Express & Star

Wolves Fans' Verdict v Leicester: What a wonderful win!

Our fans share their thoughts on Wolves' thrilling 4-3 victory against Leicester at Molineux.

Published

Rob Cartwright

What's your verdict on the match?

What a fantastic game of football this was. Entertainment of the highest order, with a roller coaster of emotions and a second-half headache to boot.

This had it all. Not even another poor referee could spoil this one though.

Wolves had grit, skill & determination in abundance.

Leicester played their part, trying to match us for passing and using wide players to go forward. They packed their midfield but without the skill and accuracy of Neves and Moutinho and the tenacity of the forever improving Dendoncker, Wolves dominated this area and were able to find both wing backs in space time after time. Jota & Jimenez were also pulling wide further up the field and this was leaving big gaps in their box.

A Neves wonder strike from 25 yards nearly gave us the lead in the first minute. Schmeichel saved a certain goal. We didn’t have to wait long though.

Dendoncker took the ball from Gray, short pass to Jimenez, wide ball to Moutinho and the cross was perfect. Straight to the sprinting Jota’s boot.

Leicester were rocking and most passes were now going astray or backwards. A long-range Gray effort needed a good save from Patricio, but other than that their shots were long range and wide.

Jimenez was running the Leicester back four ragged. Chilwell, in particular, was having a torrid time, when he crossed to Jota who was in the box between Simpson and Morgan. His header should really have made it three.

Then, a Jimenez shot from inside the box was well saved.

It would not have flattered Wolves to be 5-0 up at half time. Leicester’s best player was Schmeichel and Vardy looked isolated. A shadow of his former self.

All was good then. Well not quite. We all know about second-half comebacks in this fixture and Leicester were about to mount one.

Wolves were fully asleep for the first 10 minutes of the second half. It was clear for all to see that the crafty Micky Stowell must have slipped something in the half time tea & oranges!!

They caught us on the counter-attack after just 2 minutes. It was the direct route Leicester are familiar with and the impressive Gray went past Saiss too easily before scoring from a tight angle.

No need to panic though, until Johnny passes to Barnes in our box. His shot was going wide, but a cruel deflection off Coady meant it was now 2-2 with 37 minutes still to play.

If anything, this did wake us up. Our midfield stretched with Neves deep and Moutinho advanced. These two now started pulling all the strings.

It was a fabulous pass from Neves to Jota that gave us the lead once more. A brilliant finish by a Jota.

We were now enjoying a really good game. It looked as though we would hold out for victory, but with just 3 minutes remaining Morgan scored with a header from a free kick. Very poor defending by Wolves.

Would we settle for a point? Not a chance. We kept going forward. Jota had another chance to no avail, but the best goal of the game was to come. It was Neves again to a wide Jimenez. Jota was free, once more, in the box. A pinpoint cross and a fine finish off the post for a deserved victory and a wonderful hat trick.

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

This was a fabulous team effort. Like a heavyweight boxer, we were down on the canvas but pulled ourselves up to deliver another knock out blow.

This was a seven-goal thriller and could easily have been more.

Remember, we were missing Boly and I wonder if Gray would have got past him or if he would have beat Morgan to the header. We’ll never know.

We do know that the midfield three of Neves, Moutinho & Dendoncker were excellent. Jimenez and Jota were both superb and both wingbacks played a full part in this game. Special mention to Vinagre who was called in and did well once more.

Man of the Match has to go with Jota who scored 3 excellent goals, but I reckon Jimenez and Neves were very close to the accolade too.

A deserved win. A thoroughly entertaining game.

It is clear for all to see, with 32 points already in the bag, Wolves are on the up!

Clive Smith

What's your verdict on the match?

I like it, I like it, I like it, the tannoy bellowed out as we calmly left the ground. I love a happy ending. What a game that was, a case of the good, the bad and the ugly.

