Injury time has taken on different meanings for Wolverhampton Wanderers of late, but they have both been damaging. The absence of Raul Jimenez, who fractured his skull at Arsenal, threatens to derail their season. A derby defeat came in added time on Saturday.
Facing 10 men, after Douglas Luiz’s dismissal, Wolves contrived to cost themselves a point and a player. John McGinn wriggled away from Nelson Semedo, the Portuguese responded by tripping the Scot in the box and the substitute Anwar El Ghazi converted the resulting penalty.
It brought Aston Villa a fourth away win, twice last season’s tally, and victory in Dean Smith’s 500th game as a manager. “A great result,” he said. For Wolves, however, it got still worse, as Joao Moutinho collected his second caution, and the game’s 11th, to trudge off and get himself banned for Tuesday’s clash with Chelsea.
Frustration can be a consequence of impotence. Wolves could rue the excellence of Emi Martinez, who has kept a clean sheet in each of those away wins and who made a brilliant save from Leander Dendoncker, but the damning statistic is that they have only scored 11 goals in 12 league games.
“We had good chances, clear chances,” said manager Nuno Espirito Santo. “Being more clinical is something we need.”
Selling Diogo Jota, who has made a flying start at Liverpool, only increased Jimenez’s importance, and now they are deprived of a man who scored 27 times last campaign. “As a team we have to find solutions,” Nuno said.
While Wolves paid tribute to Jimenez, their fortunes may rest on the youthful shoulders of his expensive but untried understudy. “Fuerza Raul,” read a banner, paid for by fans in a message of strength to the Mexican. A plane flew over Molineux, displaying similar sentiments.
On the pitch, the 18-year-old Fabio Silva was inches away from a first senior goal for Wolves, his shot rebounding off the inside of the post. “He worked well,” Nuno added. Wolves paid for potential rather than past performance, forking out a club record £35 million ($46.2m) for a player with a solitary goal for Porto. An audacious overhead kick also hinted as his talent, without answering the questions of where the goals will come from for Wolves.
The Mexican was focal point and finisher. That Nuno has abandoned his innate preference for a back three is a sign he recognises Wolves need to be more attacking, but they played 4-4-2 with too few goalscorers. There was a familiar failing: a side who tend to be slow starters showed insufficient urgency in the first 35 minutes.
Thereafter, Martinez added to his fine early impression since joining, denying Daniel Podence, Dendoncker and Romain Saiss. “When they had their spells of good pressure, we were indebted to our goalkeeper,” added Smith.
Villa had rarely threatened themselves, apart from a shot Douglas Luiz dragged wide and a deflected Ollie Watkins effort that drew a fine save from Rui Patricio. Then the Brazilian’s 85th-minute red card seemed to hand Wolves the initiative. Instead, Villa were the winners.
