Shropshire Star

Nuno: Raul Jimenez is in good hands

Nuno Espirito Santo insists Raul Jimenez is 'in good hands' and is proud of Wolves' performance to seal an emotional victory at Arsenal.

Published
Last updated
Nuno Espirito Santo (AMA)

The Mexican required oxygen as he was stretchered off early on at the Emirates after a clash of heads with David Luiz, but Nuno's pack put in a brilliant performance in the difficult circumstances to win 2-1.

Pedro Neto and Daniel Podence scored in their first triumph on the road against the Gunners since 1979, and Nuno confirmed Jimenez regained consciousness upon being taken to hospital, with Wolves now awaiting his scan results.

Nuno said: "You start hearing code red. It's serious. It was a bad moment for everybody. You see panic in their (medical staff) eyes and you start thinking how is he?

"He's being assessed now, he's being assessed. He's with doctor Matt Perry, so he's in good hands.

"It was a serious, big impact, but he's aware and with the doctor.

"Like I said, he's in good hands with Matt. He's being taken care of."

Jimenez collided with Luiz, who was bandaged up and carried on before being taken off at the start of the second period, just minutes into the match.

Wolves, after a long break in play while the striker received treatment from a team of medics, showed both character and attacking prowess in spades to go into the break ahead, with Neto and Podence scoring either side of Gabriel's reply for the hosts.

Nuno's pack then managed to see it out amid sustained pressure from Arsenal towards the end, to grab their first success at the Emirates.

"I think it was a tough game, first of all. A very tough game. It required a lot from the boys," said Nuno.

"I think we had to be disciplined, have organisation and believe. The way they run and compensate each other, helping each other fill the gaps.

"They were closing the pockets, and all these things make up our foundation. We did really well against a very tough team.

"And with the ball we created lots of problems to Arsenal, we were able to unlock their press and have good spells with the ball and good combinations.

"We had good one-v-ones, so it was a good game. It required (effort), filling the gaps and sticking together.

"But we were organised. We allowed them to have the ball and they have quality in the wide areas, but the team was well.

"We should have had a little bit more of the ball and really try to punish them in two-v-two situations, so there's that to improve."

Wolves moved up to sixth in the Premier League, getting back to winning ways after a loss to Leicester and draw with Southampton.

Nuno also carried on with the new four-at-the-back system that was surprisingly implemented against the Saints.

"I think we have to improve, but at the same time, I think it's something I think can make us better moving forward," added Nuno, who had previously played with three in defence throughout his three years at the Wolves helm.

"We did it in the previous game and again here. It's all about finding solutions for the team so we can keep improving, because the next games are so tough. They will require a lot from us."