Just over ten minutes had gone and our attack looked outstanding and good. Meanwhile, our defence looked chaotic and ugly. This is not what we are used to. A terrific goal from Jota got the ball rolling early and then a Bennett header from a corner had us in dreamland. 2-0 and it was the first half. The half we don't usually score in!

Getting carried away was not on the agenda however as the game was open and chaotic (others might say scrappy), not helped by our insistence on giving the ball away and missing out on the second ball. Patricio was as guilty as anyone, giving the ball away in his box and then our half, both of which could have cost us a goal.

We had a good opportunity to score again when Jimenez did really well to pull the ball back from the byline and pick out Jota. It would have been a great assist but the header was straight at the keeper. The cynical side of my brain chipped in with - I hope we don't regret that later on.

What we had done well was press high up the pitch, forcing errors and turnover of possession. Not something that has usually been in our game plan at home.

Although the half ended at 2-0 things seemed far from comfortable. The game was full of mistakes and opportunities. It also felt like we had been pushed, shoved and fouled throughout the half, yet we had picked up three yellow cards. The man in the middle had done us no favours at all and seemed unpredictable in his decision making.

It did not take long for my head to say I told you so. Wham, bam and it was 2-2. Our negligence in defending had raised its ugly head. Bennett and Saiss at first, then Otto, were poor on those goals.

The rest of the game felt like a blur. First, our Porto kid lit up the game with another Wow moment. Last season we saw him produce a 'lifetime goal', today he produced a 'lifetime pass'. How many yards was it, landing on a sixpence, and Jota did the rest. A wham, bam of our own. Brilliant.

Like watching a vintage Drinkwater to Vardy, goal.

With nothing left to lose Leicester took a gamble throwing people forward. Doherty and Gibbs-White were meant to improve our energy levels but didn't. Then a couple of overzealous tackles led to free kicks and from the second of these, we got done at the far post.

Shame on all those folk who decided enough was enough and left. Late goals at West Ham, Newcastle and Fulham were no flukes. It ain't over until it's over. Neves again made a telling pass, the tireless Jimenez collected and played in a perfect cross and our hero of the day placed the winner off the inside of the post. I guess you call that clinical.

Leicester are in the Middle Earth of the Premier League like ourselves. We can learn from them and improve. Sometimes today, and in other games, we have often appeared naive. The craft, guile, and streetwise traits they have are skills we need to develop. One example was when Jota was through in the box and being challenged. Vardy would have won a penalty nine times out of ten, Jota none.

Game Management, who needs it? Clean sheet, who needs it? That final goal was enough to make any of us run straight down the tunnel! I like it, I like it, I like it, rocking all over the world.....

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

Patricio was really poor. Yes, he made a couple of fine saves but his risk-taking and poor kicking were too evident again. The ball was in the air a long time for the third goal, could he have not come and cleared the danger?

Otto got in some excellent advanced positions but was less secure in our third.

Vinagre continues to frustrate. Great energy and unpredictability but his final ball needs improving. He has the ability to be providing goal assists.

Saiss started poorly, surprisingly at centre half, rather than in midfield. I await to be convinced that is his best position. Winning headers and making tackles in and around the box looked a challenge.

Coady looked like he missed his mate Willy. He never looked at ease in the game which is quite unusual.

Ironic that Bennett should score with a Boly -like header, but at the back his heading was well below par, seeming to constantly find a blue shirt. It was, however, pleasing to see one of his trademark tackles in our box.

Neves - it is not that we fell out of love with him, but games like this make you love the guy even more. A rasping shot after two minutes was just the start of his splendid performance. His vision to pick out a pass shone through today. Anyone around here upset he would not fit into the City team?

Priceless - in a business sense as well as a football sense.

Moutinho showed us his excellent energy level for eighty minutes. Worked well with Neves (as usual ) and Dendoncker.

Dendoncker was nowhere in the opening quarter but then improved and was getting from box to box and influencing the game in a positive way. Good defensive blocking and some good passing too once he got to the pace of the game.

