Wolves might have been the sheer dominant Championship force this season, their recent outcomes caused a little bit of anxiety among the fans which, however, received a major boost last weekend when the league leaders clinched a narrow 1-0 victory over Ipswich Town to get back to winning ways and the boss, Nuno, were hoping to configure another impressive run when his side hosted Sheffield United at Molineux Stadium. The game, as expected, turned out to be a stroll in the park for the hosts who secured a commanding 3-0 win and get one further step closer to a Premier League return.
Below are the Wolverhampton Wanderers stars rated in their comprehensive win against the Blades.
John Ruddy: 7
Was calm, composed and confident with his outing. A well-deserved clean sheet for the veteran English custodian.
Ryan Bennett: 7.5
Started on the right-hand side of Wolves’ ‘back three’ and although a bit clumsy while tackling, Bennett maintained great passing accuracy, offered the physical presence and made some vital clearances.
Conor Coady: 7.5
The ex-Liverpool youngster had another decent outing in the middle of Wolves three-man back line and his long balls from the back were pretty accurate and causing trouble for the visitors to deal with.
Willy Boly: 8
Boly operated from the left-hand side and dominated with his physical and aerial supremacy. He was strong, confident with his movements and never let Leon Clarke create enough trouble in Wolves’ half.
Matt Doherty: 8
Whipped in a few crosses from his right wingback role and maintained a defensive composure whenever required. A balanced display overall from the Irishman.
Alfred N’Diaye: 7.5
Was rusty at times but impressed with his combativeness in the middle of the park. Maintain great passing accuracy and kept on making down the middle runs.
Ruben Neves: 9
The young Portuguese sensation made a surprise move to the second-tier of English football but will guide his side to earn a promotion and compete among England’s bests during the 2018-19 campaign. He registered an early goal from an outrageous curler from 25 yards out and won back possession a number of occasions in the middle of the park. His long balls were often creating trouble for the visitors and one such delivery resulted in a marching order for the Blades custodian Simon Moore who came flying out of his goal and collided with Diogo Jota.
Barry Douglas: 7
The Scotsman was great going forward, linked up well with Jota on several occasions and whipped in crosses from the left-hand flank that often caused menace in Sheffield United backline.
Helder Costa: 7.5
His mazy runs, tricky skills, and cut insides often terrorized the visitors’ defence and the Portuguese wingman earned applauds from the fans while being replaced by Leo Bonatini.
Ivan Cavaleiro: 8
Played a smart one-two with Diogo Jota when the latter converted to double the lead and also marked his name in the scoresheet when his free-kick got deflected and ended up into the back of the net to make it 3-0. Was replaced by Benik Afobe late in the game.
Diogo Jota: 8.5
The Portuguese professional’s loan move from Atletico Madrid has now been made permanent by the Championship leaders and the youngster continues his sublime form this evening too with a smart goal in the first-half. He along with Cavaleiro constituted a great attacking threat and often terrorized the Sheffield United backline with their one-twos and link-up play. Was replaced by English U17 World Cup champion Morgan Gibbs-White late in the game.
Substitutes
Leo Bonatini: 6
Bonatini had fewer touches and got dispossessed on a few occasions. It, however, had little impact as Wolves were already winning the game.
Benik Afobe: 6
The AFC Bournemouth striker has been loaned back to his former club on the transfer deadline and almost netted with a header on the debut of his second stint but his effort went just wide despite making a great contact with Doherty’s delivery.
Morgan Gibbs-White: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
