1 February 2025
Wolves 2 Aston Villa 0
Wolves came into this game in the bottom three and in desperate need of points. They welcomed local neighbours Aston Villa to Molineux for a Midlands derby. The visitors had secured their safe passage through to the last 16 of the Champions League in midweek but had struggled to turn their attentions back to domestic duties after European exploits so far this campaign.
This is the one thing that always seems to knock the wind out of teams. Everyone dreams of making it to the hallowed ground of Europe’s elite competition but, once they get there, the juggling of competing on all fronts proves difficult. Despite strengthening their squad in the summer, Unai Emery’s side were regularly dropping points after Champions League exploits.
There was no Duran on the bench for the visitors as he looked to finalise his £70m move to Saudi Arabia. The club said that it was an offer ‘too good to turn down’ but sometimes you have to put the wellbeing of your season ahead of the lure of money. Should anything happen to Watkins, they are looking very short of cover up top.
The hosts started in positive fashion and were penning the visitors into their own half. Sarabia slid a neat pass in behind the defence and Bellegarde ran onto it to smash a shot past Martinez. It was a good finish but you always have to question when a keeper is beaten so easily at his near post, especially a self-proclaimed ‘best keeper in the world’.
Molineux erupted as the ball hit the back of the net. This was the perfect start for lowly Wolves to try and grab a win to take themselves out of the bottom three. Due to injuries, Aston Villa had somewhat of a makeshift back four, something which Vitor Pereira thought his team could take full advantage of in this game.
Kamara was having a nightmare at centre-back for the visitors. He was robbed of the ball by Cunha, who broke towards goal, with only the keeper to beat. Martinez made a good save to deny him but Guedes was the first to react to the loose ball, dragging his effort narrowly wide of the post. This was a fantastic start by the hosts.
Guedes had another chance to double the lead moments later when he was slotted in but tried to drill his shot into the far corner. Once again, the attacker had his angles wrong as it went the wrong side of the post. On another day, Wolves could have had this game wrapped up before the interval but it was not to be on this occasion, leaving you wondering whether they would rue these misses.
It was proving all too easy for the hosts to open up Aston Villa. Another pass in behind the defence saw Guedes with a sight of goal. This time he was denied by a good save from Martinez but the Portuguese attacker could have had a first-half hat-trick if he had brought his shooting boots along with him to the game.
After the break, Emery made a host of changes to try and change their fortunes in this game. Doherty was penalised for a foul on Rogers just outside the box. Villa worked a training ground move before it was squared for Mallen to tap home. The new signing thought he had opened his account for his new team but was to be denied by an offside flag.
Looking at the replay, it was the right decision but you have to question the Villa players for not keeping an eye on the Wolves’ defensive line. The visitors were starting to look like their old selves in the second-half. Mallen got a shot off from outside the box but Jose Sa got down well to make the save. Pereira’s side were having to hang on at this point.
Another perfectly weighted pass into the box saw Mallen with another chance to grab his first Aston Villa goal. He managed to get a left-footed shot away before the sliding challenge came in, but Jose Sa spread himself well to block with his legs. With time running out, it just seemed as if it was not going to be Aston Villa’s day.
Unai Emery was the most frustrated of all on the touchline as he danced about, throwing his arms around in frustration. Since the interval, his side had created more than enough chances to win this game. A mixture of poor finishing and an in-form Jose Sa was costing them dearly. Wolves knew they just needed to keep the door closed for the dying stages of the game now.
Deep into added time an Aston Villa attack broke down and Wolves countered with their usual direct approach. Konsa failed to deal with a clipped pass over the top, allowing Cunha to stride into the box. With two defenders between him and the goal, the Brazilian drilled his shot into the far corner to secure an important victory for the hosts.
The win took Wolves out of the bottom three. It seemed the perfect way to celebrate victory in this Midlands derby. Victory should give Vitor Pereira’s side the confidence to know they are good enough to secure their Premier League survival. However, keeping Cunha fit will be key to them doing that, he was again the stand-out performer.
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