OPINION
Wolves beat Man United 2-1 for the second time in 17 days at Molineux last night and it was the perfect tonic ahead of what they’ll see as a very winnable FA Cup semi-final against Watford on Sunday. It leaves them in seventh place in the Premier League, almost unthinkable for a team that’s only just come up from the Championship. It took an own goal from Chris Smalling last night, but Wolves were good value for the win – by contrast, Man United were woeful and their performance will be a real worry for new manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The game threw up a number of talking points for Wolves fans – here are the three things we learned from their display in front of a jubilant Molineux crowd on Wednesday night.
Wolves are the real deal
Much has been made of the link with super agent Jorge Mendes, with some Championship managers complaining about their conduct last season. But to carry on down that road now is unfair and does manager Nuno a real disservice. It’s not easy making the transition from the Championship to the Premier League. Wolves have come up and played some brilliant football, and their performances against the top six have been the most impressive part of a brilliant season. Take Man United as a prime example. Last night’s victory means they they’ve played the Premier League giants three times, won two and drawn the other. And they were unlucky not to win that one. Wolves are here to stay and the question must be now, will they qualify for Europe this season and how high could they go in the 19/20 league?
FA Cup is within reach
It’s tough to look at the FA Cup semi-finals and see the trophy going anywhere but Man City, but Wolves have a real shot at upsetting them and lifting the trophy. A semi-final against Watford is about as good as you can expect and we think they’ll have too much for Javi Gracia’s side. In a one-off at Wembley, Man City will obviously be favourites but Wolves can shock them. Ignore the 3-0 defeat to Pep’s side in January when Willy Boly was sent off and look back to the 1-1 draw in August. Man City might have dominated the possession but they went a goal down and could have lost. Nuno has the perfect game plan for teams like Man City and it’s set to be an exciting clash if both sides get through their semis. Of course, there’s always the slim chance that Brighton do Wolves (or Watford!) a massive favour but we’re not holding our breath.
Jimenez is a true PL star
There have been a number of standout stars for Wolves this season – Rui Patricio and Diogo Jota for two – but Wolves striker Raul Jimenez has really come into his own since the January transfer window. Wolves came really close to adding Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham at the end of the window, but he decided to stay with Aston Villa. Since the end of January Jimenez, 27, has taken up that challenge, scoring six goals in his last nine league games. That makes him 15 goals and eight assists in 32 games across all competitions and he’ll be a real threat for any team – even Man City. Wolves have an option to buy him for £34million in the summer and that looks like a real steal right now.