Molineux has played host to some special nights in recent years.
This might top them all.
To come from two down to vanquish what is (statistically) the greatest Premier League team of all time tells you all you need to know about this Wolves side.
Put simply – they just don’t know when they’re beaten.
All of this despite the best efforts of the officials to keep a one-horse title race alive.
I don’t want to forfeit too many column inches to the farce that is VAR but its flaws were fully on display tonight.
The penalty award was a scandal, Martin Atkinson’s decision to order a recall even more so.
At this stage of the season, it’s undeniable that the system is deeply flawed and only favouring the ‘big’ teams.
Perhaps if we continue our rapid ascension up the table, we’ll begin to profit from it.
Alas, justice was done and it’s our rise to the dizzying heights of fifth that’s rightly our focus tonight.
If you’d have told us at the beginning of the season we’d be pushing for a place in the top four, only fans as wildly optimistic as my mother would have believed you.
It really is the stuff dreams are made of, and yet the football on display is beginning to make it feel like a reality.
Even at two down, I always felt a goal could turn things in our favour.
Step forward Adama Traore, undoubtedly one of the most improved players in world football.
I thought Mendy did a good job on him in the first half, but the Spaniard’s second-half display proved that he is quite simply unplayable.
It feels wrong to single one player out for praise on a night when every man was superb, but a goal and an assist tells you all you need to know – Traore turned the game on its head.
When you have a winger in that sort of form, you need an obliging goalscorer. How fortunate we are to have Raul Jimenez, who once again proved his weight in old gold.
Given our misfortune against Spurs, most would probably have taken a point.
But this team never relents, and Doherty’s superb winner capped a night for the ages.
To paraphrase City fan Liam Gallagher – Champions League? Why us, why not?
Absobloodylutely brilliant tenacious display.
Another myth vanquished to the bin – playing against a 10 man side proves more difficult.
We absolutely over ran them and City players (and manager) must have had nightmares last night thinking ‘ what the bloody hell was that’.
‘We’re coming back , oh no we’re not – WHE’RE ALREADY HERE.
I was fortunate enough to be at the game while back up visiting family in Bridgnorth for Christmas, but I hope they were dancing in the streets back in Horsham, Graham! I know I will be when I’m back!
Unfortunately Bagsy, my days of dancing in the streets finished a few years ago; it’s more like rocking in my armchair these days – same exhilaration though.
You really picked a great game to go to; maybe try the lottery tonight.
How I miss Molineux under the lights
If you ever wondered what it feels like to be chased down by a pack of wolves!
Give Brendan, pep or frank a call
Numbers supplied on request
Tatdmf
Utw
My God in terms of having the greatest entertainment, fulfilment, feelings of justice being done, skill, character and effort being rewarded that was up there with the scaling of mountains, winning the Ashes, riding a horse bareback through the wilds & any list of daring feats those much more daring than me could accomplish! I just used my season ticket & went to Molineux. The best game I’ve witnessed! What euphoria! Traore defies description, but player of the decade Sir Matt Doherty slotting that winner! It gave Wolves fans our best ever Xmas present, maybe even topping the Scalectric I got 50 odd years ago!
It was superb. I’m already on record as hating VAR but maybe, just maybe that farcical technology, spurred our players on to heights that produced such a top class comeback.
The human psyche is a weird and wonderful thing & I would guess, going on my own feelings brought on by that castrofuck technology, that the players absolutely felt let’s reverse this outrage.
But onwards and upwards that was a magnificent Wolves performance. Unbelievable.
Ah Scalextric – I was only saying the other day that the one Christmas present I always remember was getting a Scalextric set for Christmas when I was about 9 which makes it 54 years ago. Thanks for the reminder and memory.
An incredible performance, 3 classy goals..and a finish by matt Doherty that said this is going in the minute the ball Left his boot.
A fully deserved win.
A pleasure to watch. What a great team you have. Certainly a bench mark for us. Well done from a sheff utd fan.
Thank you Dave, fans like you are always welcome.