What a joy it was watching Jota play today. Man of the match. Finding his scoring form and showing excellent stamina. His energetic run to get the winner being similar to the effort of Doc at Newcastle. He took his usual number of whacks too but was thankfully still walking when it mattered in the last minute. Having the confidence to shoot early makes him far more productive.

Jimenez was mostly excellent. He linked up so well with Jota, having a colleague close at hand gives the team a greater attacking threat. However, twice he missed passes to Otto which may have helped put the game away by half time.

From the bench, Doherty came on at a time when Vinagre was seeing lots of the ball. I assume the idea was switching Otto might bring benefits from that area.

MGW had the last ten minutes but he never really got up to speed. He has failed to make a positive impact in the last couple of his games.

Adam Virgo

What's your verdict on the match?

We’ve had so many memorable games since Nuno took charge and yesterday was another one. Crazy that it was 4-3 again, the exact same scoreline when both teams last met in the Premier League at Molineux. If only I’d have stuck a fiver on it.

Just before Jota opened the scoring, all of our eyes lit up as Neves’ long range strike headed for the top corner but somehow Kasper Schmeichel kept it out and fair play to him for doing so.

Top forward play from Jota to get in front of Danny Simpson for the first goal and a lovely delivery from Joao Moutinho. It was fantastic to see us move from the defending phase to attacking so quickly. As soon as we won the ball back, we looked to go forwards and hurt the opposition which we did superbly all afternoon.

Another wonderful delivery from Joao Moutinho allowed Ryan Bennett to simply head it beyond Schmeichel and at 2-0 we looked good for the lead.

We had chances to make it three but Leicester had a couple themselves to get back into the game. However, at half time we were good value for the lead and we always looked a threat going forward.

Then a six minute meltdown on the pitch and it’s 2-2. First goal was shocking defending from us, Bennett let the ball bounce and got caught out but for Demarai Gray to run at Saiss and Coady so easily shouldn’t have happened. One of the two needed to challenge him a lot sooner and Saiss’ slide tackle was more of desperation if anything. Good finish but it was a goal that could have easily been stopped.

Like Nuno said, we should have managed the game better and rightly so. 2-0 is always a dangerous lead because if the opposition score then the momentum is with them and we conceded far too early.

It looked as if Jonny was fouled as the ball fell to Harvey Barnes but even so it was poor defending once again. Coady was very unlucky for it to hit him and go in, two own goals in two games and he couldn’t do much about either of them.

Ruben Neves is a magician on the pitch, probably off it too, and his pass for the third (and fourth) goal was absolutely ludicrous. Pinpoint perfect onto Jota’s chest, unbelievable control from the forward and finished it well.

We just needed to see it out but then we give a silly free-kick away and end up conceding from it. Three players on Morgan so there’s no way we should have let him win the header and Patricio, who had no chance for the other two goals, seemed flat-footed. Even so, it was poorly defended from us.

Winning a football game in the 90th minute is the best feeling and we’ve had that feeling more than any other premier league side so far this season. Another stupendous pass from Neves, Jimenez then found Jota nicely who finished it off to complete his hat trick. The first hat trick from any Wolves player for so long, I want to say Dicko in the 6-4 Rotherham win was the last one if I remember correctly.

An important three points considering our recent home form in the league and against a side who also want to finish the top 10. Now onto the FA Cup and hopefully we can get through, without a replay, and have a good cup run.

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

Who else to start with but Diogo Jota, the hat trick hero. Three goals from four shots and in front of goal he was ice cold, ruthless. No goal in his first 13 games and he was struggling ever since his first goal of the season against Chelsea, he’s been outstanding. Every time he gets a chance you feel like he’s going to score or create something and looks like he could be very important in an attacking sense for the remainder of the season and hopefully takes the pressure off Jimenez a bit.

