In football, sometimes it takes moments of individual brilliance to lift a team from despair, and last Saturday afternoon at Molineux, Matheus Cunha’s performance against Southampton delivered precisely that.
A match-winning display which ignited Wolves' campaign after an agonizingly long wait for a first victory of the season, the three points were crucial, with every player on the pitch playing their part.
But central to the victory was Cunha, whose masterclass performance set the tone for the game, and Cunha’s performance didn’t just impress the fans – it left former Wolves and Wales midfielder Dave Edwards in awe.
Having watched the game from the commentary box, Edwards dissected the Brazilian's brilliance on the Official Wolves Podcast, offering a fascinating perspective on how Cunha’s unique skill set – as well as his bravery and willingness to take risks in a game fraught with tension – were crucial to Wolves’ vital win.
“I thought it was one of the best individual performances I’ve seen in a Wolves shirt in recent years or in modern history because although it wasn’t the perfect performance, by any stretch of the imagination, when you put it in a pressure game and one player has pretty much won that game for Wolves, that deserves so much credit.
“I said about how difficult it is in these kinds of games to be brave on the ball, the natural instinct inside everyone is don’t make a mistake. You don’t want to be the fall guy. But Matheus Cunha is the opposite. He wants people to give him the ball and he’ll show you how to win this game. There are so many things he does in possession which allow him to do that.
“I got quite a few comments on my Twitter saying they thought I was wrong saying Matheus Cunha had one of the best performances because he didn't work hard enough, and he throws arms in the air and things like that.
“I know you want players really working their socks off for the team, but I could put on a Wolves shirt now and go and work my socks off for 90 minutes, but I can't do on the things Matheus Cunha can do. And I guarantee you prefer Matheus Cunha on the pitch than a 38-year-old Dave Edwards!
“It's such a hard skill, what he can do with a football, as well as the awareness, creativity and also that bravery and control he has.”
The assist for Wolves’ opener epitomised Cunha’s fearlessness and creativity. Pablo Sarabia’s opener inside the second minute of the match – Wolves’ fastest ever goal in the Premier League – came from Cunha's perfectly weighted pass, an act of composure and vision under intense pressure.
“It was just sublime and I can’t explain how good it was, where he's running in, all that adrenaline is pumping through you, it’s the second minute of a huge game, and then you have that calmness of mind to see the Sarabia run, fake play it to Semedo, and then just lay it inch-perfectly on a plate for Sarabia – and that's before we get onto the second goal.”
Edwards also credited manager Gary O’Neil for unlocking Cunha’s potential. Under Julen Lopetegui, Cunha struggled to find his footing in a role that didn’t suit his strengths.
But the midfielder believes a tactical shift from the current head coach has allowed Cunha to flourish in a freer attacking role.
“It’s been brilliant to watch his journey because he came in under Julen Lopetegui to play as a number nine, and he was really underwhelming. I remember thinking we’d spent a lot of money on Matheus Cunha and he’s never a number nine. He drops too deep, he’s not involved in the games and he’s not going to score the goals.
“Under Lopetegui he scored two goals and got one assist in 20 games, but quite early on, Gary O’Neil saw that Matheus Cunha could be the talisman, but it’s about getting him in the right positions on the pitch to allow him to affect the game in the best possible way.
“The first game we saw that under Gary O’Neil was at Man City last season. He played as a nine, but he dropped in deep and was harassing Kovacic in midfield, and that was a massive win at the time. I remember him being singled out for how much work Gary O’Neil has to have with him on the training pitch to be that disciplined, but it’s on the ball where he does make that difference. Gary O’Neil has him playing in positions on the pitch where we can get the most out of him.”
What separates Cunha from most players is his spatial awareness. This awareness was pivotal in both goals. Edwards explained how the Brazilian uses subtle movements to manipulate opposition defences.
This ability results in moments like his sublime strike for the second goal, a thunderbolt from 25 yards, all of which came under the watchful eye of his former skipper Ruben Neves – a man who is no stranger to a goal from distance.
“It appears at times that he stands still and players move around him, they follow the ball and he stands still, but he’ll be in a position there where he’ll have a sort of force field around him. A 15-yard circle where no-ones near him and you’re wondering why the opposition are letting him do this, but it’s all intelligence and he does it so well.
“His special awareness and the way he’s scanning all the time is at such a high level. It’s an easy thing to say to have a look around when you’re receiving the ball, see what’s on, but he’s constantly doing it. He uses his body extremely well so if someone does get tight, he knows they’re coming.
“He doesn’t do tricks, he doesn’t do stepovers, he doesn’t do Cruyffs, he is just using his body to move away, and when he does find that space, there’s not many players who can run quicker with the ball than without it.
“He seems to amble around the pitch, but when he’s got the ball at his feet, he moves so quickly to get away from people. He has got his head swivelling all the time, looking for who's around him, what pass he's going to make.
