Wolves picked up a victory in their final away game of pre-season, with Fabio Silva and Ruben Neves getting among the goals for Bruno Lage’s side as they overcame Championship outfit Coventry City.
Just 24 hours separated Wolves’ score draw with Stoke City and their trip to the Sky Blues, but the players didn’t look tired as they got some more much-needed minutes into their legs ahead of the start of the Premier League season.
Both sides started brightly at the Coventry Building Society Arena, with Viktor Gyokeres causing Wolves problems down the left, but the team in gold and black were giving as good as they get, with Adama Traore and Silva looking dangerous.
That threat combined for the opening goal, with a corner landing at the feet of Traore, whose shot was blocked, but only as far as Neves who placed a delightful low cross to the feet of Silva and the forward took a touch before tapping home from close range.
Rayan Ait-Nouri was also proving a menace for the Sky Blues, but he was switched to the right following an injury to Yerson Mosquera, who was replaced by Hugo Bueno. The Wolves defence were dropping like flies in the first-half, and Bueno himself had to be taken off just before the break with Chem Campbell coming on to right wing-back, shifting Ait-Nouri back onto the left.
Wolves should have doubled their lead when Traore bounced back twice having first being dragged to the floor rugby-style, and then hurdling and cynical hack. The winger then played a perfect ball through to Morgan Gibbs-White, but the midfielder slashed his effort high over the crossbar from just inside the penalty area.
Half-time | Coventry 0-1 Wolves
After Campbell had tested Moore from a tight angle, there was nothing the Coventry keeper could do to stop Neves, with the vice-captain, who had the armband in place of usual skipper and substitute Conor Coady for the afternoon, curled a trademark curling effort into the bottom corner of the net from 20 yards out.
In a frantic two minutes, Coventry went straight up the other end and had a chance to half the deficit when the referee awarded the Sky Blues a penalty, and Martyn Waghorn sent John Ruddy the wrong way to get a score on the board for the hosts.
Both Coventry and Wolves had further calls for penalties in the second-half which the referee ignored, before the visitors were handed a major let-off as Tyler Walker scuffed his lines when he was found unmarked inside the box.
As both teams made a raft of substitutions, the flow of the game was disrupted, and neither side were able to capitalise.
Wolves held on to the win, but more importantly got minutes in the legs of their players before they head back to Molineux next weekend to round of their pre-season campaign against Celta Vigo (12.45pm kick-off).
Full-time | Coventry 1-2 Wolves
Coventry | Moore (Wilson 88), McFadzean (Reid 88), Waghorn (Howley 77), O’Hare (Shipley 73), Trialist A (Rose 46), Sheaf (Allen 73), Hyam (Drysdale 61), Gyokeres (Walker 61), Maatsen (Trialist B 46), Dabo (Dacosta 61), Hamaer (Jones 73).
Unused sub | Enobakhare.
Wolves | Ruddy, Hoever, Mosquera (Bueno 33) (Campbell 45), Kilman (Coady 78), Ait-Nouri, Neves (Estrada 90), Marques, Dendoncker (Moutinho 88), Gibbs-White (Cundle 78), Traore (Cutrone 61), Silva (Semedo 88).
Unused subs | Sa, Marcal, Saiss, Trincao, Jimenez.