Have a great Christmas, we’ve tired out City for you guys and we’ll make Liverpool run tomorrow too. Good luck over the season mate.
Ben’s report and all the comments thereafter all beautifully sum up our evening.
Not so Sky Sports News at 11pm.
Five minutes or more of Pep’s post-match grilling then 20 seconds of Nuno during which he was only asked about the “missile” that was thrown onto the pitch.
All very laughable but it’s the result that counts.
… and todays papers about how Citeh have handed the title to the scousers.
Having seen the petulant behaviour of both Kane and Sterling I might change my allegiances in the european finals and I still need to replace my hip flask.
Simply… wow!
What a game to miss!
I am NEVER going to speak to my 94 year old mum again!
But me and the PMDG’er watched it on t’telly and the celebrations lasted deep into the night.
Absolutely brilliant!
I have absolutely no sympathy for City, but I do feel a bit sorry for Martin Atkinson who had his authority totally undermined by VAR.
Did Donk step on Mahrez’s foot? Yes.
Was it intentional? NO!
Did he have to go down? NEVER!
Was it a clear and obvious mistake by the referee not to award a penalty? NO!
But, quite frankly, who cares?
We’ve done the treble over the ‘Best team in the World’ and life couldn’t be sweeter.
Every player deserves a medal for the way they just would not give up, and Adama, Conor, Doc and the rest are now officially Legends to rank alongside The Doog, Waggy, Frankie Munro, Billy Wright and all the other Golden heroes who have graced the Molineux turf.
What a time to be a member of The Pack!
Awesome, just awesome. Shame I was not there.
I’m going for reverse psychology here, going on the defence, quite literally.
Dendonker marked and at times marked out what Jen de Wolf and I regard as the best player in the PL, he took the ball from Kevin de Bruyne at the Northbank – Billy quiet corner like he was a Sunday league player. He caught him, took the ball from him and turned him inside out and made an excellent pass forwards.
Romaine Saiss played like a demon, stroking passes forwards to Jonny and Jota with such precision not expected from the Saiss of two seasons ago. When Neto and Vinagre came on, he upped his game like an old salt looking after the Newbies. He made an amazing well timed tackle to die for off De Bruyne when he switched over to the right for a change.
Coady, he laid the sweetest of balls through the middle to send Jota off on his chip which led to Emerson taking him out in the wildest of rash decisions, and he’s made a few. But it wasn’t just that one, he got the ball in a dodgy position with City players bearing down on him, he looked up and punched a massive hole in City’s defence with such precision, I thought he was Neves. The lad is getting better and better every game.
So how the Hell do all three of them get marks of 6 from the express and Star player ratings. What fuckley match were they at. I ask you, WTF, 6, your’e avin a giraffe. They were epic, (along with every other single player on the team)
I feel better now.
What a flippin game, what a flippin game, that’s what I pay hard earned money to see. My 10 year old Grandson jumping up and down with such passion and elation brought a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye. I can’t buy those memories, but Wolves gave them to me last night in abundance, just as they did when my other grandson who was 12 at the time watched us destroy Liverpool in the cup at Anfield.
Well guess who we play next.?
Couldn’t agree more. The tosser at E&S is just that.
What a comeback. Once again we had so many decisions go against us, (well apart from Adamas challenge on Mendy, who to his credit didn’t go down when perhaps he could have.
I’m a fan of VAR but not in this form. It appears to be working in other competitions – but certainly not in ours. As BR suggests – decisions still go with big teams – witness penalty and retake . . . . . . . . . but f*ck ’em all, Liverpool next and who knows. Would love to see us piss in their chips.
Nothing to say .Just sitting here glowing with pride at this team .
Stunning. Absolutely stunning. When Jiminez and Doc combined so smoothly the fairy fell off our Christmas tree. A game none of us will forget, like the League Cup Final at Wembley . City do not like playing us!
I feel privileged to have been at Molineux last night. Wolves were, to a man, absolutely superb. The match was a spectacle (despite the best efforts of some officials locked away in a video room).
