At half time there was a familiar and unpleasant smell you’re sometimes exposed to at a football match wafting over us.
As the inevitable finger-pointing began the chap next to me observed ‘it was the Arsenal defence every time Jota got the ball.’
Enough said.
Yes, the song might instruct the team to get the ball to Raul but we all know they’re better off delivering it to our number 18.
Every time the little magician has it and begins driving forward good things happen.
Case in point the first goal, running from deep and releasing Jonny for the foul that allowed Ruben to do what comes naturally.
Case in point the second goal, attacking their defence and forcing the keeper into a save that won the well-worked corner for Doherty to profit.
And most tellingly, case in point the third goal, intercepting a loose ball and waltzing through a static Arsenal defence to finish the contest.
A devastating exhibition from a player who was almost written off after a slow start to the season but on current form must be one of the most potent attacking weapons in the Premier League.
This performance and others over the last four months won’t go unnoticed and retaining his services is crucial for the continued development of an already impressive side.
Another shining light was Jonny who recovered from a sluggish outing against Brighton to register one of his best performances in a gold shirt.
The Spaniard isn’t great at getting on the overlap but when he’s able to run inside it really opens up the game. He had a hand in two of the goals and laid on other chances while defending solidly throughout.
Dendoncker (quietly effective at both ends), Bennett (typically efficient, one crucial block and two incredible passes) and Neves (best game in a while and superb free-kick) were also worthy of praise on an evening that Wolves laid to rest the ghost of Wembley.
One player who has yet to recover is Jimenez who was again poor by his lofty standards and looks ready for the summer break.
His dip in form and a sloppy concession from a corner were the only sticking points in an otherwise fabulous evening at fortress Molineux, which was again filled with the more pleasant whiff of optimism.
Bring on Watford.
Some nice words from Arsenal Fan TV.
Thanks for your usual spot on insights Thomas and for bringing us those two Arsenal fans sounding like Wolves fans of yesteryear. How times do change. The futures gold(and black). Wolves ay we!
Thanks for sharing this!
Please Nuno have some belief in Ryan Bennett.
Solid as a the rock of Gibraltar.
No nonsense straightforward defending.
Bennett Cody boly leave them alone it work’s.
Better put 200 million on diogos head now!
What a night great big unremovable smirk.
Subs almost upset the apple cart everyone on there was having a beano and not one of them looked knackered to me.
Told you we would win and win well.
Possession stats = bullshite.
Watford……. your next….GRRRRRR !
Ryan Bennett. In my book under Nuno he has developed into one of the best central defenders in the Prem. He may not be pretty on the ball, but that`s not what he`s there for. He`s there to stop the opposition. And that`s just what he does . Continually and reliably. Period
Great in the tackle, brilliant in the air, and having an excellent positional sense, virtually nothing gets by him The guy just does his job without any frills, bells or whistles game after game. His routine selection should not be open to question.
Better yet, it is the case that both Boly and Coady up their games when Bennett is along side them, playing with far more confidence. This makes for a fearsome defensive unit. This is surely the basis that Nuno needs to keep in place for next season
GREAT RESULT, QUALITY TEAM PERFORMANCE but Patricio really dodgy.
Superb, totally a great feeling to have 51 points on the board already. Beating the Albion’s best of 49 I read on Twitter!
Bang on write up, Raul missed a couple of good chances which would’ve made it a less nervy 2nd half.
Agree Jota is practically unplayable for any defender, his performances since December have been nothing short of awesome, on another plane, he so deserved his standing ovation.
Nice so nice to see Neves slot a beauty home, & we must not forget Doherty, great movement to head home the 2nd & his contribution this season has been immense.
Just great Wolves, hope this steep upward curve continues.
Great write up Thomas.
An absolutely CLASSIC demonstration of fast counter attacking football.
A superb performance, and if there’s been a better bargain buy than Diogo Jota, I’d like to know who it was… Oh Yes, that young scallywag Moutinho.
A bit unfair to pick out individuals but Johnny was a revelation, Doherty was on the spot as ever, Neves was back to his best and the Donck showed why he should be starting every match.
And I’m much happier when Bennett is in defence.
But every player looked like they wanted it and, bloody hell, they GOT it!
If I have a criticism I was slightly disappointed with Jimenez who looks like he could do with a bit of a rest, and Patricio who should have claimed that cross for the Arsenal goal.
