Wolves Fans' Verdict v Villa: A much-needed and deserved derby win

William Meddings 

Massive, absolutely massive three points. A lot of whispered complaints when Sarabia and Bellegarde were announced in the starting line-up, but I think it’s safe to say we were all happy to be proved wrong. I thought Bellegarde especially looked a different player, easily his best performance in a Wolves shirt. Even without his goal, he worked hard and played his position perfectly. 

Vitor got it absolutely spot on tactically, letting their centre halves keep the ball and holding our shape. We forced numerous mistakes and quite easily could’ve and should’ve had another two or three more goals. 

I’d be interested to know what the story is with Cunha though. He spent 90 minutes walking around looking uninterested, there were plenty calls around me for him to be subbed off. Having said that, who cares? He scored the goal to seal the win and is here to stay (for now at least). 

Only thing we ask for now as fans, is to see that same work rate and desire in each and every game until the end of the season. Keep that consistent and we will be fine.

Liam Berry

For me, the best performance I have seen from Wolves this season. We were organised from minute one all the way to the final whistle, and I think a lot of that comes down to the brilliance of our back three. 

January signing Emmanuel Agbadou was trusted in the heart of the defence, where he looked more comfortable than he did out wide. Toti Gomes returning from injury and Matt Doherty continuing his top performances as of recent! This allowed Wolves to press high up the pitch, knowing the defence could hold their own against Aston Villa’s attack, top game from all three!

With Joao Gomes suspended, it was widely speculated on who would be brought in to fill the void. Jean-Ricner Bellegarde was the one who got the nod, and he impressed massively. He has been on the wrong end of some criticism as of recent, but with a goal and a top quality performance he has well and truly staked his claim. He brought the energy that we needed, and rarely gave the ball away when he had it. So happy for him and hopefully he can build on such a good performance.

With a couple of tough away games coming after, afterwards the fixture list is more easy on the eye, hopefully we can kick on, however I think if we play how we played against Villa, we will be absolutely fine, it’s up to Vitor Pereira and the players to maintain the levels we saw!

Robbie Meakin

Jey Uso, Charlotte Flair and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Yesterday's big winners against all odds.

I'd written Wolves off before a ball was even kicked and gave Vitor Pereira's men no chance against Aston Villa.

I'd have been very happy with a point, so all three put me on a real high, as it would have done everybody connected with the club.

When you're conceding a Jean-Ricner goal from a Pablo Sarabia assist, it's just not going to be your day.

It was so refreshing to see a Wolves side showing the level of fight and desire that we saw last night. That, on top of the atmosphere inside of Molineux last night, was like those golden floodlit games of recent years. Both of those elements have been missing and it was great to see everything click. Credit to everyone in a gold shirt that fought for every ball and credit to everyone that made some noise.

A much needed win, which takes Wolves out of the drop zone for now. I'm not going to get carried away because there's a long way to go, but I'm enjoying the win and riding the high while I can.

Let's go to Blackburn and secure a place in the next round of the FA Cup now, before taking on Liverpool.

Clive Smith

Having spent the week pressing  refreshing on the official Wolves site, for a transfer signing, to no avail, a positive result was desperately needed to improve the mood.

With Gomes and Larsen ruled out, our starting eleven looked under strength.

Against one of half a dozen 'high flying in-form sides' another difficult day was on the cards.

So, something I did not expect to say was 'its a toss up between Bellegarde and Sarabia for MOTM'. It was almost like having two Gomes instead of none. We played really well, showing a collective intensity to win the ball back not seen often enough this season. When we managed to get the ball we played it forward quicker, finding willing runners to bring into the game. It was pleasing on the eye. 

To go in 1-0 at halftime was frankly disappointing given the opportunities we had to increase our lead. Guedes and Cunha had chances to have won us the game by then. The fear was obvious - missing gilt edged chances has come and bit us in the bum so often, and we really could not afford to miss this opportunity to gain the three points.

Predictably Villa bossed possession in the second half, four halftime substitutions showed their intent. Despite looking scared at times and allowing them to get behind us and put crosses in, we managed the game fairly well, basically because of our workrate.

It's far easier to get the crowd onside when they see the hard work being done on the pitch. The crowd responded and it was good to have that sort of atmosphere at a home game.

The half seemed to take about two days to complete. Emotions stretched to the limit. Hopes and fears. VP shuffled the pack and formation which provided a distraction. Thankfully the rate of challenges and tackling remained high and Sa was only called on to make a couple of saves.

Finally, with almost the last kick of the game, we could celebrate without fear of being premature. Cunha put the icing on the cake with a clinical finish and the three points were banked. 

More team performances like that then the more positive, and hopeful, we'll all be.

John Lalley

First things first. After four defeats in a row, the knives were being sharpened for Vitor Pereira; out of his depth and unproven in this league, too defensively-minded and wholly unlikely to address our slide towards relegation. And ultimately the Jeremiahs may still be proved right; but the tactics he employed for this game and the towering response that he eked out of every Wolves’ player suggests that he understands the requirements necessary for survival. 

We always think we know better; I groaned audibly when Bellegarde’s name was announced. Fancied that Sarabia would be swallowed up by Villa’s power and wondered whether Toti would be a liability after his recent absence. The three of them amply proved my reservations to be massively misguided.

 My oesophagus was clogged to bursting point full of a delicious tasting of humble pie from the moment Cunha gloriously settled the issue. Suggesting that this current Wolves’ team defended with resolution and character is just about the biggest oxymoron in the footballing lexicon, but that’s exactly what happened. 

Toti was colossal, Doherty again appeared rejuvenated and Agbadou was simply inspirational. We were breached only a couple of times but Sa responded superbly. Had we taken the gilt-edged chances we wasted prior to the interval, this surely would have been a comfortable victory without the inevitable tension created by only having a narrow lead. 

Villa are a top side but this was unequivocally our day, and best of all, Molineux responded in kind. The fantastic atmosphere that can be generated at the ground reverberated throughout and what a difference it all makes. Pride restored both locally and nationally; pray that it proves significant in the long run.