What a way to end the decade!
Ps: it was great to catch up with Twix and the family.
Never been happier to get a prediction totally wrong. I thought we would not be able to cope with a classy team like city. Boy was I wrong ! Well worth waking up at 6.30am to watch (frustratingly on hesgoal). Swearing (at all the injustices) and cheering our team (but all as quiet as possible as my good lady was still in the land on Nod).
Let’s hope we can keep the same standard against the lower teams. That was our let down last season.
Good luck against the pool tomorrow. I shall wait until I see the team sheets before I predict a score. Learnt my lesson.
VAR is a total shambles, we all know that. Use the pitch-side monitor, give managers “challenges” – but some bloke in a TV room using his opinion to overrule the guy on the pitch without question cannot be correct.
Offsides are a disgrace too.
Anyway, great performance, great result, enough said.
It is interesting how intimidating Molineux has become. There’s a real edge to the place. While nothing can excuse throwing missiles – although opposition players openly gloating in people’s faces are asking for retaliation, rightly or wrongly – Molineux has become a terrifying place to play, especially under the lights. Hostile atmosphere, a pacy and unrelenting team… For the first 25 years of my life Molineux was a walk over for teams, but that’s certainly not the case anymore.
Wolves Vs Citeh extended version.
Won’t ever tire of watching this.
https://tv.wolves.co.uk/player?feedId=81e4f698-9dbf-4e6f-b6a1-18963bf6539b§ionId=302233d4-40cb-42c7-a181-f07ab5b70297&entryId=0_fg279wfq
Watched it six times already.
See you on the 4th hopefully.
Yes mate, ready for the next World beating team.
When Jim put in that goal to make it 2-2, I was sitting here boasting to my son and brother that 2-2 was my prediction 🙂
…..and then Doc goes and spoils it all …… 🙂
Shows how much I know about football when I was suggesting taking Doc off and bringing on Vin and switch Jonny to right back.
A fantastic, unbelievable, outstanding, stunning, brave, gutsy, gritty, strong and wonderful performance from my Wolves.
Never, ever give up!
But next time we play them, everyone will be worried that they are too much for us.
The commentators said that they got an official reason for the retake of the penalty.
Coady had infringed (minimally) and then was involved in the play.
I don’t see anything in the rules that say he had to be involved in the play for the retake to occur.
Do they just make up the rules as they go along?
No Tim. As Coady entered the box prior to the ball being kicked and then cleared the ball away after it was saved, it was deemed he interfered with play .
Did you notice Doherty can use both feet?
Yes, I noticed that. And Jimenez scored with his left foot, too.
What I am saying is that there is nothing in the rules that says Coady had to have a part in the play. So if other players from Wolves were also infringing, then they are all responsible.
And if he scored, it would have been disallowed because at least one of their players was also in the box.
So why are they adding the part about being involved in the play? It simply doesn’t seem to exist, that I can see.
Are they saying that they would have let things go if he hadn’t done that, even though they shouldn’t have according to the rules?
Are they saying that they are not going by the rules but using other things to decide whether or not to call it back?
“The rules are the rules – but we are using our judgement as well” is not what VAR is about, is it?
I believe that rule was clarified or amended this year. It’s only a foul if the player is involved in the aftermath of the play
Wolves fans send Christmas message to the Premier league’s, Top 4, elitist, cheating twats.
https://mobile.twitter.com/stuartalves1/status/1210885222184697868
Well I ain’t bin on scribbling for a while ’cause of suffering from verbal diarrhoea in past articles but after last night………
The 4 “old farts” of Bedford Wolves – Tim, Rhys, Dave (Bedford Wolf)” and me probably count about 240 years of football between us. One would have thought that in that time we would have seen it all. Well that was quite possibly the case until that is……Molineux on the evening of 27th December 2019.
Quite simply it surely surpassed anything we have witnessed in the beautiful old game. A truly unforgettable evening. I eventually climbed into the pit at 3.15 this morning and climbed out at 7.20 to nip round the local newsagents to collect the morning papers. Buzzin’? – you bet! Still buzzin’? – you bet!