Ruddy would have made that his.
But it’s churlish to pick faults in a great team performance.
Every man was a hero.
Just like the legendary 5-1 thrashing in the snow, all those years ago…
…A night to remember!
Better bargain buy than Jota? Well you would have to say that Bennett takes some beating.
WW, agreed re Jota, but I still think Wolves should have been reported to Financial Fair Play for buying Moutinho for £5M
I reckon a zero was missing from the when sneaky Uncle Jorge got them to sign the papers….
Ohh Joao Moutinho
He likes a Vino………………………………..
I’ll not comment on the team ’cause 10/10 for everyone gets a bit boring, but after the first 20mins it was champagne footie all the way and I’m still bubbling with adrenaline.
If these are the times that the word ‘Dreamland’ was invented for. then please, please please don’t ever wake me up.
How fickle these media Johnnies are, we were down for 10th yesterday.
Me,
Feck em, I predicted 6th in August 2018.
Lovin it.
Sadly I said to Bedders at the start of the season that we would be 10th. Was not expecting this result too tbh. What an absolutely awesome performance. Proud of them all.
I got back home around 1315 today and my ears are still ringing from the noise last night.
31436 attendance …… another record.
Met up with the Dougster in the Novotel for a swift pre match pint, shame I did not have time to catch up with you guys.
I am away now until the 3rd, so see you at the Bloggers Ball on the 4th. Dougie has my meal choice and deposit……. get yours in you lazy arse lol. See you soon.
Got mine in 2 days ago, hungry types us bloggers.
What a time to be a Wolves fan…
Got it wrong then, Stu! So did I as I had a big wedge on top 6 finish. Thankfully had a saver on top 10.
This was in the coach park at the Emirates as the fans arrived back last night…
Absolutely wonderful last night. Odd thing is I’ve come to expect it, so much so that part of the thrill has gone. Found myself sitting back and enjoying the style and verve of this excellent performance. Just wish the football expert who sits behind me would cease his running commentary and FFS STOP MOANING.
Where do you sit HW as i guess there must be several in every stand…
And…. did he bemoan the short corner before going in reverse to laud the exception cross and goal by Doc?
That will have to stay a secret RR, and yes he did have to go into reverse a few times including over the short corner. You’re right of course, the Robbie Savage sound alikes are everywhere and always with us.
Other than our excellent performance ….I did notice an academy Arsenal player Eddie Nketiah….. he will be some player me thinks…go get him
Looking forward to see the fickle fans comments today after “that” performance…
I bang on about memories and this just adds to the growing ones from “the Best Season In My History”
I posted that I really wanted to see Jonny start (not that I have anything negative against young Vinegre) but was sure the first 20/30 mins we needed to defend and then show that what we’re made of.
Well I think I got my wish there…
Again no player ratings as I cannot mark anyone down but if you’re allowed 1 x game where you can mark above 10, then last night “our little magician” gets a an 11 from me.
FWAW FOwb
PS, anyone with a spare ticket for Watford, please let me know
PPS, anyone with 2 spare tickets for Liverpool, please please let me know……
Matt Doherty is starting to remind me of one Chris Lawler (one for the old ‘uns there)
HE seemed to be scoring every week on MOTD when I was a kid.
Nicely put Thomas
Jota was immense, in my defence, I always said he would come more than good and even could end up ouotop scorer ( ok, I overshot it a tad there) but what a game! I’m on record more than once that this was the one game I wanted us to win more than any other ( I’m not still bothered about tat semi final at villa park … honest)
I just knew we would win though when I set my alarm for 3am , put the kettle on, poured myself a water for my soluble Panadol ( too much local wine) and …. bingo… there we were , walking out at Molineux, full colour, not even a hint of a bad reception!
I mean this place is pure rural, yet for the next two hours I relaxed, enjoyed and laughed my way through one of the easiest 3 points of the season
Just a thought, when do we go from ‘on our way back ‘ to we are back !
When Man U , Chelsea, arsenal start parking the bus I guess
Utw
Marney report in Times this morning predicts Wolves will become an established top team as they “are better placed than any team in a while to challenge the hegemony of the heavyweights.”
Happy days happy wanderer
Utw
Once again, a “top six” team had a bad day at the office against Wolves.
They played badly, lack of fire power up front, blah, blah, blah blah , blah.
The “media” still haven’t woken up to the fact, or just won’t admit it, that we, as is becoming habitual now, did not let them play.
