Mutiny at Molineux as Maddison hits heights
Wolves fans in revolt after ruthless Foxes run riot
THERE is mutiny in the air at Molineux but breathing space for Brendan Rodgers after Leicester City gave Wolves a brutal lesson in finishing.
A second win in four days — and their first away from home this season — saw Leicester move off the foot of the Premier League table and up to 16th.
Wolves, on the other hand, sank to second from bottom and deeper into crisis after a third defeat in four games under caretaker boss Steve Davis.
Unrest among supporters over the botched search for a new manager turned into outright hostility towards technical director Scott Sellars just after the hour.
Although chairman Jeff Shi would be the more obvious target after sacking Bruno Lage and then getting a custard pie in the face from Julen Lopetegui and Michael Beale, Sellars has been accused of meddling in first-team affairs.
‘Scott Sellars, get out of our club,’ chanted the home fans. Davis, who has been put in charge until the new year as the search for a permanent appointment goes on, stuck up for the former Newcastle and Blackburn forward.
‘I was surprised,’ he said. ‘I pick the team with James Collins. We make decisions on the substitutions and the shape. No interruptions from Scott.’
If Wolves have rather stumbled through the managerial minefield that is the Midlands, Leicester are reaping the benefit of sticking by Rodgers during a rocky spell. They look more like their old selves and Rodgers like a manager who is no longer glancing nervously over his shoulder.
‘We knew the results would turn,’ he said. ‘I was only looking at the next game but I always felt this team would progress.’
This game can be summed up in one statistic: Wolves had 21 shots but could not score, whereas Leicester had five and scored four. Sometimes it is that simple.
Wolves played very well for long periods, but a strike rate of five goals from 12 games this season tells its own story. They peppered Danny Ward’s goal from the start but were two down inside 19 minutes.
Leicester had not even got out of their own half when Youri Tielemans fired them ahead with a spectacular strike.
James Maddison’s free-kick from the left was headed clear to Tielemans on the edge of the box. The Belgian let it bounce before sending a dipping shot towards the top corner and in off the post. It was not as sweet as his winning goal against Chelsea in the 2021 FA Cup final but it was sensational all the same. ‘I used the spin on the ball and tried to hit it. It went perfectly,’ beamed Tielemans.
If that felt like a sucker punch for Wolves after a bright start, they were soon hit with another. This time the goal was too easy. Wout Faes carried the ball forward and fed it to Maddison who swept a pass out to Harvey Barnes. Barnes ran at Jonny who stumbled as the Leicester No 7 played a one-two with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and guided the ball past Jose Sa.
Maddison (left) put the result beyond doubt in the 65th minute and the frustration of Wolves fans boiled over. Substitute Jamie Vardy found Maddison 30 yards from goal and looked for a return pass, but Maddison bounced off Adama Traore and accelerated away from Nathan Collins before lashing a shot past Sa.
Vardy got his goal after Leicester pounced on a poor pass by Max Kilman. Timothy Castagne hunted down the ball and crossed to the edge of the six-yard box where Vardy was never going to miss.
Wolves are in a relegation battle, make no mistake, and must fight it with a caretaker manager in charge for the foreseeable future.
‘Losing 4-0 at home is horrible. The pain of today is tough to take,’ said Davis. ‘It’s very early in the season, but it has to change. We can’t be saying this beyond the World Cup. We have to be getting points to give everybody hope.’