25 February 2025
Wolves 1 Fulham 2
Every match is a cup final for Vitor Pereira’s side now as we enter the business end of the season. The bottom three is far too close for comfort for the Midlands outfit. They welcomed Fulham to Molineux, hoping to distance themselves from the sides beneath them. Wolves are realistically the only side who can still be dragged into a relegation dogfight now.
The Cottagers were finding it all too easy to retain possession early on. Fulham played it out from the back, threading it forward to Muniz. He held it up well before laying it off to Pereira, who slotted a pass in behind the hosts’ defence. Sessegnon ran onto it, with only Jose Sa to beat. He drilled his shot into the far corner to give the visitors the lead with only one minute on the clock.
It was the worst possible start for Wolves. They had not been able to lay a glove on the visitors and it was all too easy for the visitors to play through them. One thing you can stand by is that the league table does not lie. Vitor Pereira’s side have been all too inconsistent this season, although his appointment has seen an upturn in performances from the start of the campaign.
Pereira’s side won a free-kick when Cunha was being pulled back. The visitors headed the clipped ball into the box clear but it dropped to Bellegarde some way out. He took one touch to control it and struck a volley off at goal. He dragged it narrowly wide of the target but had Leno worried enough to be scrambling across his goal.
Wolves continued to press as Bellegarde was played in by Ait-Nouri out wide. He lofted a cross into the box, flicked on by Munetsi. It dropped to Gomes on the back post but he sent his effort sailing over the goal into the stands. He really should have done better, having all the time and space he could wish for to test Leno.
Marco Silva was starting to get rattled on the touchline as his side struggled to deal with wave after wave of Wolves’ attacks. Semedo swung a cross into the box, which ran through to an unmarked Joao Gomes at the back post. He made no mistake this time as he drilled his effort past Leno and into the back of the net.
Former Wolves’ winger Traore had a glimpse of goal as the ball dropped to him at the back post. He got his shot away but it was well-saved by Jose Sa to deny him. The Fulham winger would have loved nothing more than to score on his return to Molineux. The hosts should have been more than aware of the threat he posed in the final third.
He was involved again as he fed the ball out wide to Sessegnon. As he cut the ball back into the danger area from the byline, Muniz met it and opened up his body as he looked to pass his shot into the far corner. It was superbly blocked by the defender to deny him. At this point, both teams were looking to press forward in search of the lead.
Cunha is always a constant threat for Wolves. After sending a free-kick from the edge of the box straight at Leno, he was pulling the strings once again soon after. The skills of the Brazilian make him difficult to contain, he shifted the ball onto his left-foot before firing off a shot at goal. The Fulham keeper made a superb reaction save to tip it over the crossbar.
As the teams trudged off at the interval, Gomes and Muniz hugged each other, playing around as they went in at the break. This would no doubt infuriate the fans of both sides, this is a football match after all not a social event. Had the pair swapped shirts at this point, it would have caused the mental unravelling of Roy Keane somewhere in the country.
After the break, the visitors immediately piled the pressure on. Traore threaded a ball through into the path of Muniz, who flicked it over the advancing Jose Sa to restore the lead for Marco Silva’s side. It was a sublime finish from the Brazilian and left Molineux stunned as their team fell behind to The Cottagers. The visitors now had a lead to try and hold onto.
The hosts were desperate to try and find a way back into the game. As a cross came in from out wide, Cunha volleyed it towards goal but it was a simple save for Leno. Wolves’ talisman had not got the connection he had hoped for to test the Fulham keeper. Time was running out, defeat was not an option for them in front of their own fans.
Jimenez came on for the visitors and immediately had the chance to put the game to bed. He had found space at the back post and only had Jose Sa to beat. As he got his shot off, the keeper waited before committing and made a good block. The Mexican forward should have done better, you could see that he knew that by the look on his face.
Wolves struggled to create any clear-cut chances and it was the visitors who looked more likely to score. However, Fulham proved wasteful and Marco Silva will just be relieved that they did not pay the ultimate price for it. They held on for all three points, moving them up to ninth in the table. Pereira’s side still have a five point cushion from the bottom three as things stand.
Did you enjoy this article? Please share to your social media. With one click you can help spread the word and make Solid at the Back the one-stop shop for all Premier League fans.