OPINION
Wolverhampton Wanderers ensured that their FA Cup fairytale continued on Saturday as they booked their place in the semi finals with a 2-1 win over Manchester United.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were the better outfit from start to finish and probably should have won more comfortably then they did in the end.
Two goals in six minutes from Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota sealed the deal for Wolves as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s bubble was burst for the second time in six days.
As usual there is plenty to be gleaned from the game, and This is Futbol has rounded up three things that can be learned from Wolves’ stunning win over the Red Devils.
Bennett surely concerned by Saiss display
Romain Saiss was given a run out at centre back in place of regular starter Ryan Bennett on Saturday and he rewarded his manager’s faith with a terrific performance filled with endeavour and fine technical ability.
The 28-year-old has been tremendous in recent weeks and his excellent form continued once again against United. He bossed his side of the defence, coping admirably with the opposition’s coterie of attacking weapons.
Bennett will surely have been green with envy as he watched from the bench and will undoubtedly be concerned about his first team spot moving forward. Saiss ensured that United had little joy offensively and should be handed a long run in the team as a result.
Ruddy shows he is perfect cup ‘keeper
John Ruddy has been consigned to the role of cup goalkeeper this season after the arrival of Portugal number one Rui Patricio last summer. However, he showed on Saturday that he is perfectly suited to that role.
The Englishman is someone who has experience as a Premier League number one, so Wolves are very lucky to have him as their back up. He was in good form once again here, providing a strong wall that United failed to get past until very late on.
Earlier in the game he held a fierce long range drive from Marcus Rashford, succeeding where Paris Saint-Germain’s Gianluigi Buffon failed recently. All in all, a nice evening’s work for the former Norwich City man.
Jimenez worth every penny of transfer clause
Earlier this week the Express & Star reported that Wolves are increasingly likely to take up their option to sign loan star Jimenez on a permanent basis for around £30million in the summer.
That’s a lot of money, certainly, but the Mexican international is showing that he’d be worth every penny. Wolves are hugely reliant on him and he is rewarding their faith on a weekly basis at this point.
It’s 15 goals and seven assists now for the season and seven strikes in his last 10 games in all competitions. That’s a phenomenal record and Nuno would be absolutely crazy not to pull the trigger on a permanent deal for the 27-year-old come the end of the campaign.