Wolves 2 Bournemouth 0 – player ratings

Rui Patricio

In poor conditions he handled the ball well. Closed down Josh King and made himself big to help block an early Bournemouth chance – the visitors didn't unduly stretch him after that. Has to improve his kicking – 25 passes but only a third found a Wolves shirt. 6/10

Ryan Bennett

In the wind and rain it was an afternoon for a defender's defender to come to the fore – and brilliant Bennett did just that. Kicked and headed everything clear but was also composed in possession and did the simple things well. His pass accuracy of 87 per cent was the highest from a Wolves player. To think he was dropped at Cardiff just a few games ago. He's been written off by many (and dropped three times by Nuno in the last season and a half) but Bennett just quietly gets his job done. Raised his game massively this season. One of the best free transfers Wolves have made in recent decades. 8/10

Conor Coady

Good distribution, swept up when necessary and got the job done. Brilliant sliding tackle to deny King early doors. And, crucially, like Bennett he avoided earning a yellow card that would have seen him miss the Liverpool game. That'll be a huge relief to the captain (and his family). 8/10

Willy Boly

Played an important role in keeping Wolves' first clean sheet since October 6. Five clearances was the joint highest in the team, along with Coady. Excelled in the closing minutes when Bournemouth were chucking it into the mixer. 8/10

Matt Doherty

Won six aerial battles, the most on the pitch (two more than anyone else) and was his usual consistent self. Created an early chance which was fluffed by his colliding team mates. Thereafter he picked his moments to burst forward selectively. Defensively sound. 7/10

Joao Moutinho

Fantastic work ethic from the experience Portuguese midfielder, who was restored to the team after being left out at Newcastle. He was tired towards the end and that's no surprise given the ground he covered. Popped up in some useful attacking positions, did nothing daft in possession and offered protection to the back-line. 7/10

Ruben Neves

After a couple of poor performances this was much better from Neves who showed a different, dare I say English, side to his game? Six interceptions (most on the pitch) 12 long balls (most on the pitch) and 52 passes (most from a Wolves player) show how busy he was. Bournemouth had so much of the ball but it was Neves' awareness, restraint and maturity that helped deny them many glaring opportunities. Constantly pressed the Bournemouth midfield. Rewarded Nuno's faith after he selected him ahead of the unfortunate Romain Saiss. 8/10

Jonny Castro Otto

A surprise return to the starting XI and he looked a little rusty, but grew into the game. Four tackles was the most on the pitch, but on the flip side he gave a few wayward passes away and didn't offer much going forward. A big boost that he lasted the full 90 and he'll be ready for Liverpool now, when all his defensive nous will be required. 6/10

Morgan Gibbs-White

Demanded selection with his recent performances and rightly brought back into the side. While not at his best, he showed more than a few glimpses as to why Nuno has placed so much faith in him. Looked to play between the lines and thread those through balls – he certainly did that when finding Costa who should have scored. With his carrying of the ball at pace, his incessant positivity and his spatial awareness, he offers something that no one in this Wolves squad can. Occasionally tries too hard but he'll learn to pick the right options with time. 7/10

Raul Jimenez

The best thing to come out of Mexico since fully loaded nachos. What a fantastic signing this guy has been. Only £3m for the season on loan and he's more than repaid that already with five goals and five assists. If he continues that ratio and reaches 10 goals and 10 assists by the end of the campaign he'll also be worth the £30m option Wolves have for him. Yes, he's that good. Obviously it's not just about the stats with this guy – his work ethic and his link play is absolutely imperative to Wolves' success in the final third of the pitch. Also sent Jota through with a beautiful curved pass. More than anything, though, he manfully defended from the front (which towards the end of the game meant being as deep as 30 yards from his own goal). 9/10

Diogo Jota

In true Uri Geller fashion, everyone rub your hamstrings for good luck and pray Jota's injury absence isn't a lengthy one. Just when he's come back into form and found his role in the side, the Portuguese maestro suffers an untimely injury. Before he limped off he was superb. Intelligent and incisive play for the first goal and he was a direct, energetic and creative force during the first half. 8/10

Substitutes

Helder Costa (for Jota, 45)

It's ironic that Costa's two worst performances of the season have coincided with him finally getting off the 'assist' mark, in successive matches. A perfect pass to send Cavaleiro clean through in the dying seconds couldn't atone for what was a 45-minute display in which he didn't do his immense talent justice. Unconvincingly fired comfortably wide when through on goal and nothing came off for him. Gone off the boil since that wonderful performance at Arsenal. If he needs any inspiration he need look no further than Jota. 5/10

Romain Saiss (for Gibbs-White, 75)

Brought on to help shore up the midfield and see Wolves home and he did exactly that with a no-fuss cameo. 6/10

Ivan Cavaleiro (for Jimenez, 89)

The one player in the Wolves squad you'd put a decent amount of money on to score that one-on-one. He had plenty of time to think about what to do, but made his classy finish look easy. Three goals this season...will he start against Liverpool? N/A

Subs not used: Ruddy, Dendoncker, Vinagre, Traore.