A last word about the supporters – can anyone ever have heard such a din not just at Molineux but anywhere? Someone reckoned the bellow of noise that followed Matt’s left foot drive into the corner of the onion bag could be heard 5 miles away.
Happy New Year one and all
BOG
Happy New Year Bog lovely to see you back mate.
Merry Christmas BOG, you are sorely missed mate.
Thanks Stu
Been reading the contributions most weeks – The Blog continues to make for entertaining reading.
Hope you are both well – have a great New Year.
All the best
BOG
Cheers Dorset – hope you are keeping well.
What another amazing season!
Pinch myself sometimes!
Happy New Year
BOG
Mrs BG asked me as I walked through the door, “what happened at about twenty to ten?”
because the dog woke up and started barking at nothing. Hope that answers your question, its 3.5 miles from my house to Molineux and my dog heard me and the other 30000,.. get in Doc, you beauty!!
Build the statue now, Nuno is the key to all this, the best Wolves team in my lifetime.
Who you calling an old fart you old fart!
You’re back
And you know you are
You’re back
And you know you are……
OODCL
Ha ha ha – at least we ain’t as old as those other Bedford old farts!
Hope you enjoyed Southwold Dave – see you at the Newcastle game.
BOG
Happy Wolves new year to you too Mike you old fart and Bedders the old fart and to all you other old farts on this blog, what an amazing group of people, so glad that I am only 54 and can’t be classed as an old fart.
£150 win on Wolves makes you a lucky old FART.
Cheers Ian
All the best to you both.
Long time – no see!!
Hope you are both well.
We usually eat at the Thai before each game – hopefully we can meet up at some stage.
A quite amazing season yet again!
Just watching MOTD – oh my lord what a night …
All the best
Mike
Great write up Ben. If ever a game was a “roller-coaster” that was it. The sending off was “clear & obvious”, no discussion req’d.
But what followed with VAR was an absolute disgrace! Never before have I been so incensed at a game in 40 + years. Not a penalty IMO and encroachment – neither were worthy of a “clear & obvious” decision to be overturned and its a fekin joke.
If VAR stays in its current guise, I think we’ll see fans turning away from the game. It is literally killing the very reason we all go to watch our teams (irrespective of who you support) to celebrate the times of euphoria and create memories, at present I know not how/when to celebrate.
Coming back to “clear & obvious” how can the FA allow this to carry on its a joke and needs to fect off but it’ll remain as is for the rest of this season at least.
With every player at least an 8 out of 10, the 12th man also played a massive part in the win.
Proud to be wolves.
Just when you think it can’t get any better under the floodlights of our wonderful ground and fans this happens.
Fecking brilliant.
Beat them in the final of the Asia cup beat them at there place , the atmosphere in the North Bank was electric even 2-0 down you knew these boys would bounce back and win.
A few words about the Doc.
The improvement in his play since the arrival of Nuno, can only be described as miraculous. Think back to his continuing mediocrity in the days of the Jackett. Then see him as he is today. The guy remains a competent defender, yet now he gets forward with aplomb, strutting his stuff with great self confidence with a huge positive effect for the team.
To have a defender ghost into openings in the opposition penalty areas is a big bonus in itself. But to have a guy who has the skill and confidence to then take full advantage of an opportunity is something else entirely. His goal against City was one that any top class striker would have been justifiably proud of. A quite magnificent goal worthy of winning any game.
But lets not overlook the contribution of Raul in Doc`s goal. The deft back heel into Doc`s path was sheer genius. This guy is world class.
Jeff Stelling’s rant on today’s Sky Sports sums up the fans feelings on VAR and the panel of footballers who have played the game are in agreement, so how can the “authorities” be so out of step with what we all want?
We want to see referees stopped from dropping clangers and being advised to change their decision if they so wish. No one wants goals ruled out if an armpit or toenail is offside, it should be daylight between forward and defender. A ball brushing a stray arm in a crowded area isn’t reason to disallow a goal.
