Toti powers in for first Wolves goal to secure safety
TOTI GOMES found an ideal time to score his first goal for Wolves – one that secured his club’s Premier League status and put a dent into Villa’s European hopes.
It was not quite “the war” that his boss, Julen Lopetegui, had talked about beforehand, but it was a still a scrap over local turf that Wolves deserved to shade.
They rode their luck in the first half after Gomes’ early header, but then showed all the bite and doggedness that was missing in their 6-0 humiliation at Brighton a week before.
Villa had plenty of chances, but back-to-back defeats suggest their Euro surge has stalled.
It was a derby that always had enough sound and fury to signify something more than simply the clubs’ relative league positions.
There was history, plot and characters in the form of pantomime villains Diego Costa and Tyrone Mings, plus Ollie Watkins – an anti-hero to Wolves fans simply because he has provided the goals for his club that Costa has not.
An absorbing opening was crowned with an eye-catching Wolves goal for Gomes in the ninth minute.
Villa had looked edgy and uncertain on the left side of their defence and when Ruben Neves launched a corner from that flank, the confusion had spread to their penalty area.
No one got close enough to Gomes and the big Portuguese centre-back powered a header home, off the underside of the bar, from near the penalty spot.
The goal ramped up an atmosphere that was already lively, with tackles flying in from both sides and little time to settle on the ball.
Above the fray and frenetic
Wolves ............................. 1 Aston Villa ........................ 0
pace, though, was Emiliano Buendia whose touch and poise always appeared the most likely route for Villa to get back in the contest.
A header down from Watkins enabled Buendia to catch his half-volley so sweetly it needed a superb save from Jose Sa to deny the Argentinian.
Buendia then set up Bertrand Traore for a shot saved by
Sa, before the South American’s trickery near the goal-line conjured enough space for him to find Watkins, whose double effort was blocked by a determined Wolves defence. It was a measure of the tight grip Wolves kept on Villa’s leading scorer that the striker needed a change of shirt after his original was shredded.
Wolves clung to their lead until the break and should have increased it two minutes into the second half.
Pedro Neto sprang Costa clear of the Villa defence but the former Chelsea striker – who has scored just once all season – was unable to beat Emiliano Martinez.
Villa pressed again and Mings ballooned a volley over the bar when he really should have buried the opportunity to tie things up.