Wolverhampton Wanderers delivered one of the best Premier League comebacks seen this season against Southampton, and there is no doubt that Julen Lopetegui will be thrilled with the resilience that his team showed at St Mary’s this afternoon.
His side have pulled further away from the relegation zone, now sitting five points clear of Everton in 18th after snatching all three points from the south coast today.
Despite being away from home, Wolves dominated possession (59%), completed more passes (387 v 227) and won more tackles (19 v 16) than the Saints, which is an even more impressive output when you consider the drama which unfolded in the first half this afternoon.
Lopetegui’s side found themselves 1-0 down when Carlos Alcaraz found the net in the 24th minute, but it was what happened just three minutes later which could have completely changed the state of play as Mario Lemina was sent off after picking up two yellow cards.
The former Saints midfielder was booked in the ninth minute and shown a second yellow card when he was reportedly running aggressively towards the referee to question a decision made, leaving Wolves at a massive disadvantage with just ten men left on the team for the next 63 minutes.
In the second half, Wolves were determined to deliver a positive response despite the odds being stacked against them, and they couldn’t have put on a more resilient display. Jan Bednarek gifted them an equaliser with an owl goal in the 72nd minute and Joao Gomes then plundered an 87th-minute winner.
While Gomes was the match-winner for Wolves this afternoon, it was Ruben Neves who held the team together, ran the game and dominated in midfield to cover for Lemina’s absence, which ultimately inspired the positive outcome and saved the day for his side.
How did Ruben Neves play against Southampton?
During his 90 minutes on the pitch, the 25-year-old titan had 98 touches and completed 68 passes and 13 long balls, also making two tackles, three duels and one interception (Sofascore) as he was massively influential throughout Wolves’ unlikely comeback .
The Portugal international has been one of the most consistent and reliable performers for the club since he joined when they were in the Championship back in 2017 and it is no wonder that he had been attracting attention from the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool, with today’s performance a perfect example of his talents.
Keeping hold of Neves won’t be easy for Wolves when they head into the summer transfer window if he continues to perform at such a high level, but if Lopetegui can convince him to stay, it would put the Old Gold in a great position to compete for a much more ambitious finish next season.
Nevertheless, today’s result will be a huge relief for the players, manager and supporters going into their clash against Bournemouth next week and will take some of the pressure off as they look over their shoulder at the relegation scrap near the bottom of the table.