Ruben is the real deal now
RUBEN Neves is too good to be playing in the Championship, and on this evidence it will not be long until he is in the top flight.
The midfielder scored the game’s only goal on Friday night as Wolves strengthened their hold on the top of the Championship table with victory at Hillsborough.
The 20-year-old Portuguese – at £15.8million the most expensive import in Championship history – keeps things ticking at the base of midfield for Nuno Espirito Santo’s table-toppers.
Here, he chipped in with only his second goal of the season – and what a composed finish it was from the edge of the area.
Morgan Fox then saw red late on for the Owls – who had boss Carlos Carvahal in the stands due to a one-game touchline ban – and Wolves held on.
They have now won four in a row on their travels in the league without conceding a goal – the first time they have done that in the club’s history. But the manager admitted they had to do it the hard way against the Owls.
“It was a deserved win,” said Nuno. “We had control and good moments of football but to defend like we defend against a difficult situation that Sheffield created in the second half takes quality and character.
“John Ruddy didn’t make a save which says a lot about the way they defend and the way they put their bodies between the ball and our goal.
“We should have done better when we created three against three situations, but that will come.
“Patience takes away the intensity. Let’s control the game, but always threaten – that’s the way I like to say it. It shows the character of the boys, we just have to stick together. We try to achieve what we do every game – fight, enjoy and win!”
The Owls, with Lee Bullen barking out the touchline instructions in Carvahal’s absence, started the brighter of the two teams. Adam Reach sidefooted wide from Jordan Rhodes’ clever lay-off before Ruddy got down well to deny Joost van Aken.
But that was a false dawn for the hosts who are now winless in their last six as Neves pounced in magnificent fashion just after the half-hour.
Willy Boly inadvertently nodded a free-kick back out of the area but Neves swooped onto the loose ball and curled the ball along the ground into the far corner of Joe Wildsmith’s goal.
The shot had to be so precise but Neves made it look easy, and Wolves were in front despite having barely fired a shot up to that point.
The Owls pressed in the second half, Neves in the right place to deny Ross Wallace after Gary Hooper’s knockdown.
But their chances late on were ended when replacement Helder Costa turned Fox inside out and left the defender with little choice but to clip him and earn a second yellow card.
“I think we deserved more than what we achieved,” said Carvahal. “We played against a strong team but we made things difficult for them and they didn’t create chances.
“The goal came from nothing and after that we played with quality. It’s not easy to play against a team with five players at the back and with fast attackers, but we balanced the team well.
“We had two or three situations but we didn’t score from them.”