WOLVES ARE AT THE DOOR
Nuno’s heroes are rattling the Prem big guns, they fear nothing and are relishing Wembley after inflicting a second straight defeat on Solskjaer
WOLVES supporters are getting used to this. The elite of English football turn up at Molineux in the FA Cup and leave after a chasing.
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool arrived in January on top of the Premier League and were sent packing in the third round.
On Saturday it was the turn of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s resurgent Manchester United.
And striker Raul Jimenez says Wolves now fear no one after a deserved quarter-final victory.
That reflects the huge progress made under boss Nuno Espirito Santo. Wolves, who are seventh, have beaten or held all the teams above them in the Premier League this term in either the league or cup.
Mexican hitman Jimenez continued his superb form as both he and his electric strikepartner Diogo Jota netted in the second half to hand United their second defeat in a week.
Jimenez, who now has 15 goals after also scoring in the draw at Chelsea last weekend, insisted: “We deserve this. It’s an amazing experience. We are fighting for our dream and we are like a big family.
“Together we can do special things. We are looking forward to it and we want to fight on.
“Sometimes it’s like we play better against the big teams.”
Wolves held Manchester City to a 1-1 draw on the third weekend of the season and have since beaten Chelsea and Spurs in the Premier League as well as Liverpool, and now United, in the FA Cup.
United faded after a bright start and failed to trouble keeper John Ruddy until Marcus Rashford’s stoppagetime consolation.
They found Wolves determined, highly organised and motivated. Jimenez and Jota both might have scored earlier but were denied by fine saves from Sergio Romero.
Yet Romero was finally beaten in the 70th minute by Jimenez’s shot on the turn after a superb run by the majestic Joao Moutinho.
Six minutes later Jota left Luke Shaw floundering to race clear and score his seventh of the season as his rapport with Jimenez continues to blossom.
Jimenez added: “I’m very happy for Diogo and for all the team that we are making a difference. In the beginning it took Diogo and I a little bit more time than we expected but, now we are doing this, we don’t want to stop.”
Jota was acquired permanently for a bargain £12.8milWolves
lion last summer by Wolves, who spent £100m following promotion. On-loan Jimenez is in line to join permanently from Benfica for £30m this summer.
He said: “It feels very good to be here. I was looking for this sort of feeling since I arrived in Europe, to have this confidence.
“Now that I have it I don’t want to lose it.”
Jimenez has already scored and won once at Wembley this term when Wolves beat Spurs 3-1 in December.
He said: “It’s very important for us to have that experience that we can do it against anyone. It’s a stadium that has good memories for me. In 2012 we won the gold medal with Mexico too (a 2-1 win over Brazil at the London Olympics).
“I am unbeaten there. I will keep doing my best and help the team to be in the final.”
The Molineux club’s last major honour was the League Cup in 1980 when Andy Gray was leading the line for Wolves and Brian Clough was in the Nottingham Forest dugout. Just 10 months earlier Forest had won the European Cup.
Wolves have lifted the FA Cup four times – their last triumph in 1960. But they have lost the last four semi-finals they have reached.
Wolves, who meet Watford in the semi-final, are second favourites behind Manchester City to lift the trophy.
They won it in 1948-49 when they beat both Liverpool and Manchester United en route.
Wolves fans will now hope history repeats itself.