Wolves Fans' Verdict v Chelsea: Take a bow Joao Gomes

Fraser Bishop

One nil to the Wanderers? It’s becoming a recurring theme now, with 62.5 per cent of our victories being by that scoreline and five 1-0 wins at Molineux – and with our lack of goals, perhaps that’s our best bet until the end of the season.

What a goal it was too. A goal worthy of winning any game. Nunes has no right to score from there but did exactly that giving Kepa no chance and opening his account for the season.

I’m struggling to recall a single chance Chelsea had, which is testament to Wolves, because even though they’re currently struggling, they created a plethora of chances against Villa and to a lesser extent Liverpool, but found our defence a lot harder to breakdown.

Speaking of which, Toti Gomes kept his place and did not disappoint putting in another solid shift out of position.

Moreover, a word on Joao Gomes. When Neves got suspended last wee,k I feared the worst for this game, but, while he’ll no doubt come straight back into the fold, Gomes took his opportunity and optimised a dynamic midfield which saw him putting in a tenacious performance.

The only concern is Nunes’ injury, which hopefully isn’t too serious, but other than that a solid and adequate performance which moves us four points clear of the drop.

Still a couple of wins away from safety, but fingers crossed we can grind our more wins with similar performances, especially at home where we have had more joy.

John Lalley

Making advance assessments of this Wolves team before every single game is a hazardous business – you think you intimately understand the foibles of a team you follow so closely but in reality, you simply don’t know them at all.

After the slipshod B-movie distortion in Nottingham last week, Wolves seamlessly gave themselves a rehabilitating makeover and deservedly disposed of an elite club waiting to lock horns with Real Madrid at the business end of the Champions League. There is no discernible logic to Wolves – ambiguity rules. Trying to predict their mood resembles watching television through frosted glass.

This was a terrific effort – the focus, commitment and the absolute determination to succeed was outstanding.

Rare it is for any opposing manager to admit that Wolves showed more aggression than his team, but Frank Lampard conceded the point. And it was just about the only thing he got right all afternoon.

Chelsea, unrecognisable in a ghastly alternative playing-kit which was as sickly and as anaemic as their performance, escaped relatively lightly.

Partisan emotion aside, this response from Wolves deserved to be capped and decided by a bewilderingly glorious flourish from the mercurial Matheus Nunes, whose maddening inconsistency acts as a microcosm for the whole team.

His performance was not without blemish – more than once his overconfidence saw him dispossessed in dangerous areas – but otherwise he excelled, finally expressing himself with an elegance and style that makes football worth watching.

When he drops his shoulder and swings the hips, leaving an opponent static, he’s reminiscent of a young Bobby Charlton.

We’ve witnessed all too little of this guy’s ability. He, like the others on Saturday, worked himself to a standstill. He has to build on this – the ball still is firmly in his court!

Similarly, since his sensational debut at Southampton, Joao Gomes has barely skirted the periphery of the team. How he made up for lost time!

Combining so well with Lemina, Gomes erected an abrasive midfield shield that Chelsea simply could not play through.

His energy never flagged, surging with aggressive verve, he was assured in and out of possession and added a real dynamism the like of which we haven’t enjoyed all season.

We have seen little of the other Gomes, Toti either but he too was outstanding in defence, refusing defiantly to consider a backward step.

He dovetailed superbly with both Kilman and Semedo, leaving the heroic Craig Dawson to pitch in with a Richard Stearman-like disdain for personal wellbeing if the alternative meant giving Chelsea a ghost of a chance.

It all gelled so effectively with the absent Neves covered for more than adequately.

No player wavered, nobody hid or retreated into their shell, instead each individual accepted full-on responsibility and I have to concede, I was as surprised as I was delighted!

It’s futile trying to speculate exactly what Wolves will produce against Brentford next week, such is their capricious capacity to confound us. More of Saturday or a return to the unforgettably awful?

Sometimes there is a case for replacing our stand seats with psychiatrists’ couches – like being a voyeur in a madhouse.

Oh well, Saturday was a treat and no mistake – but what a peculiar outfit Wolves are!

Clive Smith

It’s good to have Super Lopetegui back. Perhaps he made the team all watch the Forest game again.

Whatever he did in the last week it certainly provoked a reaction – with so many players putting in an extra 10 per cent – none more so than man-of-the-match Nunes, who had by far his best game in a Wolves shirtt.

Right from the start there was more of a front-foot mentality with a target man in Costa who also gave us a physical presence that we have not been used to.

Podence, Semedo and Nunes were willing runners and we were able to string more passes together than in recent games.

Chelsea did not apply the press, which also allowed us to look more comfortable in our own third.

In midfield, Lemina and Gomes were sharply into tackles which forced some errors from Chelsea.

Like other teams, they tried to exploit the long ball down our right channel behind Semedo, but one of those two were able to cover alongside Dawson. The goal was as outstanding as it was unexpected. I am sure Jonny would have been proud of it. From that moment on, we had something more to lose and, if anything, we stepped up an extra gear.

The defence in particular must like the bonus from a clean sheet, although we defended as a team and right from the front.

The fresh legs of Hwang and Sarabia taking over from Cunha and Costa made it difficult for Chelsea to play put from the back once they were chasing the game

So a pat on the back all-round for a good workmanlike team performance with a special nod to, not just Nunes, but Gomes, captain Kilman and Toti, who all played like it really mattered.

Our season, and particularly our results at home, continue to swing from highs to lows.

This week we can be upbeat happy clappers following the grim reaper of last week. Where will it end?

Three points gained, eight games to go.

Rob Cartwright

Well, this game had a “make or break” feel to it.

Sometimes it is just to be and that what happened here. The Molineux faithful were well up for this game. Would Frank Lampard’s Chelsea get a new manager bounce?

Yes they did, but thankfully, it lasted for about ten minutes.

It took this long for our new midfield of Lemina, Nunes and Gomes to realise their Chelsea counterparts didn’t really fancy a battle. That’s exactly what we gave them.

Gomes never stopped harassing them when in possession. Nunes showed flair and played with an element of freedom we have rarely seen. He was fully prepared to take on Chelsea with the ball at his feet. Lemina swept up any loose balls around our box, while getting forward at any opportunity. Exactly what you want from a midfield.

Well done boys.

Credit to Lopetegui, he got the team selection and tactics right for this one.

Cunha looks a completely different player when paired with a proper centre forward. I’d be happy to start Costa for each of the remaining games, if his legs are up to it. He hasn’t scored yet, but has done so much more to positively impact.

The Chelsea forwards look impressive on paper, but they didn’t fancy it either. Kilman and Toti were excellent. Dawson and Semedo were efficient and did what was necessary to keep the clean sheet. Sterling looked a shadow of his former self. This won’t be an easy ride for Frank!

We goal was really special. We’d been on top for about 15 minutes and were attacking in numbers (another positive). When Nunes found the ball at his feet wide right, we were probably expecting a cross or the ball to end up in row Z. What we got was a rocket into the top corner offering Kepa no chance of getting anywhere near it.

Still one hour to play, but in honesty we didn’t look like conceding and were unfortunate not to add a second goal.

Good use of subs on the hour mark. Hwang, Moutinho and Traore all making their mark and helping to secure the much needed victory.

There were a number of stand out performances in this game. The midfield three, plus Kilman, Toti, Cunha and Costa all came out with much credit. I thought Moutinho was fabulous for his 30 minutes; so much energy.

My man of the match was Nunes, closely followed by Gomes. The goal of the month (maybe season) just giving him the edge. More of the same please!