Solid Wolves maintain unbeaten run

Wolverhampton Wanderers 3 v Southampton FC 1

Entitlement; the belief that one is inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment. Any three individuals currently spring to mind? And when they do have you ever wondered how they acquired it? One was certainly born with it, another modelled it based on childhood experience and the third assumed it through sporting endeavour. Odd that they all had very different starting points yet ended up in the same place.

Will they get their comeuppance? Whilst we can certainly enjoy their discomfort as they wallow in the mire how they choose to repair the reputational damage will tell us much about their character. Or not as the case may be.

At least Wolves have kept their feet on the ground following an historic away victory against Manchester United. The subsequent third round FA Cup tie against Sheffield United could have been regarded as a gentle run out, but the Old Gold treated it with due deference despatching the Blades with a solid win.

Next up Southampton who, in a similar vein to Wolves, are now achieving mid- season consistency after a slow start. Back in September it was a fine individual goal by Raul Jimenez that ensured victory at the St Mary’s Stadium and thus kick-started Wolves’ season. And bar the occasional slip they have not looked back today’s win providing further vindication of the progress they are making.

The game itself was a strange affair only coming alight in the final ten minutes. Prior to that Wolves had been functional rather than expansive but it had been enough to put them two ahead. Their account was opened in the 37th minute following a VAR awarded penalty, when Rayan Ait Nouri was adjudged to have been tripped by Jan Bednarek. Up stepped Raul Jimenez to convert in style. Then following a slow start to the second half, Conor Coady took advantage of some positional naivety from Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Foster, to head home an Ait Nouri free kick.

For their part Southampton, prompted by the excellent Oriol Romeu, had occasionally troubled Jose Sa most notably during the first half from a Nathan Tella head and then in the second from a Che Adams strike. And so to the final ten minutes, six of which were time added on. The touchpaper was lit in minute 84 when James Ward Prowse’s beautifully struck free kick rifled into the top right-hand corner of Sa’s net from 25 yards. Three minutes later a Romain Perraud header struck the Wolves bar before a Stuart Armstrong shot was gathered by Sa. A minute later Fabio Silva went close before Adama Traore diminished his price tag by another £3m when he blasted the ball over the bar, the goal at his mercy. Mercifully redemption arrived when, two minutes later, an Ait Nouri pass put him free on goal. This time, with only Fraser to beat, he did so the relief amongst his teammates palpable.

Wolves have now won three of their last four premier league games defensive solidity the foundation for their fine run. Long may it continue.

Wolverhampton Wanderers: Sa 7, Semedo 7, Kilman 7, Coady 7, Gomes 6 Ait Nouri 7, Dendoncker 7, Moutinho 7, Jimenez 6, Sub Sub Silva, Podence 7 Sub Cundle, Trincao 6 Sub Traore

Southampton FC: Fraser 6, Bednarek 7, Lyanco 6, Salisu 6, Tella 6 Sub S Armstrong, Ward Prowse 7, Romeu 8, Diallo 5 Sub Adams 6, Perraud 7, Redmond 6, Broja 6 Sub A Armstrong

Attendance: 30,057

Referee: M Salisbury 9

©Mark Brennand