A Matheus Nunes goal of the season contender and a much-needed three points at home to Chelsea were just some of the topics discussed on the latest episode of Matchday Live.
Joining Mikey Burrows was co-commentator and Wolves Hall of Fame full-back Andy Thompson and play-off final hero Lee Naylor as they analysed the gold and black securing a first win in four with victory at Molineux against the Blues.
The trio also spoke about Maximilian Kilman captaining Wolves as he makes a century of appearances for the club, switching to a 4-4-2 formation and Diego Costa facing off against his former club.
On a deserved three points
Thompson said: “Early on in that first-half, they set out their stalls with the way they were going to play Chelsea and the way they went about it. They were so organised. We said about the midfield being switched because of Neves not playing, and I just think a lot of those performances today, the manager is going to be pleased with.
“The way they played and the way they set up against Chelsea to stop them attacking them and blocking all the spaces was brilliant today. There were some outstanding performances and they will be proud of the way the played – and even the manager might be happy for once.”
On going ‘old school’ 4-4-2
Naylor said: “We’ve seen Nunes in other games where he’s been out on the left and he’s done well when he’s been out there, but I think the units won us the game, from front to back we worked tirelessly.
“Our strikers – it looked like it was two strikers – they worked constantly throughout the game and didn’t give the defenders an ounce. They just worked. The midfield worked on top of that, Gomes was unbelievable, Nunes was amazing and ended up scoring a worldie goal, and Lemina to add to that. I just thought our units worked brilliantly and that’s what won us the game.”
Just @GomesOficial08 winning the ball back, repeatedly 👏 pic.twitter.com/N6x7BQSEQE
— Wolves (@Wolves) April 9, 2023
On Costa facing his former club
Thompson said: “He’s a presence, isn’t he? We all know about his reputation and the way he plays, and he’s not going to run past you, he’s not going to run beyond, but what he will do, he’ll nick the ball, he’ll fight, and he’ll make it awkward for defenders, as he has done, and he makes it difficult for people to get past him.
“He knows all the tricks of the trade, he knows how to play against defenders, he’s done it for years, and we need somebody up front. We need that centre forward who’s pivotal and important to the way that we play, and I think Cunha played well with him as well. He was dropping off him a little but deeper, but we saw today that he has legs and we want to see more of that, more of the way he runs and the way that he plays. But it’s just Wolves being positive.”
On being strong for the whole 90 minutes
Naylor said: “You can’t say we weren’t at it for the full 90 minutes today. Not at all. You’ve seen the players coming off the pitch, their shirts were soaked with sweat and they put everything into this game and they needed to. They kept Chelsea to an absolute minimum, got their goal, and it was truly an amazing performance from every unit on the pitch.
“Jose Sa’s not been worked and that’s credit that needs to be due. There’s been questions because we don’t really create that many chances, but we needed to keep the back door shut and we kept the back door shut today.”
On captain Kilman’s 100th Wolves appearance
Thompson said: “He’s got quality on the ball and can pass at various ranges, but he has lost that positivity going forward. He had that when he first came into the side and I don’t know why he’s lost it. He’d always looking at putting the ball over the top, putting that diagonal ball or little pass into midfield. Today, he’s been totally positive and he looks a completely different player when he does that. He’s got that in his locker with the way that he plays.”
Naylor added: “He went away from using it, whether that was due to confidence or because the team weren’t playing well, and at the end of the day, he’s the last line of defence, so it’s one of them. When you’re low on confidence and the team aren’t playing well, you tend to play the easy pass back to the keeper or your other defensive partner. But today, the other players were moving for him, so he’s hit diags, great channel balls, he’s made pattern play work today and fair play to him because he’s getting his confidence back up.”
⛔️ A clean sheet
— Wolves (@Wolves) April 9, 2023
🙌 A win
© Captain duties
A great way to mark a century of apps for us, @maxkilman! 💛 pic.twitter.com/9rU6qe4TJV
On Nunes’ stunning strike
Thompson said: “It’s a worldie goal. Isn’t it? It’s so good. I kept watching the replay. I was thinking he was going to cross it and then all of a sudden it was in the top corner.”
Naylor added: “In recent weeks, we’ve all gone, ‘Shoot, shoot, shoot’, and they’ve gone and passed it out or played it inside, and we didn’t say anything this time and he’s put it top bins. Maybe me and Thommo should just shut up!”
You can watch Matchday Live 45 minutes before every Wolves kick-off this season, on Twitter and on Wolves TV, before heading over to the Wolves App following full-time for all the post-match reaction.
