Wolves Fans' Verdict v Brentford: "It's hard to describe how good we are"

Rob Cartwright

What's your verdict on the match? Another game done; another three points safely secured.

Brentford were the best team we have played this season and Scott Duncan the best referee we’ve seen too. He allowed the game to flow and used the advantage rule perfectly throughout.

Wolves were simply different class. We use the ball so well. I love how the players have total confidence in each other. This is how they can pass the ball out from defence, even though the receiving player is closely marked, or in Jota’s case, has two opposition players within five feet of him. Control – pass – control – pass...the whole team know their team mate will be good enough to keep possession and use the ball well. As fans, we are spoiled.

We created chance upon chance. How we didn’t score in the first half nobody knows. Nobody cares either, in the knowledge that we can step up a gear in the second half and bring on Cavaleiro to spice things up a bit. We did both for the second game running.

The second half was scintillating stuff. The quality of our play is beyond my wildest dreams. It’s so good, I find it hard to describe. The game was won with two goals in two minutes. Both were exceptionally good goals by Neves and Douglas. No team can defend those, I don’t care what league we are in.

It was Cavaleiro who ignited the spark with both goals coming within five minutes of his introduction. Imagine if he could make this impact for a whole game? I’m beginning to think sub is his best position!

Every set piece we have, you know we can score. This is what gets you on the edge of your seat and looking forward to the next game. We created chance after chance and it could have so easily been more than 3-0 at the end, against a very good team.

Jota scored his goal while lying on the floor. It really was that easy in the end. It crossed my mind that Nuno may may take an extra couple off to rest them. I think we’d still finish the game off if it had been nine v 11.

Who played well – and who didn't impress? Man of the match was the Brentford keeper. He was the busiest man on the pitch and played well. At the other end Ruddy had not a single save to make! Sheer dominance.

Every Wolves player gave a 7/10 or 8/10 performance. Yes, there’s still more to come.

Cavaleiro was the game changer, but Douglas and Neves were exceptional.

Nuno dedicated the Wolves win to John Hendley: “This game was special for us knowing that Foz passed away,"...class from our leader.

Walking away from Molineux, the Wolf moon was shining brightly. We just have to accept that Nuno is in charge of space too!

We start 2018 as we ended 2017. I hope and believe Nuno wants a cup run as much as I do. Let’s do it.

Russ Evers (Hatherton Wolves)

What's your verdict on the match? One word – class. And that includes the Brentford keeper who produced some heroics to keep the score below a cricket score.

A class free kick from a class player Ruben Neves opened the floodgates with Barry Douglas smashing in a right footer two minutes later.

Diogo was lying on the floor as he completed the scoring to the delight of an expectant rather than boisterous Molineux.

Fair play to the Steve Bull stand who got the ground rocking in the first half whilst Cavaleiro’s introduction for a much improved Costa proved to be the key to unlocking the Brentford defence.

And to cap it all, Nuno dedicated the win to Mr Wolves, Foz Hendley. Class.

Heather Large

What's your verdict on the match? Wolves fans couldn't have asked for a better start to 2018. Another well-deserved win putting us 12 points clear on second place – it's all beginning to feel real now.

The first half was a bit lacklustre though with a few decent chances, just our finishing touch letting us down. But the huge gap in quality between the two sides became more apparent after the break.

Brentford weren't really making that much effort as we took control of the game. And as each goal went in, our confidence grew even more and it was obvious the visitors never stood a chance of beating us. It was probably the most comfortable win I've seen since Burton.

Last night's performance was also a great response to the critics who questioned whether our new arrivals would still be able to perform on cold Tuesday nights.

Looks like there is no stopping us now...

Who played well – and who didn't impress? Hard to choose between Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota for man of the match but the former just wins it by a small margin thanks to some sublime footwork in the second half and another wonder goal. I could watch that free kick again and again and again.

Russ Cockburn

What's your verdict on the match? They said we wouldn’t fancy it in the cold...well Wolves have proven they are like an expensive Goodyear winter tyre or a potent de-icer to show the Championship that, whatever the season, we’ll turn up.

Nuno even had time to indulge in a spot of Black Country humour by becoming composer for a minute and orchestrating the Molineux crowd with the time-honoured classic… ‘we’re ******* s**t in the winter’.

Brentford are no mugs. In-form, good in possession and with some match winners in the ranks. Last night we sent the Chino sporting, Chai Tea Latte supping West Londoners packing with relative ease.