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“Then he starts to orchestrate and conduct people with his arms as well, pointing where him to be, and all these things are happening so quickly whilst he's running with the ball. I think back to me as a player, when I'm running with the ball, I'm thinking about trying to keep control the ball. I'm not thinking of all these hundreds of things which happened around in a split second. But he picks the right pass so many times.
“When he receives it [for the second goal], it's very subtle, but again, as he gets the ball at his feet, he has a little check over his shoulder again to see whether he’s got space to run into, where the goalkeeper is, and I can just imagine in his mind, you see it in the movies where all the sums and things are going on, and he's thinking he’s got time to knock it five yards in space and he knows he can beat Ramsdale from there, and it all happens in a split moment, but it’s marvellous.
“I think it was all built off the back of Ruben Neves at half time. He lifted the atmosphere beyond belief and I saw him before the game. I was lucky enough to have a chat with him, and he was so happy to be there. I cannot explain how big a Wolves fan he is. He loves it. He was down at that end, the South Bank was singing his song, it just was all so fitting, and he scored a Ruben Neves-esque type of goal.
“It was a wonderful hit and it's such a nice feeling as a player, when you have those players in your team who can do those type of things, because it takes from a team who might just be able to draw a game to one which can go win a game.”
Cunha’s partnership with Rayan Ait-Nouri on the left wing has become a standout feature of Wolves’ play in recent weeks, and Edwards delved into how this relationship is both tactical and instinctive, pointing out the strategic and instinctive elements that make this duo so effective.
“I think the relationship he's forming on that left side with Rayan Ait-Nouri, it's brilliant, because Cunha likes to operate sort of in that left pocket space on the left wing, and him and Rayan Ait-Nouri dovetail so well. Rayan will go inside a lot of the time and gives Cunha more freedom. I think that relationship is so key.
“A lot of that will be organised tactically in terms of the work they do and the patterns of play when they have the ball in training, or they’ll be working on getting those two players in space, with Rayan driving inside to try and take away Matheus Cunha’s man and vice versa.
“There is a degree of strategy to it, but then when it happens on the pitch, a lot of that is just instinct, and it's brilliant to see that sort of telepathy they have with each other. It's incredible and so exciting to watch.”
Despite Cunha’s brilliance, there remains the challenge of balancing his attacking flair with defensive responsibilities.
Edwards praised Cunha’s willingness to adapt under O’Neil, noting how he has grown in discipline without compromising his creativity, but there is still more work to be done to perfect the equilibrium.
“It's a fine balance, because you don't want to take away from the best bits, because Matheus Cunha is in the team to create. He's not in there for the tackles he makes or for his work going back, but with the way the Premier League is played now, you have to have 11 players out there doing a job and playing the system, so it'll be just about getting him back into areas of the pitch where he can affect the opposition.
“He doesn't necessarily have to be back in there working his socks off, but be back in an area just to make it difficult. But he’s managed to do it and he managed to carry a game plan. But it just shows how much that he's willing to or how much he believes his manager that he's trying, and that's all you can ask.
“He doesn't find it natural. Every week they'll go out there with a game plan, and he knows his part in it, and it’s not always going to be perfect, but he's getting better and better at it. But it also it can't be at the expense of what he does going forward, and that's the balance you've got to find as a manager.
“You need to have the best Matheus Cunha going forward, and if you can get a Matheus Cunha doing 60, 70% of his defensive work, is that enough in a game? I'm pretty sure it will be. But you've got to try and get that balance just right.”
Following full-time last Saturday, Edwards headed down to the tunnel where he listened to Cunha’s post-match interview, in which the forward reflected on his growing sense of responsibility within the team.
From what was said, Edwards believes this newfound understanding has been a key factor in Cunha’s transformation under O’Neil.
“He said something really interesting, which I've not heard any player say before – he said he now understands how important he is to the team. That might come across as a little bit arrogant, but it wasn't.
A man in form 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ESrzCQ1S6S
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“There was a real maturity in the way he said it, that he knows what his role is, and he understands that the players look up to him as the person who can carry them forward, so when these big moments come, he's the one who's going to shoulder that responsibility.
“It was a fabulous interview. Listening to him, he had a big grin on his face as well when he's saying it, and his love for Gary O'Neil, how much Gary O’Neil has got the best out of him, and the stats back that up as well.
“I think under Gary O'Neil, he’s played 48 games with 29 goal involvements, which is a great return under compared to what it was like before under Julen Lopetegui, so he's getting the best out of him, but he's a player who's definitely maturing.
“There are going to be times he frustrates you without the ball, that happens at every football club, but when you have a player who does that with the ball and is going to win you a game of football, that is gold dust.”
With a stunning performance like this, Cunha has not only secured Wolves a much-needed victory but also reminded fans and teammates alike of his importance to the team, and if the Old Gold are to climb further up the Premier League table, they’re going to need more moments of magic from their brilliant Brazilian.