Throwing stuff at players is unacceptable but the anger and frustration of fans at the VAR process last night was the cause and you had to be there to feel it.
VAR has cost Wolves a few points which might be an issue come the end of the season, thank goodness it won’t be relegation we’re thinking about.
That was one of those “I was there nights”, absolutely unbelievable. In the hotel pre match Adama walked past us and Sue tried to get a picture. She showed me it and it was only the back of him – to which I said “well that’s all Man City will see”. Amazing atmosphere and what a way to spend our last weekend in Wolverhampton this decade. So proud of our football club who never fail to deliver these days. Can’t wait until next Saturday. Interesting to walk behind some Man City fans last night who were asking each other where it had all gone wrong in 2019 – well you lost to Wolverhampton Wanderers twice – How’s that for starters ?
Let’s not forget the tactical master stroke by Nuno of putting in speedsters Vinagre and Neto. Kyle Walker must have PTSD from that second half.
Jota and Jonny we’re doing fine. But adding the fresh legged youngsters against an exhausted 10 man side was brilliant IMO
When Adama scored I thought to myself, “We can nick this” and when Jimi scored there was only one result – I was just unsure how many we would win by.
A real team performance.
Tomorrow’s a big ask and may be a step too far but who the fc*k knows with this lot. I really do fancy us against anyone, anywhere. Top 4 definitely on.
If we are signing anyone in January they’ll have to be frikkin’ good to be starting.
I am almost lost when trying to choose the right word. Superb? Fantastic? Sublime? Stupendous? Wonderful? Suffice to say in windswept Southwold in Suffolk around 9.37pm on Friday night I was in tears when our winner flew in. In all my years of supporting Wolves I have never felt this good. We are the real deal. The owners, the manager, the players, the fans – we are simply unique and boy ain’t it glorious!
Only sour note was that once again VAR proved to be totally and utterly useless. It is draining the heart and soul out of football and must be scrapped immediately.
My double at 70.25-1 for us to beat the champions and the champions elect is looking good!
OODCL
Once again, we are dazzled by the sheer brilliance of our master tactician, Dr. Nuno.
Back in October, he let them dominate possession, and then put Adama in the middle for the last 10 minutes.
We all know what happened.
Then last night, not only did he let them have a two goal lead to give them a false sense of security, and to make a game of it, his masterstroke was to bring on our second and third speediest players, to run at their already knackered defense.
We all know what happened.
Could not sleep at all, the game and our goals were just spinning around in me ‘ead.
At 2-2, there was no thought of playing for the draw, or worrying about doing what we did against Spurs, just the will to win.
And to be fair, they didn’t try to knobble Adama, probably coz he’s just too quick.
An excellent Houston Wolves turnout at Nick’s Place, even Coady’s cousin and family were there.
See y’all again tomorrow morning.
Most of the reports of the match are about how City have handed the title to Liverfool, not how they were completely outplayed and outclassed.
68% possession to us!
Unheard of!
And i will go ballistic if I hear one more “we were down to 10 men” moan.
Their keeper was sent of for cheating, nothing to do with an injury or us having anything to do with it.
If yow dough play fare, yowm gunna be off!
Shit eating grin firmly in place, and shirt not coming off until close of play tomorrow!!
Mind the gap, Greaselish
I agree about most of the reporting Clive – ManC’s problems rather than our abilities. This is one that caught my eye … recognition dawns … the headline is “Now is the time to realise that Nuno Esprirto Santo is one of the finest managers in Europe”.
You’d better believe it folks.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2019/12/28/now-time-realise-thatnuno-espirito-santo-one-leagues-finest/
I have seen some great scenes following WWFC since 1967, but last night topped it all. The noise was awesome. My mate who is a Citeh fan, couldn’t bring himself to say they were beaten by the better side, well phuck em I say.
Well done to the team, fans and Dr Nuno. So, Liverpool who?