They had the bulk of possession, but could do nothing with it.
3 – 1 flattered Arsenal, it could have been 5 or 6, the number of times we carved them open.
That has to be one of the best first half performances ever by a Wolves team, long may it continue, and long may we appreciate it and never get blase about it.
Like the prawnies of Manure!
And there are still some on social media who are not satisfied, claiming Jimmy the Nez had a bad game!
The only bloke who did not have an excellent game was our keeper, who had got so comfortable in his deck chair, reading the program and drinking cola, that he was still asleep when they scored!!
And that is NOT a criticism, just a comment about how dominant our defense was, yet again.
Fabulous result.
Great write up Thomas, thank you.
You know you’ve come a long way when after beating the Arsenal 3-1 for the first time in 40 years, you’re pissed off they scored one and ithe final score wasn’t 5-0! How times have changed!
This was probably sweeter for me than for most. I know a lot of you hate the Albion most, or Leeds or Bolton, but for me, it’s always been the Arsenal because they’re my brother’s team and we grew up with brotherly rivalry over our two teams, which later developed into a forty-year, one-way, abuse-fest at my expense. I still remember throwing darts at his Charlie George poster as a teenager when they beat us. 🙂 Today was a good day! Long overdue!
I hope everyone is positive about our team again. Teams don’t become bad overnight, and understandably the FA Cup needed some time to get over. But we’ve done that now and we’re on track again. We have a great team and owners with great vision and ambition. As John Lennon said: “It will all be OK in the end. And if it’s not OK, then it’s not yet the end.” Trust me, it’s still the beginning!
I believe we’ll beat Watford next week (sweetest revenge) and then Fulham, and we’ll finish seventh! And if for any reason we won’t, you can rest assured with Nuno and this team it will be for no lack of trying and fighting! Whether we finish 7th or 10th, it’s all OK – it’s already OK – and we’re still just beginning! So it’s gonna be better than OK in the end! 🙂
Those who can’t see this, what can I say, you’re missing out! What can anyone possibly get out of predicting Wolves wouldn’t win another game until the end of the season (you got that one right Nostradamus!) – it’s just negative for the sake of it. Do you think for a minute this team won’t try? What can anyone get from wasting time critiquing Nuno for his press conferences about next season’s recruitment? Do you really think this is the right time to discuss that? Don’t miss out on the adventure most never thought would happen for us in our life time. It’s happening! It’s happening now! And it’s epic!
Enjoy the journey. The destination is just a matter of time.
Let’s go Wanderers! Proud to be Wolves!
And thanks for beating Arsenal! Cherry on the cake!
Go Wolves!
P.S. For those of you who, like me, can’t always see the games live, I discovered this site: http://www.replaymatches.com/ Maybe you all already knew about it, but I only just discovered it. 🙂
I reckon they are getting a little uneasy up at Anfield as the Wolf gathers for another mauling of the ‘Big Boys’. If you compare our journey to a trip on the train up the country from Portsmouth to Aberdeen in a straight line I would say on our current trajectory we have probably reached Northampton. With the fierce ambition of Fosun we are destined for bigger things. Much bigger things. Jeff said when he arrived that there is a at least a 10 year plan to make us one of the biggest clubs in the world. Besides, next door neighbours cat was lurking in the hedge yesterday and when he does that it usually means good things happen.
Well, there goes my prediction that we would NOT win another game after the F.A. Cup defeat by Watford. How they could lift themselves after the defeat by Saints and the draw against BHA to play like that against Arse is beyond me. Will settle for finishing 8th/9th/10th in the league as I predicted top 10 at start of the season. I STILL think Europa League would be a season too soon, but that is only my opinion. C.O.Y.W.
Yeah, what was with that Nostradamus! 😉 Ha ha!
Brave of you to take it back.
Go Wolves!
Great write up Thomas, thank you!
You know you’ve come a long way when after beating the Arsenal 3-1 for the first time in 40 years, you’re pissed off they scored one, and the final score wasn’t 5-0! How times have changed!
This was probably sweeter for me than for most. I know a lot of you hate the Albion most, or Leeds or Villa, but for me, it’s always been the Arsenal because they’re my brother’s team and we grew up with a bitter brotherly rivalry over our two teams, which later developed into a forty-year, one-way, abuse-fest at my expense. I still remember throwing darts at his Charlie George poster as a teenager after they beat us! 🙂 Today was a good day! Long overdue!
