Wolverhampton Wanderers moved out of the Premier League relegation zone thanks to a battling 2-0 derby win over Aston Villa.
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Buoyed by defeats for Leicester City and Ipswich Town earlier on Saturday, Wolves took their chance to push out of the bottom three at Molineux.
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde opened the scoring in the 12th minute, with Matheus Cunha making the points safe deep into second-half stoppage time.
Villa were unhappy that Donyell Malen had a would-be equaliser disallowed in the 54th minute, but the visitors, who were perhaps suffering a hangover from their UEFA Champions League exploits in midweek, were far from at their best.
Wolves are now 17th, two points clear of danger, while Villa sit in eighth.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
24 | +13 | 41 |
| 6 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
23 | +15 | 40 |
| 7 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
24 | +13 | 40 |
| 8 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
24 | -3 | 37 |
| 9 |
Fulham
FUL
|
24 | +4 | 36 |
How the match unfolded
The hosts’ front-foot approach paid off when a well-worked team move culminated in Pablo Sarabia feeding Bellegarde, who slammed the ball in at Emiliano Martinez’s near post.
Cunha might have made it 2-0 in the 36th minute, but having shrugged aside Boubacar Kamara, he was unable to beat Martinez, with Goncalo Guedes hammering wide on the rebound.
Guedes missed two more big chances before half-time. First, he fired wide after latching onto Bellegarde’s through-ball, before he was thwarted by a fine Martinez save.
Malen was one of four substitutes introduced by Unai Emery for the second half, and it seemed he had tucked in an equaliser from a well-worked free-kick routine.
However, the goal was disallowed for offside with VAR confirming the decision; Morgan Rogers was deemed to have interfered with play by impacting Nelson Semedo's ability to challenge for the ball.
Having weathered a wave of pressure, albeit without their goalkeeper Jose Sa being overly troubled, Wolves scored the second goal their performance merited when Cunha pounced on Ezri Konsa’s error and drilled home emphatically in the 97th minute.
Wolves get their bite back
Vitor Pereira had a fantastic start as Wolves boss, though his team came into this encounter on the back of four straight league defeats.
Yet they showed their intent from the off, and the move that resulted in Bellegarde’s opener was not one that would necessarily be associated with a team scrapping for safety at the foot of the table, as Wolves worked it patiently from the left wing before Sarabia provided the incisive pass.
Cunha and Guedes might feel they should have done better with their one-on-one opportunities, though Martinez did make himself big to keep Villa in contention.
It looked as though Wolves would be punished for a defensive lapse – and those earlier misses – when Malen nudged home, but the offside flag and the subsequent VAR check ensured a reprieve. From there, Wolves defended stoutly, with Sa only called upon late in the match.
And fittingly, star man Cunha – who had been mooted as a potential transfer target for Villa – capped off an excellent individual display with a thumping finish late on.
A trip to Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup comes next, before Wolves face a daunting visit to Anfield to face Liverpool.
Villa suddenly short up top
There has been plenty of transfer speculation surrounding Villa over the past week. On Friday, Jhon Duran – the talented youngster who has had a great impact from the bench this season – was sold to Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr in a big-money deal.
That has left Emery shorn of a backup striker, though, and if media reports are to be believed, Villa are making a move for Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford on loan.
And after Saturday, that is a move that could well be vital for Villa to complete, with talisman Ollie Watkins having sustained an injury during the first half.
That meant Malen had to fill in up front as Villa looked to turn the tide after the break, and the visitors were largely toothless despite the Dutchman’s endeavour.
Villa may well feel hard done by when it comes to Malen’s disallowed goal, but this was a poor display by their high standards – indeed, they only went close again when Malen forced Sa into action in the 90th minute.
Konsa’s blunder at the back for Cunha’s victory-sealing strike summed up the visitors' below-par display.
While time will tell if they get a deal for Rashford over the line, Villa's immediate concern could well be Watkins’ fitness ahead of an FA Cup clash with Tottenham Hotspur next week, before they take on Ipswich on 15 February.
Club reports
What the managers said
Vitor Pereira: "Very happy. Very proud. We played a tough game. Tactically we played with quality. We played as a team with true spirit, working together and suffering together. We know this kind of team [Villa] will come strong and try everything. We organised the block. A clean sheet for us. For everyone we are happy."
Unai Emery: "We tried. We started very well in the first 15 minutes but when they scored the goal it was more difficult to come back. We had more chances to score the second goal and in the second half we tried to push. We competed better but we had two chances to score and maybe if we score it is different. Over 90 minutes, we deserved more."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Aston Villa have lost six of their last eight Premier League away matches (W1 D1). Indeed, no side has lost more often on the road than the Villans since the start of November (six, same as Leicester City).
Wolves have kept three clean sheets in their eight Premier League matches since Vitor Pereira was appointed, more than they had in their final 33 games under Gary O’Neil (two).
Cunha is just the second player to reach the milestone of 25 Premier League goals for Wolves after Raul Jimenez (40).
Villa have failed to scored in six of their 24 Premier League matches this season, as many times as in the whole of the 2023/24 campaign.
