Wolves Fans' Verdict v Burton: Promotion edges closer

Rob Cartwright

What's your verdict on the match? Well a week can be a long time in football.

A quick recap...

Three games, six points = average of two per game which is promotion form.

Three games, three points = average of one per game which is relegation form

Which one would you prefer?

With four home games to come, if we avoid defeat at Cardiff it’s ours. We now have one hand on the trophy.

This wasn’t Wolves at their best, but just like Leeds away, we were head and shoulders above Burton. The win was comfortable; too comfortable in fact.

We stopped playing after the first goal. We coasted along, playing at around 30 per cent of capacity. I found it frustrating to be honest.

Some of our games this season have been too easy, and this was one of those.

The first goal was special though. A glorious ball from Coady, from our own half, inch perfect to Costa who, left footed, slotted the ball past their keeper from 16 yards.

We allowed Burton a couple of half chances and to be fair they should have had a penalty for a Cavaleiro push, then another ‘snooker table’ pass from Neves put Afobe through and he did the business.

Burton immediately got one back, from a corner which was cleared. The shot through a crowded box took a wicked deflection to get past Ruddy. Nuno would not have been happy. I’m sure he made his thoughts known at half time.

We played with more vigour in the second half, enjoyed the vast majority of the possession and created chance after chance. Pass after pass opened up the Burton back line who were run ragged.

The third was added when Costa and Cavaleiro linked and Afobe took up the perfect position, unmarked in the box. Second game running he’s done that. He’s on fire!

Another one of Steve Bruce’s concerns ticked off the list..."but can they do it in sub zero temperatures when it’s snowing?"...yes they can, Steve. You can’t help but laugh.

We go into the international break looking good.

Who played well – and who didn't impress? Three players were excellent – Neves, Costa and Afobe.

Neves plays like a magician, orchestrating all the moves. When he decided it was time to score, he picked one out. Simple as that.

Costa looked more like his pre-injury self. Afobe is taking up the right positions and runs. I can see him getting into double figures. That’s a goal a game average.

The rest were very good, especially Coady, Boly and Cavaleiro.

Even Gibbs White joined in for the last 15 minutes. He slotted in immediately and impacted the game positively. He’ll be some player in the next one/two years.

Let’s not forget, Jota is injured. When he’s back for Blues or Bolton, I think the title will be ours.

I agree with Bruce. I just can’t believe that Nuno has managed to assemble a squad of this quality, so quickly!

Heather Large

What's your verdict on the match? We may have been freezing in the stands but Wolves fans left Molineux happy and proud of our team for a second comfortable win in less than a week.

Moving another three points closer to promotion was the result we wanted yesterday and the players didn’t disappoint.

We started very strongly, controlling the game and playing the way we wanted to so it wasn’t long before it looked like a repeat of the performance against Reading was on the cards.

Helder Costa’s goal was a great start and very well taken. It’s great to see how he’s becoming more lively by the game and getting stuck into games again.

We had a bit of wobble during the first half where we seemed to be panicking and rushing passes to get the ball forward, which meant they didn’t always meet their man, but we never really looked in danger of losing our lead especially after Benik Afobe made it 3-1.

Now we just need to keep the momentum going for the next few games and keep our eyes on promotion, Nuno’s men certainly don’t look like they want to let it go after coming so far.

Who played well – and who didn't impress? It’s very difficult to choose between Ruben Neves and Afobe for man of the match. Both had excellent games, Neves’ passing was sublime at times and goalscorer Afobe was a constant threat to the Burton defence.

But I also thought Helder Costa played very well, his goal was definitely reminiscent of last season.

Russ Cockburn

What's your verdict on the match? As far as days go, yesterday was a boster. Wolves did what we had to do with a routine 3-1 win against Burton, but it was results elsewhere that put the icing on the promotion cake.

Ian Holloway should be granted the freedom of Wolverhampton for his team’s efforts against Fulham and Villa, or at the very least a place on top of the ‘Man on the Oss’ at the end of season party.