Ruben Neves defies the laws of physics at times with either his ridiculous passes or crazy long shots. Yesterday it was his passing which had everyone in awe. Andrea Pirlo and Xabi Alonso are players he reminds me of, obviously has a long way to go to even be classed in the same category as them but the way he plays is very similar. The passes he made for the third and fourth goals were of the highest quality and hopefully he can keep producing that.

Neves’ Portuguese counterpart, Joao Moutinho is an absolutely fantastic footballer and the experience he has is noticeable in every game. He is as cooler than the other side of the pillow and the trio of Neves, Moutinho and Dendoncker at the moment is scarily good. Two fantastic assists from the experienced midfielder and he does all the simple things which allows Neves to produce his magic.

Leander Dendoncker has played well in every game I’ve seen of him so far, especially in midfield. Another one who helps Neves and allows him to do more in an attacking sense. Calm on the ball and superb off it. For £12m which we will pay in the summer, he seems a bargain and a top player. Glad to see him getting consistent game time and he’s deserved of his starting place.

Raul Jimenez’s work ethic is brilliant and he seemed to be the link up player in between everything. Played a part in both the first and last goals and he’s a great asset to our team.

The defence all round wasn’t great in a defending sense. All three goals could have been defended better individually and as a team. Bennett, Coady and Saiss all could have done a lot better for the first goal but Bennett’s mistake allowed them to set Gray free. We missed Boly and everyone could see that but the main thing is we won in the end.

Probably the worst performance I’ve seen from Rui Patricio this season but he’s still a fantastic goalkeeper, and one of the best in the league regardless. Almost caught out by Vardy after he tried to turn on the ball but in all fairness he recovered it well. Kicking is an obvious weakness to his game but his shot stopping makes up for that, made two very good saves from Gray and Barnes. He seemed a bit flat footed for their third goal but for the first two he couldn’t have done much about.

Chris Hughes

What's your verdict on the match?

Sky Sports certainly got their money’s worth from this one! Early kick-offs aren’t always the most welcome at Molineux. Often a sombre atmosphere and a dour performance greets a lunchtime kick off but here there were fireworks on the pitch to add to the pre-match ones off it.

We started brightly and two early goals set us on our way to what we thought would be a comfortable victory. Not quite! Between Jota’s opener, from a great Moutinho cross, and Bennett heading home a corner to give Moutinho a second early assist, Patricio tried to gift Leicester an equaliser by dallying on a back pass and almost letting Vardy in. The tone for the game was set. This one was going to be fast-paced and goal-laden.

We got to half time without another goal thanks to a smart stop from Patricio to deny Gray but within minutes of the second half restart Leicester had wiped out our lead after racing out of the blocks.

The first came from some shambolic defending. Bennett let a ball bounce on halfway and was outmuscled by Vardy. His pass found Gray about ten yards into our half and neither Neves or Saiss managed to put a foot in as he ran 30 yards, into the box, and finished low past Patricio.

While that one owed much to our poor defending, the second owed an assist to a missed foul by the referee and an unlucky deflection. Dendocker looked to have run Chilwell off ball as he surged into the box and Jonny stepped across to intercept. However he was unable to clear the ball as a tug from Chilwell sent him sprawling to the floor. No whistle from the referee, coincidentally after having been confronted by an irate Schmeichel at half-time, and the ball rolled loose to Barnes. His shot looked to be heading wide until hitting Coady’s inner thigh and diverting into the bottom corner for the skipper’s second own goal of the week. Very much game on!

To our credit we held firm against more Leicester pressure and managed to regain our lead just after an hour. An absolutely outstanding 40 yard chip from Neves floated beyond the Leicester backline and found Jota. The little wolf took the ball on his chest and hammered it past Schmeichel to put us back in front.

Leicester continued to attack us and we rebuffed them well until three minutes from time. Maddison whipped in a great free-kick they was met by a thumping header by Morgan, though some will question whether Patricio ought to have claimed the ball in his 6-yard box.