It’s no exaggeration to say we could have won by seven...Bonatini hitting the post, one off the line, Costa missing a one-on-one, Doherty in from the flank and Jota’s snapshot. All of these were first half when the Bees did control play for spells and looked dangerous with Canos impressive.

In the second half it was noticeable that we pushed on a lot more, giving their defenders less time on the ball and nullifying the impact of Woods, who rarely wastes a pass when he has plenty of space.

This immediately gave us momentum and within a two-minute spell we had killed the game off. Neves was the first scorer bending in a delicious free-kick to momentarily take Barry’s crown.

It didn’t last long. The cultured wing-back arrived like someone had offered him a pint of Buckfast, bending his shot into the top corner to complete a fine free-flowing move. Game over.

The last 30 minutes was basically an exercise in us keeping the ball and springing forward whenever we felt the urge to impose our superiority. Doherty even had time to juggle the ball on most parts of his anatomy, whilst Coady occasionally gave the ball away just so he could win it back. It really was that easy in the end.

Jota rounded things off as Brentford failed to clear a routine ball in, sending Dean Gaffney and Well Hard home with zero points and Natalie Sawyers ready to choke on the pulsating merits of Nuno’s boys.

Who played well – and who didn't impress? It’s almost a copy and paste job lately with this section. Neves again was one of the star attractions, recycling the ball like a precision wagon wheel, whilst the imperious Coady could be used by South Korea and the US to intercept one of Kim Jong Un’s missiles.

For me the game was a tale of two Portuguese players. Cav was purring like a finely tuned Aston Martin, whereas Costa looks like he needs an oil change. My gut feeling is that he needs a moment of magic to come off that can ignite his season…currently he doesn’t look like is 100 per cent and some of his movement looks stifled. There’s no way he misses that one-on-one last season.

As for Cav, wow, what a beautiful two cameos he has had. One changes the game in our favour, the second gives us the impetus to go on and kill the match off quickly.

He looks like he is absolutely loving life and who can blame him when he goes home to Mrs Cav (Instagram is a wonderful thing) every night. Seriously, defenders appear scared of him and he’s managed to combine his excellent skills with better decision making and that is leading to more notches in the goals and assists columns.

Clive Smith

What's your verdict on the match? Well, the first half was a complete contradiction. Our performance was rubbish. Worst 45 minutes since I don't know when. Brentford pressed us deep and we kept going long ball. Most were wasted, we were losing the second ball, challenges, aerial duels...we were poor. Lacking tempo, there was no swift one-twos or any prolonged possession.

BUT. Despite the above, Bonatini hit the post in the first minute, Jota had a header cleared off the line and another brilliant volley well saved. Doherty and Costa each had a one on one. We could have won the game by then.

Brentford played pretty football, quickly from back to front, but besides one shot wide and a well struck cross had nothing in attack. Their one and only chance came when Ruddy thought he could dribble with the ball.

I think we all could have scripted the half time team talk. Increase the tempo, show more energy and look after the ball better.

The players picked up the vibe. Yet again, first minute of the half we nearly scored. Bonatini at fault, shooting straight at the keeper. We started to look more lively and, as at Bristol , this improved more so when Cavaleiro replaced Costa.

A Neves free kick was as sweet as a Douglas free kick. Not to be outdone, Douglas proved he could do just as well with a moving ball. In a flash the game was over, 2-0.

The Wolves we know and love had turned up for the second half. We played some lovely stuff at times. Fair play to them, after appearing sluggish, they found extra energy and looked full of running from then on.

The final goal came from Jota as he lay on the floor in a goalmouth scramble, proving that every goal does not have to be a screamer from outside the box.

Brentford had by then given up the ghost. Our clean sheet never looked in danger. Their recent run of good form came to an abrupt end - we have seen that a few times this season. Our 'off day' lasted just 45 minutes.

We are in danger of feeling cocky. The feel good factor has even reached the Steve Bull stand - welcome aboard guys.

We have survived a tricky four game period most impressively. Well done Wolves. To be nine points ahead of the two points a game average is hugely impressive.

Who played well – and who didn't impress? Ruddy was not involved much – there was not a single shot on target from Brentford.

Douglas and Doherty both played well in the second half as the game was played further forward by Wolves. Doherty had latched on to two passes in the first half but other attempts went out of play.

Boly was again solid in and around the box but occasionally careless with the ball elsewhere. Even he played one delightful pass inside their full back to set up a chance.

Bennett looked in control of things, while Coady was even more impressive. Man of the match with good tackling, shouting, pointing, covering and passing.