The fake Wanderers also did us a massive favour by topping off a torrid seven days for Villa...their cup final last Saturday must have really took it out of them! In fact Bruce’s rather obese head was a picture with the snow swirling around him as he lamented the fact winter was still going strong.

We now sit just four wins away from guaranteeing promotion, a remarkable achievement considering we’re still two weeks from Easter.

Another season, Burton’s visit to Molineux could have brewed a surprise loss but not under Nuno and not with the calibre of player we currently have gracing the Molineux turf.

Like Tuesday it was a slow, controlled start and then, out of nowhere, Coady arrowed a fantastic through ball to a rejuvenated Costa and the tension was lifted.

It was then just a matter of time until the second goal, which Afobe duly slotted away. The only unplanned blip was Dyer’s goal on the stroke of half-time.

This was a really bad goal to give away and stemmed from Douglas surprisingly backing out of a challenge. The subsequent corner wasn’t cleared and, to me, Ruddy reacted slowly to keep out the deflected strike.

Opinions were split on whether it was his fault or not in the stands, but what you can’t ignore is the ratio of shots on target that actually hit the back of our net. Think he needs a few weeks at the Stu Preece school of goalkeeping in Sedgley!

We didn’t have long to wait for normal service to be resumed with Afobe adding a second to rule out any possibility of a Burton comeback.

Three more points, another game ticked off and a step closer to promotion.

Who played well – and who didn't impress? That was Afobe’s best game since his return, leading the line well, linking play and offering the type of runs that give us something different in attack. Four goals is a nice little return and you get the feeling he’s going to have a pretty big say on what happens in the run-in.

Costa also played very well. I’ll hold my hand up here that I was quite critical of him in some games, but since Fulham he seems to have rediscovered his conviction and is now starting to terrorise defenders again.

Having said all that my man of the match was Neves, who will need a bigger cabinet for all the awards he’s picking up.

He’s just so beautiful to watch. Whereas you’d be too scared to stop Boly bedding your missus, you’d quite happily let Ruben have a bash as you feel in some way that you owe him for giving you so much pleasure with his feet.

The driven pass to Costa was so good it caused a few thermos flasks to explode in the Billy Wright.

Natalie Wood

What's your verdict on the match? This game had all the hints of a typical banana skin for wolves but instead we got an excellent team performance with three superb goals.

It didn’t take long for Wolves to take control of the game, having the vast majority of possession and given the space to really show what they can do.

It was only a matter of time until we took the lead. The first goal all came from an excellent pass from Conor Coady, followed by a confident finish from Costa.

Costa is really starting to grow in confidence and starting to become the player he was before his injury.

Our second goal was again an amazing pass but this time by Ruben Neves – I don’t know how he does it! We then became slightly too comfortable and allowed Burton back in the game. Other than the goals it was quite a dull first half but to be honest I think everyone was quite happy with the lack of excitement...three points were all that mattered.

In the second half it was one way traffic, an excellent second goal from Afobe looked like it was going to open the floodgates and realistically we could have scored at least two more.

The moment of the game was probably the ridiculous cross-field pass from Neves to Costa but the keeper reacted well.

Overall an excellent team performance and a great end to a pivotal week.

What a difference a week makes...after Aston Villa I think it’s safe to say I was fearing the worst, we looked like we had ran out of steam and were utterly clueless but the past two games we have seen the old Wolves clambering their way back.

Promotion is getting within touching distance now...and if yesterday’s performance is anything to go by it is becoming a matter of when rather than if.

Who played well – and who didn't impress? It is really difficult to pick a man of the match.

Afobe was excellent, seeing him yesterday brought back memories of his last spell with us, he looks like a striker that could easily score 20+ goals in a season and has hit form when we needed it most. I think he would be an excellent addition to our squad next year.

Costa and Cav also had a great game, both looking very confident and powerful moving forward. Our defence also looked a lot more stable with Bennett back in.

Coady had yet again another great game and is a true leader from the back. The stand out man though has to be Neves.

