Wolves Fans' Verdict v Brentford: Bees beaten at their own game

Adam Virgo

What an incredible run we are on currently, Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho are a ridiculous duo and following Wolves up and down the country is so much fun at the moment.

A game full of drama, first half was overshadowed by a drone and that’s not surprising with a lack of quality from both sides. Choosing to go and have a beer whilst the drone situation was happening was a fantastic decision.

We started the second half with real intent. An unbelievable finish from Moutinho and the build up to it was special, Lage ball in full tact.

It felt like we had control and Brentford weren’t really threatening Sa but then Toney scores off a free kick, which somehow the ref gave Toti Gomes a red card for. Thankfully he watched it back and changed his decision. Good finish in all fairness and they are strong from set pieces too.

I was a little worried because they had the momentum and I thought that might have pushed them to grab a winner but we fought back and pressed high again which was a tactical masterclass from Lage.

The winning goal from Neves was lovely, Dendoncker did brilliant in the build up and I loved the way Ait Nouri and Moutinho both played it across until it came to Neves who was always going to strike it from there.

Moutinho looked gone last season but he has been exceptional this season, him and Neves’ partnership is phenomenal and I absolutely love them. I hope Ruben Neves never leaves us, give him an unlimited contract and whatever he wants.

John Lalley

Bizarre game; beautiful result. Doodlebugs returning over London sending the players scurrying to the safety of the air-raid shelter, a hapless referee losing his microphone and rescinding a red card, two Brentford players knocking each other senseless and the delicious feeling of schadenfreude as Thomas Frank received the heartiest helping of just desserts as his histrionic bleating saw him delivered of a richly earned red card.

Oh yes, those two sublime match-winning strikes from Portugal’s finest didn’t come amiss either! I’ve got plenty of respect for Brentford and what they have achieved with limited resources. They have been a breath of fresh air to Premier football and earlier this season they did a number on Wolves at Molineux, deservedly taking the points and leaving us looking decidedly ordinary in the process.

Bruno Lage didn’t whinge or look for excuses, he didn’t trip on self-indulgence as Thomas Frank chose to do this time around. Lage concentrated solely on improving instead.

Once in the lead at Molineux, Brentford took gamesmanship to another stratosphere; it seemed that they couldn’t execute a task as simple as a throw-in without the non-partisan analysis of a referendum, alongside a focus group plebiscite followed by the data from a Gallup poll just to be on the safe side. Then weigh up the results and repeat the process. Tedious beyond words and in light of their performance, wholly unnecessary.

Thomas Frank lapped up every wasted second of it with absolute bare-faced relish. Comeuppance with knobs on. Goose and gander time I reckon; a dish best served cold Mr. Frank. Your own approval ratings are fast declining. Enjoy the touchline ban!

Anyway, retaining concentration could not have been easy and in truth, when a disappointing first half finally meandered to a belated conclusion, there was little to separate the teams. Cue Joao Moutinho who gloriously doubled his usual season’s quota of goals with a strike that eclipsed his memorable Old Trafford winner.

It’s a rarity indeed for two of our midfielders to trouble the scorers; Ruben Neves was outstanding once again and he deservedly had the final word. He was significantly missed last week despite the superb result against Southampton. It’s no coincidence that this excellent run of results we are currently enjoying is in no small measure due to a real upsurge of form from Neves.

After a worryingly extended period of minimal influence, he has rediscovered the class and the exuberance that so excited us during his initial days at Molineux. His leadership these days is exemplary and under Lage he appears to have the licence to express himself to the full in contrast to the safety-first straightjacket of last season. Completely rejuvenated, he looks a terrific player easy and at home against just about anybody.

A shame that Adama Traore’s likely final touch of the ball on our behalf should not count as his definitive leaving statement. Instead, VAR ruled that this disallowed outcome seemed likely to encapsulate his Wolves’ career. So near and yet so far, much promise diluted by much frustration.

We never really ever fully worked him out; if it is the finale, no regrets and good luck to him; at his best he was awesome. Sheer raw power.

Another terrific result; when Brentford won at Molineux in the sunshine, I feared the worst. What the players and Bruno Lage have achieved since then is remarkable; truly first-class and all under the radar of the pundit intelligentsia. But who cares what they think? Damn sure I don’t!

Russ Evers

So what more does a game need to contain to move up the Match of the Day running order? Three brilliant goals, another brilliant finish falling victim to VAR, a red card overturned in our favour, their manager sent off, massive delays due to a bad clash of heads between two Brentford players, a drone and the ref’s Playstation refusing to work leading to a record 27 minutes added time in the game – all played out in a Meccano/Lego mix of a stadium shoved between blocks of flats.

