Wolverhampton Wanderers took on Burnley at the Molineaux Stadium on Sunday afternoon hoping to earn their first victory at home. Nuno Espirito Santo’s men began the match on the offensive but failed to convert their chances in the first half.
The home team came out with a greater appetite after the half-time break and finally made a breakthrough in the 61st minute when Raul Jimenez scored with a smart finish from close range. Wolves defended well in the final quarter of the game and secured a narrow 1-0 win in front of their home supporters.
Let’s take a look at how each Wolves player fared during the contest against the Clarets.
GK: Rui Patrício – 7/10
The Portuguese goalie hardly had anything to do in the game with Burnley willing to sit back and defend. However, he did his job when called into action and earned a clean sheet to show for his efforts.
CB: Ryan Bennett – 7/10
He defended well and worked hard to secure a clean sheet on the day.
CB: Conor Coady – 7.5/10
The English centre-back put on a captain’s performance at the heart of the Wolves defence and performed well to keep it solid at the back.
CB: Willy Boly – 8/10
He was a commanding presence in the Wolves backline and looked calm on the ball. The centre-half was also a threat from set-pieces and was unlucky not to score when his attempt went just wide from close range.
RM: Matt Doherty – 8.5/10
He was a wonderful outlet down the right flank and got an excellent assist when he set up Jimenez for the only goal of the contest.
CM: João Moutinho – 7/10
Another solid performance from the Portuguese veteran as his distribution was immaculate at times. He put on a good shift and dominated the midfield with his range of passing.
CM: Rúben Neves – 6/10
Not the best performance from the Portuguese youngster, yet he did enough to help his team claim a victory from the encounter.
LM: Jonny – 6.5/10
He linked up well with Jota and put on a tireless shift down the left wing.
RS: Helder Costa – 6/10
The Portuguese speedster was a constant threat in the first half. However, his impact on the game wore off, and he was rightfully subbed for Adama Traore.
LS: Diogo Jose Jota – 7.5/10
He tried his best to score and also managed to set up a few great chances for Jimenez. But luck was not on his side as he ended up getting cautioned for a fantastic challenge which summed up his day in a nutshell.
ST: Raúl Jiménez – 7/10
He scored the goal at the hour mark which turned out to be the winning goal of the game. However, the Mexican squandered some great opportunities which kept the Clarets in the contest.
Substitutes:
RS: Adama Traore – 8/10
He came off the bench and caused a lot of problems for the Clarets’ defence. The Spaniard set up excellent opportunities for Bonatini, who was poor with his finishing.
ST: Leo Bonatini – 4/10
He could have scored a hattrick after coming on but wasted some fantastic chances to kill the game off.
CM: Morgan Gibbs-White – N/A
The youngster hardly had any time to make an impact.
