Wolves Fans' Verdict v Aston Villa: A deserved win in a hard-fought match
Our Wolves fans have their say on the win over Villa.
Clive Smith
The first half script we've seen played out many times. Several 'nearly' moments without carrying a real goal threat. Plus a referee who saw the game... a different way to me.
We expended a lot of energy during that opening half with Andre and Joao Gomes trying to wrestle dominance in midfield while Bellegarde and Mane tried to advance the ball forward as best they could. We were on the front foot and playing at a high tempo, not something we do all that often at home. It kept the crowd engaged which made for a good atmosphere.
The second half saw play become more stretched and the worry was we'd get caught out. In the end it was Wolves who made the most of these opportunities. On the hour Tchatchoua did what the crowd have been willing him to do for some time now. An accurate cross allowed Armstrong to cushion the ball for J.Gomes to score.
From then on the atmosphere was turned up a notch. Having something to hold onto made the volume that much louder. So often it has not ended happily but our work rate was phenomenal. A couple of goalmouth scrambles were inevitable and Sa was brought into action a few times. Our clearances however were of a better quality than previously and Villa could not keep any sustained pressure.
Nerves were finally put to bed in the last minute of added time when a counter attack headed towards goal and not the traditional corner flag. The reward was a second goal and a tumultuous roar and an incredibly speedy retreat by the away end. It might have even stopped raining for a couple of minutes.
A fitting reward for the hard yards put in over the last few games where we've not been able to cross the line for various reasons. The Derby monkey will not rest on our back, thank God for that. None of us wanted that on our club's CV.
It was by no means a perfect performance but there was a lot more good things to see in that game than in many others. The spine of the team - Sa, Santi, J.Gomes and Armstrong - made good contributions while Mane had his best game for a month.
