MAT EYES HISTORY
Cunha just can’t wait for Baggies
MATHEUS CUNHA is determined to earn a place in Wolves folklore after setting up a mouthwatering Black Country derby in the FA Cup.
Gary O’Neil’s men will travel to fierce rivals West Brom in the fourth round on Sunday week after Cunha’s extra-time penalty earned them a 3-2 replay win over Brentford.
It promises to be one of the ties of the round, with Carlos Corberan’s Albion, fifth in the Championship, having won four of their last five matches and looking capable of springing an upset against their Premier League neighbours.
Brazil striker Cunha is no stranger to the big occasion and the former Atletico Madrid star vowed it is one that he will relish.
“A lot of fans said we needed to win against Brentford because it’s a big derby,” said Cunha.
“The last goal was a trophy for everybody. The group is incredible. We showed this in a lot of games and it’s another game to be confident about in this team.
“I’m very happy to play derbies – I’ve played Brazil-Argentina,
Real Madrid-Atletico Madrid, and now I really want to play Wolves-West Brom and make history.”
That is precisely what Cunha and his teammates will need to do as the record books favour Albion. Wolves have failed to win any of the last four meetings between the sides – three of which have been won by the Baggies.
That sequence includes perhaps Albion’s most memorable victory in the Premier League era when they claimed a 5-1 triumph at Molineux in 2012, with Peter Odemwingie (below) scoring a hat-trick. That was the last time fans were able to attend a derby between the sides with the two Premier League meetings since played behind closed doors due to Covid. So the tie was eagerly awaited ever since the fourth-round draw and it has been picked for TV coverage with an 11.45am kick-off.
Wolves’ FA Cup record against West Brom makes for more miserable reading, with just one victory against them in 11 games.
Wanderers midfielder Tommy Doyle admitted Gary O’Neil’s men were able to dig extra deep in extra time against Brentford with such a huge clash on the line.
He said: “It’s not easy when it goes to extra time, but you’ve got to find that bit extra as there was a lot riding on the game.
“With West Brom now in our sights, it’s a big game for us and a big game for the fans, so we’re really happy.
“We knew that if we got a good result what that would mean, especially for the fans.
“But we won’t think about that game until it comes because we’ve got Brighton next on Monday.”