times when starting together in their last few outings but they were a lot better as a partnership yesterday.

Moutinho himself also had a very good game. Understandably tired towards the end with the amount of running he did and off the ball was fantastic again, along with his composure on the ball to keep everything ticking. Such a majestic player who makes the game look so easy.

Jota was great until he got injured. He starts to get back to his best and was on absolute fire, then he ends up getting a hamstring injury. Hopefully it’s nothing too serious because we need him over this busy period.

Boly, Coady and Bennett were all rocks at the back and very important to us getting our first clean sheet since beating Crystal Palace 1-0 in October which feels like it was an age away.

Coady made a fantastic block from King and his passing range, like usual, was on point. Boly was calm and collected and key late on when Bournemouth kept putting it into the box.

Ryan Bennett, what an unbelievable free transfer he was. Another quality slide tackle during the first half yesterday which gave me flashbacks of his tackle on Willian just over a week ago. He’s worked so hard on and off the pitch to improve his game under Nuno because when he first signed there were a few question marks whether he’d even play much. Just remember, there’s only one Ryan Bennett.

Gibbs-White adds something extra for us and although his performance wasn’t as good as his last couple (which isn’t easy to replicate) he gets us moving forward and on the ball, he’s always looking to create.

For Jonny to come back from his injury so quickly and play 90 minutes along with all the running he did, massive props must go to our fitness and medical staff. With our previous fitness and medical team, he’d have somehow been out for the season. Defensively he’s got so much quality and him being available for Liverpool is massive.

Chris Hughes

What's your verdict on the match?

Everyone dried out yet?

A wet and windy Molineux welcomed Fraudie Howe and his Bournemouth side. Many of us in the crowd were hoping for some revenge for the injustice of their last visit when theatrics and backchatting to referees helped those ‘good lads’ overcome a 1-0 deficit to beat us 2-1 in a game we finished with 9 men and with both sets of players squaring up to each other on the pitch!

Nowhere near as much controversy this time as we put in an excellent, structured performance that allowed Bournemouth plenty of possession in non-threatening areas but stymied them on the majority of their forays across the halfway line.

The visitors’ superb passing abilities were showcased when their left-back Charlie Daniels played a lovely first time through ball to give Jota an opportunity to run at Ake and Cook. Jota’s miscued strike found its way to the back post where Raúl was waiting for a tap-in for his second goal in successive home games. It wasn’t the only time Bournemouth would gift us possession in good areas despite us not pressing anywhere near as much as we usually do.

Not much else to write about from the first half other than the troubling sight of Jota departing clutching his hamstring. Not exactly what we want just as he has hit a rich vein of form.

The best chance of the second half came when Costa was sent through by Gibbs-White, only for him to ignore the supporting Raúl and go for goal himself with a shot so wild it was closer to taking out @Dwarfio in the South Bank than troubling Begovic. Bournemouth also managed to strike the woodwork themselves when Boly wiped out Cook outside the area and Stanislas curled an effort against the bar. Other than those chances neither keeper was thoroughly tested as efforts from both sides were straight at Patricio and Begovic until we sealed victory in injury time.

Costa redeemed his earlier poor choice when played through by playing a perfectly-weighted return pass to send fellow substitute Cavaleiro racing clear on goal. There was never a doubt in my mind that the best finisher at the club was going to score and I was already well on my way to celebrating ‘with’ the Bournemouth fans in the North Bank Quadrant before he’d taken his first touch.

Three top-flight wins in a row for the first time since before I was born and our highest league position at this time in a season. Well worth getting half-drowned for!

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

There were some impressive performances throughout the side, mainly for the solidity and energy displayed on the defensive side of the ball to prevent Bournemouth turning dominant possession into meaningful chances.

Neves did a tonne of dirty work in midfield. He spent more time on the deck putting in tackles than playing his usual raking passes due to the conditions but he was instrumental in breaking up play in our half.

Moutinho supported him well by getting his foot in well and in trying to calm play down at times when we were a little bit rushed in our play.

Gibbs-White was not at the same level as he was against Chelsea but still found time to play two or three excellent through passes.

On another day there would be an argument for any of the back three, in particular, Bennett, to be named Man of the Match as they repelled Bournemouth excellently. However, there was only one man to take the plaudits on Saturday.

Raúl was an immense presence at the top of our formation and put in a ‘proper number 9’ display. He hustled hard without the ball as part of the overall defensive scheme but also held the ball up brilliantly over and over again throughout the game to bring others into play and give us opportunities to regroup and regain our shape. One volleyed cross-field pass to Doherty was absolutely brilliant and it was great that he capped that performance with another goal.

Russ Evers (Hatherton Wolves)

What's your verdict on the match?

Those foreigners still don't like the winter, do they? Most of them in short sleeves despite the windchill factor registering a real temperature of minus three in strong swirling winds and driving freezing rain.

Mind you at least they got to run around to keep warm whilst in row Bb of the North Bank - yes 28 rows back - we got soaked all game. Early and late goals won it against a more than decent team who would be even higher up the table if they cut out the mad mistakes that we made the most of... as per the past three performances, and to be fair, most of them over the past 16 months.

There were few if any poor performances but mainly good ones especially with the Portuguese wonder kid doing all of the dirty work superbly. Up to seventh now and three straight wins. Nuno and the whole back room and playing staff, on behalf of all at Hatherton Wolves, I salute you.