At this stage Leicester looked the side more likely to get a winner but, deep into stoppage time, we nicked it when Jota completed the first Wolves hat-trick of the Premier League era. Raúl will be credited with the assist on the stats sheets but it was another peach of a through ball from Neves to set the Mexican free which made the goal. While his ball to Jota had been a floated chip, this one was drilled 35 yards to cut out three Leicester players and was inch perfect to find Raúl in stride.

The goal sparked limbs all over the shop. As the fans were going wild, the players formed a pile-on atop Jota, with even Nuno charging down the touch line to get involved. His passionate celebrations earned him a sending off from the referee, who had been absolutely shocking throughout, but I’m sure he won’t care one iota after seeing us follow up a difficult, energy sapping trip to the Etihad by mustering the effort to seal a late win.

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

The back three were certainly shaky at times and we missed the imperious Boly. Patricio made a couple of good saves but also had some dodgy moments in a game that was definitely for fans of attacking football over defensive strength.

Dendoncker was strong in midfield again and looks a real player. Moutinho put in a good display too but both were overshadowed by the final member of the midfield trio.

While Raúl and Jota were exceptional up front, and the latter will likely earn man of the match plaudits from many for taking home the match ball with his three goals, the star of the show was Neves.

Plenty of fans have been questioning his recent performance levels but, with Moutinho taking a more advanced position and Dendoncker operating box-to-box, Neves seems to be finding more space and time to play his regular game and his use of the ball here was fantastic.

He found Jonny and Vinagre with regularity when switching the play and also released the front two beyond Leicester’s backline time after time. Add to this his harassing of Leicester players in midfield to win the ball back and it capped an excellent all-round midfield show.

Natalie Wood

What's your verdict on the match?

Supporting Wolves is a lot of things but dull is definitely not one of them! I imagine for a neutral fan this was an amazing game to watch but as a fan of one of the teams I found it horrendous!

This was always going to be a tough game, Leicester are a good side and our home displays have left a lot to be desired. Straight from the whistle we looked sharp and were continually looking to move the ball forward.

One of my biggest frustrations watching wolves in recent weeks is their lack of shots but this game was different, within a minute Neves hit a perfect shot which was destined for the top corner but Schmeichel saved excellently. Wolves were destined to score and within a minute we were ahead, a great cross by Moutinho and a great finish by Jota. The game really opened up and Leicester could have been ahead almost instantly after a lapse in concentration from Patricio.

To be honest it wasn’t a great defensive display, we were a bit all over the shop but thankfully Leicester were not that much of a threat in the first half. From midfield onwards however we were superb and really deserved our two goal lead at the break. Realistically it should have been about 4-3 by half time and I did wonder if we would rue the missed chances.

The second half started just as the first except it was Leicester firing first and wolves the ones just looking a little shellshocked! Both of Leicester's goals in the opening minutes of the second half were avoidable, the first saw Bennett completely misjudge a Leicester clearance and Vardy was ready and waiting.

Their second was just a catalogue of errors, I was utterly shocked at how easy we had let them back into the game. Something changed though after the equaliser, we woke up and most importantly Neves woke up! I’ve missed last season Neves and I was beginning to wonder if we were ever going to see him again! Neves infamous cross pitch passes were back and boy were they effective! Our third goal was created by Neves passing the ball perfectly in Jotas path for him to finish really well.

Leicester continued to pile on the pressure and that teamed with our dodgy defending kept the whole stadium on edge until the inevitable happened….a late equaliser. It wasn’t a loss but it was feeling like one! One thing I love about Nuno’s wolves is this never give up mentality. Most teams would have allowed their heads to drop after an 87th minute equaliser but wolves just continued their game plan looking for any opportunity to move the ball forward.

Neves was again a crucial part in the goal with another perfect pass to find Jimenez who passed to Jota to steal the win in the last seconds. It was one of the most amazing ends to a game I’ve ever seen and the noise at the final whistle was something really special.

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

Defensively we were weak, we made lots of mistakes and were very sloppy at times. For me the biggest weakness was Patricio. He is a great shot stopper but aside from that, I find him quite a liability.