He is by far the best midfielder I have ever seen at wolves and realistically wouldn’t look out of place playing for one of the top four Premier League clubs. His passing is another level, at times some passes seem to go against physics.

He is powerful, passionate and an absolute joy to watch. At the age of just 21 (TWENTY ONE) it is quite amazing to think what this man could achieve in his career – here’s hoping Wolves will be a big part of his success!

Russ Evers (Hatherton Wolves)

What's your verdict on the match? A wonderful day despite the cold and the snow as we tightened our grip at the top.

A family affair for me for this one as the three-year-old grandson lovingly known to all as "The Gribbler" attended his first game, decked from head to toe in Wolves gear.

In all honesty he could have played in goal such was the superiority of Nuno's boys and it only took a second gear performance to earn the three points.

Afobe made it four in four for him with Helder Costa starting the rout as he enjoyed a positive – if not always productive – afternoon.

Interesting to see most of our imports who cant play in the winter wearing short sleeves...better than me with five layers!

Looking good ay it and as "The Gribbler" would say – come on you Wolves!

Clive Smith

What's your verdict on the match? A look at the table suggests a huge gulf between the teams and the game reflected that.

Wolves' patient approach and good organisation made it comfortable although more action and attempts on goal in the last 30 minutes would have been appreciated. It was far from comfortable sitting in the bitterly cold temperatures watching a possession based performance.

A win and job done provided us with exactly what we needed. Two individuals in particular stood out, Neves and Costa both played very well and made light of the conditions. Add a couple of neat finishes from Afobe and that was enough to put the match to bed.

Generally the game was quite mediocre but punctuated with odd moments of quality. Costa had one attempt on goal before a peach of a pass from Coady gave him a one on one that he put away efficiently.

Saiss had a just shot wide before a pessego (Portuguese for peach) of a ball from Neves to Afobe saw another good finish.

With Burton playing 5-4-1, with damage limitation in mind, there was less opportunity to play our diagonal passes to the wing backs. Instead, both goals had come from through balls up the same channel. Costa seemed the go-to guy, which was tough on Cavaleiro because he was working and running hard but just not seeing the ball as much.

The half time Bovril, cuppa, hot choc was not so sweet due to a Burton goal. From a corner a low shot should have been routine for Ruddy despite several bodies being close by.

Thankfully it did not take long after the break to restore the two goal margin. Cavaleiro getting an assist while seemingly having lost the ball in the box. He did however make good contact as he lost his balance and a now confident Afobe calmly stroked in our third.

Looking far superior it was somewhat disappointing not to score again. Afobe missed a chance and Costa would have had a goal of the season candidate had he managed to round the keeper following a superb Neves pass.

Another win, another game gone and the table continues to look good.

Who played well – and who didn't impress?

Ruddy...not for the first time recently it looked like he should have saved the goal.

Doherty had raised the bar on Tuesday so it was no surprise he was not as good. He advanced forward at times, just not as frequently.

Douglas was not at his best. Corners were wasted and several times his passes were blocked and possession lost.

Boly, Coady and Bennett were not too busy, usually having just one forward to look after.

Saiss did a fine job. Quite different to Neves he made tackles and interceptions and recycled the ball neatly.

Neves had one of those games. Burton seemed to leave him alone until he had the ball. Even then they often failed to get close to him. Two wonderful passes. Even the passes wasted are full of good intent. Man of the match.

Costa relished the amount of possession he had. His quick feet meant he always offered a threat in the final third.

Cavaleiro put in his usual shift for over an hour with a couple of attempts on goal.

Afobe at last looked like the player we signed first time around. Following a couple of wasteful offsides he played along the line well, frequently offering himself for a through ball.

Confidence in front of goal is a huge asset. We have seen Bonatini lose it and Afobe had lacked it too. Since the Leeds goal though he has had a spring in his step. Nice to see him acknowledge the assist, having run away from Costa on Tuesday which looked ungrateful.

Gibbs-White had a few minutes and managed a goal attempt, while Bonatini and N'Diaye barely had time to thaw out after leaving the bench.