I hope everyone is positive about our team again. It understandably took some time to get over our cup disappointment, but teams don’t become bad overnight. We have a great team and owners with great vision and ambition. As John Lennon said: “It will all be OK in the end. And if it’s not OK, then it’s not yet the end.” Trust me, it’s still the beginning!
I believe we’ll beat Watford next week (sweetest revenge) and then Fulham, and we’ll finish seventh! And if for any reason we won’t, you can be assured with Nuno and this team it will be for no lack of trying and fighting! Whether we finish 7th or 10th, it’s all OK – it’s already OK – and we’re still just beginning! So it’s gonna be better than OK in the end! 🙂
Those who can’t see this, what can I say, you’re missing out! Don’t miss out on the adventure most never thought would happen for us in our lifetime. It’s happening! It’s happening now! And it’s epic!
Enjoy the journey. The destination is just a matter of time.
Let’s go Wanderers! Proud to be Wolves!
And thanks for beating Arsenal! It’s the cherry on the cake!
Go Wolves!
P.S. For those of you who, like me, can’t always see the games live, I discovered this site: http://www.replaymatches.com/ Maybe you all already knew about it, but I only just discovered it. 🙂
I honestly thought that after beating the likes of Chelsea , Liverpool , Man U it just couldn’t get any better . How wrong I was…one word ….AWESOME ! Arsenal were not only feed to the Wolves they were outplayed, outclassed and given a lesson in sublime counter attacking football. Must remember to get me passport renewed !
Daft question….but is there any chance of getting 2 tickets for Liverpool ? who I bet are shitin themselves at the prospect of Wolves coming to Anfield to ruin their party .
STOP PRESS!!!!!
ARSENAL FANS DEMAND THAT THEY SIGN DIOGO JOTA RIGHT AWAY!
You just couldn’t make it up could you?!
We start off slow so many times I’m beginning to think it is a strategy of Nuno’s, that we get the other team overconfident so that they will think our counter-attacking chances are just flukes and they continue to bring the ball deep into our half of the pitch.
Anyway, great game.
As I said yesterday after the game, Jurgen must be wondering what to expect on the last day of the season.
Last night was another tactical masterclass from Nuno. Sit in for the first 15, suss Arsenal out, and have full confidence in ruthlessly punishing their flimsy defence in a breathless 20-25 minute burst.
For the so called lesser teams, a ‘quick out of the blocks’ approach is probably needed, but it’s as if the bigger sides take our ‘sitting in’ and ‘keeping our shape’ approach against them as a sign of surrender from minute one. They’re then frustrated that there’s no way through and we go and expose their shortcomings. As I say, very canny from Mr Nuno.
Jota easily our MOTM. Scared the living daylights out of the Arsenal defence. Always dropping deep, wanting the ball and driving into the box. He deserved that bit of luck from Leno’s mistake, after getting the wrong side of Mikhitaryan. Raul has been slightly off the boil since Wembley but the form of Jota means that’s not an issue. And I’m sure when Jota is slightly off colour, Raul will pick up the slack.
A shoutout to Jonny too. What a return to form for the Galician Galactico! He was a bundle of energy down that left flank, always busting a gut to get forward on the break. He doesn’t have bundles of pace, but has the knowhow to get past his man – I just wish he’d do it more! On occasion he doesn’t know what choice to make when so far forward, as he’s not a naturally attacking WB, but Nuno has certainly improved that part of his game.
Said I’d be happy with 4 points from Brighton and Arsenal – not necessarily in this order!
Let’s all just remember Nuno and his staff have had less than 100 weeks and less than 100 games in charge. With the rate of progress achieved in this time, where could we be in 2 years from now? I know the squad will evolve and I recently posted to this effect but what a journey we are on. No one can predict the future with certainty and everything could change for the worse but as a season ticket holder for 45 years, I just wanted to record a big thank you to fosun, the business’management team, the football management team, the players and the fans. Never seen everyone more united and never felt more excited or proud to be part of something. Like many supporters, and in the words of the immortal Stan Cullis, “we had one life and we gave it to wolves” . What a time to really live that commitment, to truly honour the legacy of our fathers from the 50s and take pride in the hope and aspiration that is being built for our children in the future.
Is it just me or was the blog down today? I can’t see any new posts.