His distribution is really poor and he really doesn’t command his box. I feel like he has flown a bit under the radar up to now but I do worry that he is going to start costing us some points.

There are so many candidates for man of the match, it was one of the best performances of the season for a number of players. The stand out players for me would be Neves and of course Jota. Neves has been underwhelming for most of the season and has probably taken the longest to adapt to the Premier League but it was like a switch had gone off in his head (and his feet) and the Neves we loved was back.

He picked out passes that the naked eye doesn’t see and was instrumental in most of our key moments. A real class talent looks like he is back! Man of the match for me though would have to go to Jota….I don’t feel like it will be a surprise! What a performance! It was pretty much perfect, he read the game well and played with such confidence. A real class act!

It’s not the sort of game I want to see every week (not sure my heart could take it!) but boy was it entertaining!!

Gulraj Kular (Molineux Musings)

What's your verdict on the match?

Now THAT is a game of football. Two teams, going hammer and tongs, both with a sincere belief that they could win that game of football. I honestly thought it would be a cagey affair, with both teams at their best on the counter-attack, but early goals change everything.

We started with an intensity that we’ve lacked and I spoke earlier in the week about how as a fanbase we can help in this regard. The stadium was bouncing from the start, ably assisted by a team who begun the game like they’d had their Weetabix for breakfast.

From Neves bending the ball towards the top corner and being denied by Schmeichel to Ryan Bennett nodding in the second goal, we pressed in a manic, frenzied fashion more reminiscent of a Jurgen Klopp or Marcelo Bielsa side.

We clearly wanted to get after a fragile Leicester team that were timid and spooked for the first 20 minutes.

Naturally there was a setting down after 2-0 but we allowed Leicester back into the game too much and goals were almost inevitable, especially with the way the last 15 minutes of the first half went. That they came so soon after half time was a shock to everyone.

We just don’t concede chances in that manner. It’s perhaps too simple to suggest we missed Willy Boly, but with Nuno drafting in Ruben Vinagre on the left, that side of the pitch was decidedly less sturdy than usual.

What that did mean though, was that we were much more fluid in attack and we looked dangerous each time we went forward.

We scored 4 because of this and if we can try and while some of the Leicester defending was rather generous, we were far more clinical which is a good sign. We had to win it 3 times over in the end but all’s well that ends well. Wolves 4-3 Leicester. Heads that one before.

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

Diogo Jota clearly deserves a shout out, but not just for the goals. His tenacity, matched by Raul Jimenez, means our forward line are always in the game. At no point did the Leicester defenders have the better of him and he took advantage of this.

I’ve spoken before about how he has a nasty streak that the other forwards lack and this brings the best out of him.

Ruben Neves produced his best performance of the season. He really had the eye of the tiger and that sense of responsibility that was a cornerstone of many of his performances last season was there for all to see. He took every opportunity we had to ensure we won this game.

Finally, Leander Dendoncker, so close to being the forgotten man of this campaign, was a man mountain. His interceptions, powerful bursts from midfield and all-round, action man display gives us something no other midfielder does.

Russ Evers (Hatherton Wolves)

What's your verdict on the match?

Getting boring these home games v Leicester. Always the same, goals, excitement, dodgy decisions and ultimately three points.

Everyone else will have told you what the match was like and who did what so I can just wax lyrically about two wonder kids from Portugal who were largely to thank for the step up to the premier league.

And to think that just a few weeks ago some of the so called fans were slagging them off. Incredible.

Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota showed why they need to be the rocks around which we build. Both of them on fire and a pleasure to watch as the Nuno bandwagon moves on.

To be a part of this is a privilege and makes up for the years of drivel and false dawns. Every one of the team played their parts and from all at Hatherton Wolves thank you for the pride, skill, passion, belief and the desire you all have and have reintegrated into a waiting public. And this is just the second step. Glorious.