Every player did their part from the composure of our back three, the tenacity of our ‘keeper, the hardworking and running of the front pair and just a sublime masterclass from our Portuguese duo in midfield who just seem to be getting better and better.

A great day out!

Clive Smith

Well, none of us will forget our first trip to the new Brentford ground. A game of three halves.

Our performance was full of the usual adjectives. Gritty, determined, resilient and organised. Of these being organised stood out predominantly because everyone played well and covered when a wing-back became stranded as an attack broke down.

It meant we were rarely exposed, protected our box and made Brentford look very average in open play. Only from set pieces, usually throw-ins, did they look likely to get an attempt on goal.

At the other end we progressed neatly with several passing moves, the drawback being getting touches in their box. After two decent outings from Silva it was a shame he could not get on the scoresheet. A neat move with Dendonker gave him the chance to make it 2-0 but his effort went wide. There was nothing wrong with his work rate and commitment but his touch and physical presence still needs improvement. His efforts were loudly appreciated by the away end when he walked past after being substituted. He must have been encouraged by that.

Defensively we were good, Coady in particular with his long range passing in full swing. His two young colleagues were busy at times and a little more rushed with their clearances. Semedo had more touches in the opposition half than his own which showed our preferred attacking route.

Unsung heroes were Podence and Dendonker who each put in an excellent shift covering and finding space. Both too linked up superbly with our dynamic duo in the middle. Moutinho and MOTM Neves did everything you want your midfielders to do. Can’t praise them too highly based on their game today. Capping it with a goal each was excellent too. When we eventually venture into the transfer market to find an upgrade it will cost a significant sum.

Traore nearly put the icing on the cake with a late goal. If he does leave, we will miss the option of bringing him on for the final fifteen minutes of games. We have no-one else who offers that super sub potential.

The team has a good momentum at the moment, it is a shame we have no game this week.

Matt Cooper

In a game that had absolutely everything, it threatened to have absolutely nothing. Something I never thought I’d say is that the drone changed the game.

Before the incident, Wolves looked sluggish and sloppy but still kept defensively tight with both teams rarely threatening each other’s goal. Once play had resumed, Wolves seemed to get more of a foothold in the game and this continued in the second half. On the two occasions Wolves got the ball down and played, dragging Brentford players out of position with off-the-ball runs, they scored two wonderful goals. Once Wolves upped the ante, you could see the difference in quality between the two teams.

The goal was a cheap one to give away – especially from a set-piece as before the last two games, Wolves had failed to concede from a set-piece all season.

A massive three points on the road and a 100 per cent record in January. A huge eight days await.

Rob Cartwright

We were treated to another fabulous away day, which will live long in the memory for a variety of reasons. This will be another of those “I was there” games in years to come.

- a new stadium;

- a gutsy Wolves performance;

- the sheer brilliance of Moutinho and Neves;

- very poor refereeing;

- probably, Traore’s last game for Wolves;

- a drone delay resulting in a total of 26 minutes added time. Unbelievable.

The stadium was a great disappointment. Nothing about it inspired me. We couldn’t hear anything being said over the tannoy, so relied on mobiles to know it was a drone that forced the players to leave the pitch!

What pleased me most was that Wolves played Brentford at their own game and came out on top. This is a true mark of how far we have developed under Bruno, as it was only September when they came to Molineux and stifled the game, bullied us and time wasted to get the away win. I wasn’t sure we had it in us to play that way, but we did it while maintaining style and flair which created two brilliant goals.

Neves and Moutinho were simply superb. Not just their goals which were icing on the cake, they dominated the midfield area throughout the game. Their tackling and passing was a delight to watch. Neves distribution leaves me in awe time and time again. Dendoncker contributed too with his best game for a long while.

It’s a sign of good form when you are so disappointed to concede a goal. The defence had been rock solid, but following the delay surrounding the ridiculous red card for Toti and the subsequent VAR review, they completely switched off when the resulting free kick was taken. A lesson for sure! All level with 20 minutes to go. No thoughts about holding on. Bruno turned to Traore, who was so unlucky to have his goal disallowed by VAR.

Ait-Nouri and Semedo were both excellent. No need to rush Jonny back as I’m not sure he would get in at the moment. Semedo was involved in both goals and finally is having the impact his play has deserved.

Special mention for Fabio Silva, who lead the line well and showed strength and energy while not really getting the run of the ball. Despite what Jonathan Pearce said on Match of the Day, the boy has turned into a man. Podence was superb again. He’s a real bundle of joy with plenty of fire in his belly and creates havoc for 90 minutes, or rather 113 minutes he played in this game!

The winner came from a superb move involving ten Wolves player passes before Neves shot from the edge of the box. He was my Man of the Match.

The red card for the Brentford manager was lovely to see. We had played him at his own game and came out on top. He just couldn’t take it.