Nuno ‘lost it’ after nine-man win
Nuno Espirito Santo was forced to defend himself amid suggestions he had celebrated excessively after Wolverhampton Wanderers took another significant step towards clinching a Premier League return.
Tony Pulis refused to criticise his opposite number, despite an incendiary reaction from the Portuguese manager after a dramatic victory for his nine-man Championship leaders saw the Wolves manager gesticulate wildly while jumping provocatively right in front of the Middlesbrough bench.
“I didn’t see all the incidents afterwards, they were obviously delighted as they’d just won,” Pulis said. “To be honest, I don’t know the fella [Nuno]. It might be different if he was someone I knew. I’d have reacted differently. He’s very welcome to come into my room, but I doubt he will.”
For his part, Nuno admitted his emotions got the better of him as his side, despite having Ruben Neves and Matt Doherty sent off, restored their six-point advantage at the top of the table thanks to a first victory on Teesside since 1951.
“Everyone in the stadium lost control,” Nuno insisted, claiming decisions by referee Stuart Attwell added to the fractious atmosphere. “It’s difficult to control your emotions when a bad decision can cost you. The referee was not able to control the teams.”
Even with nine men, Wolves look too good for the Championship. It appears a matter of when not if they are promoted back to the Premier League as, in the space of 90 breathless minutes, they accumulated more points than they had managed over the previous 26 years in this corner of the North-east. They now require a maximum of three wins from their remaining seven games.
Wolves are unbeaten in 27 games when they have taken the lead this season, meaning that the outcome here looked in little doubt once the visitors’ dominance was rewarded by scoring twice in the space of five minutes as half-time approached.
Barry Douglas was the source of both goals, first sending over an inviting cross for the unmarked Helder Costa to volley in his fourth goal in his last nine league appearances at the back post in the 32nd minute. The advantage was soon doubled, Darren Randolph saving Willy Boly’s near-post header from a Douglas corner, only for the ball to loop across goal where Ivan Cavaleiro had the simple task of nodding into an unguarded net.
Middlesbrough had to make the running after the break, but it was a task which proved largely beyond them as the visitors coped with relative ease, at least until Neves made an unnecessarily exit with 25 minutes remaining, picking up a second caution inside two minutes for an ugly lunge at George Friend.
Doherty’s second caution for a flailing elbow, Friend again the victim, as the pair challenged for an aerial ball, saw Wolves further diminished shortly after. But their opponents failed to take advantage until Patrick Bamford’s fine volley in the fourth minute of stoppage time set up a nervy final 90 seconds, which the visitors safely negotiated to cap a display which spoke volumes about their qualities. Pulis added: “They’ve invested well and will do so again when they go up.”