As Wolves ended 2023 in perfect fashion, Maximilian Kilman dedicated the side’s 3-0 Premier League victory over Everton to Mario Lemina after the midfielder’s father passed away on Friday.
Kilman opened the scoring with only his second senior goal – his first, coincidentally, also coming in a Molineux win over the Toffees – before Matheus Cunha and Craig Dawson helped Wolves to three wins from three to close out the year, but the captain acknowledged that everyone’s thoughts are with Lemina and his family at this sad time.
On finishing the year in style
“We played brilliant from start to finish and it was a high-level performance today. The manager said that was his favourite performance from us this season, because overall, from start to finish, defensively, offensively, it was an all-round performance, so it’s definitely up there.
“We’ve been brilliant during the last week. We set our goal to make sure we come on in every game and try to win every game, and we’ve done that. Credit to all the boys because everyone has been brilliant. But now we need to rest up, enjoy the new year, and then we can go again.
“It was a big result because coming into this we knew how well Everton had been doing recently, so we needed to be ready and make sure we were on it today, and we made sure that we did it. It was really important to round off the year with a really good performance and get three wins in a row.”
On his second Wolves goal
“It feels amazing, and it’s been a long time coming! But today wasn’t about me, it was about the team whole today, so I’m happy to score, of course, but the most important thing was the result and also the clean sheet.
“To be fair, I don’t score much so I can’t really comment on how to be a good striker! But it’s just being in the right place at the right time and I was able to finish it.”
On winning for Lemina
“That game was for him. That result was for him and his father. Mario has been brilliant and it’s been very tough what he’s been going through.
“We heard the news yesterday and we know he’s going through a tough time, but we are all there to support him and make sure he’ll be welcomed well when he comes back, but we wanted to win this game for Mario.”
A win with one family in mind.
— Wolves (@Wolves) December 30, 2023
We're all with you, @LeminaM_13 💛 pic.twitter.com/77ICeEjMXn
On Neto and Hwang
“When he [Neto] came on for the last 15/20 minutes, he looked very sharp so it was good for him to build his sharpness and build his fitness, and then make sure he’s ready for the next game.
“Channy’s going to be a tough loss, of course. He’s been brilliant so far this season, but we’ve got brilliant players around the squad who will make sure they do the best when they take his position.
“We’ve got to stay together because there’s still so much to play for, so we’ve got to keep going and keep playing well.”
On further improvements
“The manager came in at a difficult time and the first couple of games of the season were tough, but it takes time for a manager to integrate his methods and the way he wants to play, but now it’s kicking in and it’s showing.
“There’s a lot of positives to take from this. We’ve got much more to build on and much more to improve, so we need to make sure we take the next couple of days off then really come again, ready, as we’ve got some big games coming up.
“We’ve got so much more to improve. We’ve got a long way to go, but we’re doing really well now, and we need to keep progressing. There’s more to come.”
