The bottom-ranked Wolves beat rivals Aston Villa 2-0 at Molineux, breaking Derby County’s record for the lowest points in Premier League history and avoiding unpleasant history.
The game went into the 45th minute and Villa wasted several chances to take the lead through Ollie Watkins and centre-back Paulo Torres.
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Jose Sa produced a superb second-half save to keep out Ian Maatson and Rodrigo Gomez sealed victory in the final minute of injury time as the hosts held on to extend the deficit to 13 points, surpassing the Rams’ record of 11 points in 2007/08 and denying Unai Emre’s side a first win on Rangers’ soil in five years.
as it happens
Wolves were sent off not once but twice in the first 10 minutes after Morgan Rogers curled Matty Cash’s pass through Santiago Bueno’s legs and through Ollie Watkins’ shot.
Centre-back Jessen Mosquera blocked the striker’s shot with the outside of his boot, but it was all but meaningless when Paulo Torres’ header in acres of space was unlucky to miss.
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It was the home team’s turn to waste a great opportunity. Mosquera fired a free kick into Villa’s 18-yard penalty area and headed the ball towards the goal. His defensive colleague Totti volleyed side-footed from behind.
The game was very much a basketball game and Villa were soon closing in at the other end with Douglas Luiz’s powerful volley – from Matty Cash’s cross – heading straight towards Jose Sa.
Villa were often in very promising positions in the final third but were unable to create chances for Watkins, who became increasingly isolated while Wolves themselves struggled to make progress.
Both sides created few chances in the second half, with Unai Emery forced to make a substitution just after the hour mark, with Leon Bailey and Ross Barkley both coming on to try to provide a much-needed spark.
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They soon had a mountain to climb, as Gomez passed the ball to right winger Jackson Chachua, who crossed from the right side to Adam Armstrong, who scored a touchdown and was shot by the player who initiated the attack.
After Ross Barkley passed the ball to the Dutch full-back, Sa was asked to keep out Ian Maatson’s shot from inside the area, and time was running out for Villa to create any more chances.
Just seven minutes before the game was declared over, substitute Tolu Arokodare broke through on the counterattack, frustrating the ever-dynamic Emrey on the touchline, before Gomez’s long-range shot was blocked.
In stoppage time, Mattson almost equalized the score again, but Sa stood firm and made a wonderful save. Then Mosquera made a clearance, and cheers rang out in the home stands.
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Villa were delighted when Rodrigo Gomez handed Villa a devastating defeat and Arokodare struck back again and found Andre, whose shot was blocked by the Portuguese full-back.
The defeat leaves Aston Villa at risk of slipping down the table, as United will be level on 51 points with their rivals if they take maximum points at home to Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Wolves’ fate may have been sealed, still 16 points adrift of Premier League safety, but they will take solace in having managed to pull off another upset and move past Derby County’s record-low 11 points.
Wolves analysis: Lack of end product will hurt top-flight status
Ahead of their clash with Villa, most, if not all, of the discussion surrounding Wolves inevitably returned to the age-old question that’s been around since 2008: Will they end up scoring less than Villa? That Derby team?
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The answer right now is a resounding no.
Wanderers’ 10 points equal Derby County’s total after 28 games almost two decades ago and, as is unfortunately the case with the Rams, time is running out for Rob Edward and his side to avoid setting a new record that will take some serious hits. If that’s the word.
Should they stay where they are? No, according to their expected points. By this metric, Wolves would not only be 18th in the table, but they would be level on 30 points with West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur, rather than 16 points behind Vito Pereira’s Nottingham Forest. Instead, they finished last with 7.6 fewer goals than they should have.
Villa may have been in the lead throughout but were not at their best end-to-end in the first half. The wolf couldn’t catch them at all. While Totti isn’t a natural goalscorer, he at least had to force a save from Argentina’s number one, Emi Martinez, with his cushioned volley.
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Sky Sports co-commentator Don Goodman said one thing after the game: “I’d be surprised if Wolves produced something better than this tonight.” While many expected they would fulfill the prophecy, that proved to be wrong.
They are undoubtedly the worst attacking and defensive team in the top flight but have managed to beat leaders Arsenal twice and their local rivals and their supporters will be left to ponder how different the level of resistance and, most importantly, the final product on display tonight might have been.
