Wolves started the day holding a meagre 3 point lead at the top. They had to win at any cost with the next side Cardiff City up to 73 points prior to today’s match. The expensively assembled Wolves side is expected to qualify for the riches of the English Premier League come May 2018. Although the Championship trophy is expected to head their way, Wolves are now suddenly within reachable distance.
They had started the last weekend holding a solid lead at the top and were up against playoff contenders Aston Villa. The Wanderers were expected not to have lost, however, as they have been excellent this season in top side clashes. However, they were thrashed 4-1 by Villa and hence the league has now been thrown open. After 2 defeats in 3 matches, they have turned things around in style by beating Reading 3-0 on the night.
As the match progressed, it turned out to be an easy win for the league leaders who were initially fighting in the match but went on to win 3-0 on the night. However, with Cardiff City stretching their winning run to seven games with a 3-1 win over Brentford, the lead has been kept down at the top to 3 points.
With 79 points after 37 game weeks, the team from Molineux Stadium who entered the New Year at the summit of the table, Wolves be worried about their recent form. They have collected only 17 points from 10 games and despite tonight’s win, Wolves are struggling to get wins. However, Wolves will be buoyed by the fact that the last 12 teams to enter the New Year at the top, have all gone on to secure automatic promotion.
Wolves produced a fine display of football this against Reading to take another step at the top and here is how the players performed.
John Ruddy 6.5
A solid night and a clean sheet for the keeper
Willy Boly 6.5
He will be happy with his defence keeping a clean sheet.
Conor Coady 6.5
A much easier outing than the 4-1 routing against Villa.
Ryan Bennett 5.5
Picked up a yellow card and nothing telling about his play.
Barry Douglas 7
Was his usual busy day running up and down the left flank and got an assist.
Ruben Neves 7
Another impressive performance by the young Portuguese, his stocks are rising fast.
Romain Saiss 6.5
Played well to partner Neves and had a lot more time on the ball to distribute the play.
Matt Doherty 9
A header and a clean shot from outside the box to the far corner saw him grab two goals tonight.
Helder Costa 7.5
An assist and a hardworking shift from Costa.
Benik Afobe 7.5
Brought in to replace the misfiring Bonatini, he did well to get himself on the score sheet.
Diogo Jota N/A
Unfortunate injury saw him go off in the first half.
Substitutes
Leo Bonatini N/A
Alfred N’Diaye N/A
Ivan Cavaleiro 7
A solid performance having to come on suddenly and grabbed an assist.
