Dave Edwards: It is the same old story for Wolves

As much as there is disappointment surrounding the result, if you look at the first half in particular, it was pretty much a perfect away performance. The only that could have been better was if they had gone two up.

That is something they have really struggled to do in recent seasons, and you know they were always going to come under pressure late on, but they got the tactics absolutely spot on during the first half.

They were good in possession when they had their spells, and when Villa had their moments they got back into their shape, and they were resolute, carrying a really good threat on the counter-attack.

Matheus Cunha and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde were brilliant in carrying the ball up the pitch and getting free-kicks and corners.

In the second half, even though they started it reasonably well, the pressure did build.

And what they really lacked in that second half was an outlet. For the five minutes leading up to the first goal for Villa, you could sense the Holte End was really getting into it. They were becoming a lot more optimistic about their attacks, and although they had not tested Sam Johnstone, you could feel that something was happening.

That time was so important for Wolves they had to just see it out, they had to play the game in an ugly way and slow it all down.

The manner the goal came will be so disappointing for Wolves. They won the ball back and then after a few ricochets, all of a sudden it just popped out, and then Nelson Semedo, almost inexplicably, pulled out of the tackle.

I know he is on a booking, but the ball is there to be won, he could have really gone and won the ball and that would have cleared the danger. From there it was elite movement from Ollie Watkins who was so sharp in the box to create that space for himself.

It was fortuitous with the deflection as Craig Dawson did everything he could to get a block on it, and it went in. It was a bit like the Newcastle game, if they could have seen out that five minutes I could have seen them going on to win the game.

Or at the bare minimum, get something from it.

Gary O’Neil will be just as disappointed with the second goal, it is a mistake. Mario Lemina just has his shoulders closed and Ezri Konsa gets the run on him and he cannot react quick enough. That could be avoided. Lemina has been so good in a Wolves shirt.

At that point, Wolves had made substitutions and there was no way back into it.

I thought the subs who came did not have the impact the manager wanted them to have.

Rodrigo Gomes came on and brought some fresh legs and did quite well from a defensive point of view but struggled from an attacking perspective.

I can really understand what O’Neil was trying to do, he was thinking it was going to become a game of counter-attacks but they did not work.

Losing Yerson Mosquera was a huge blow because Santi Bueno is a capable defender, but the athleticism of Mosquera has really helped Wolves, especially when they play Craig Dawson alongside him.

The big problem is that with Wolves not getting another centre-back this summer they now have just two to choose from.