Neves and Saiss both played deeper, just ahead of the defence, in the opening half. This meant we failed to play through midfield much and frequently lost possession quickly. After the break, playing more advanced, we saw the best of them. Stunning free kick, but another cheap card for Neves.

The front three toiled, frankly. Jota could have scored two by the break but he looks to lack some of the confidence he had back in September/October. Often he would receive a pass and play it straight back, with nothing gained.

Bonatini sadly seems a shadow of the player he was a while ago. He still links up play, collects the ball from throw-ins and looks for the ball but somehow just does not look anywhere near as sharp. We need his mojo back.

Costa continues to struggle to find form consistently. Hopefully he starts in the FA Cup, which is a 'free hit'. More game time will help him.

Although not quite as dramatic as at Bristol, Cavaleiro again came on and made us look better. There is still room for improvement with his decision making however. One thunderous shot made most of the crowd gasp as is whistled wide.

Enobakhare and the lesser spotted Hause had a few minutes, hopefully ahead of a bigger shift next game.

Adam Virgo

What's your verdict on the match? Are there many better ways to start 2018? Another win, clean sheet, 12 games unbeaten, 12 points ahead of second and 14 ahead of third. We’re in an unbelievable position at the moment and it feels like every game that goes by, we’re creating an even bigger gap.

After the sad news of Foz passing away broke out too, it was nice to get a win for him and for the players to put on the performance they did was special too.

This Brentford team are no mugs either, they’d only lost two of their previous 18 games in the Championship before yesterday. They didn’t really create any real goalscoring opportunities but they kept the ball well and stopped us in the first half from playing it out with their high press.

We should have been 2-0/3-0 up by half time, we had around five good chances and it was unlike us to not even put one away.

Second half was the complete opposite, instantly in the second half we had an attack and it just carried on from there. The football we played was ridiculous at times, probably the best half of football we’ve played in a while.

We had to grind out a lot of results in the December period and sometimes you have to do that but last night we took Brentford apart, the only negative is that we could have scored seven or more. When you win 3-0 and the opposition goalkeeper still gets man of the match, you know they’ve been in for a tough game.

All three goals were brilliant, the defending team may as well just sit down when Neves and Douglas are standing over a free kick because a lot of the time, it’s hitting the back of the net. You just know you’re playing at your best when Douglas is hitting them top bins with his right foot and Jota is scoring goals with his back on the floor.

It felt like a chore to constantly go the past couple of seasons, especially the midweek games. This season is the complete opposite, it’s like I don’t want the games to end we’re playing that well. Massive credit goes to Nuno for that, obviously the players have to go out and perform but it all goes back to the training ground and tactics, all the hard work from everyone is paying off.

Who played well – and who didn't impress? Is there anything in football that Ruben Neves can’t do? He only scores goals from outside the box, he much prefers to lurk outside the area and I don’t blame him with the talent he has. He didn’t hit it too hard, more of a finesse around the wall but with enough power to beat their keeper who was playing a blinder. Also did a roulette turn past someone to start off an attack which had the whole stadium shouting “ohhhhhh”, and if it had resulted in a goal then I think that could have been one of the goals of the season so far.

Barry Douglas just keeps providing goals or assists, I still can’t believe we only paid £1m for him. Absolute bargain and it’s a joke how he hasn’t got a single cap for Scotland yet. His finish to say it was on his right foot was outstanding, left the keeper with zero chance whatsoever. Great play and vision by Cavaleiro to find him with the pull back.

Costa didn’t do too badly in the first half, still doesn’t look anywhere near his best which he showed us last season though. Should have scored the 1v1 he had but I was a bit surprised at the time he got taken off as it was only the 50th minute. I’m glad Nuno did change it though because Cavaleiro was a revelation once again.

I thought Cav would start over Costa considering how well he played when he came off the bench Saturday. It really did feel like he changed the game, his link up play with Doherty is telepathic almost but when it’s Costa there, it’s nowhere near the same.

Willy Boly is just the complete defender. Got his first booking of the season yesterday for strength, he didn’t even use his body that much and the player still almost flew into the Steve Bull lower. No one ever challenges him in the air, probably because they’re too scared and I don’t blame them.

He played three defence splitting passes that even a prime Andres Iniesta would be proud of. Shame that he didn’t get an assist for any of them but he definitely deserved one. He’s so casual on the ball and sometimes he does lose it but he knows what he’s doing.

The last sort of 10-15 minutes were just us having a bit of fun. Doherty flicking the ball over a player’s head was the pinnacle of the final 10 minutes though. The way we’re playing and the moves/flicks our players are pulling off is just so good to watch and incomparable to the last two seasons. Long may it continue.