WOLVES’ schedule may be inhumane – but their performances are almost superhuman.
The marathon men from Molineux clocked up another victory in their TWENTY-EIGHTH match of the season – as they extended their unbeaten Prem run to TEN games.
Manuel Pellegrini is on the brink of the sack after another drab defeat at WolvesCredit: Getty – Contributor
Dendoncker easily brushed off Ryan Fredericks to stab home Wolves opening goalCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Dendoncker celebrates his goal with Joao MoutinhoCredit: PA:Press Association
Nuno Espirito Santo’s stars must have the lungs of superheroes.
Forget Wolves, they are more like Wolverines.
Goals from Leander Dendoncker and Patrick Cutrone brought the Hammers crashing back to earth after the Iron men’s own heroics at Chelsea on Saturday.
Victory keeps Wolves flying high in the table and challenging for a top-four finish.
This was the first of eight games in 29 days, for Wolves a schedule which manager Nuno branded: “Not human.”
But in their gold and black kit his non-stop stars just keep going like giant Duracell bunnies.
People always took about their eye-pleasing brand of football but their fitness is equally incredible – and key to their success.
Those with the Wolf emblazoned on their shirts once again ran around like spring chickens.
Adama Traore in particular ran West Ham left-back Aaron Cresswell in the opening stages, albeit to no avail as his final ball him and the hosts down.
West Ham’s shock 1-0 win at Chelsea on Saturday was their first victory in nine in all competitions and eased the pressure slightly on manager Manuel Pellegrini.
Hammers keeper David Martin was in tears as he hugged his dad and Irons legend Alvin in the stands after keeping a clean sheet on his belated debut for his boyhood idols.
At 33 he became the second oldest keeper to record a shut-out in Premier League history.
That ensured he retained his place in Pellegrini’s line-up here.
But there were no tears of joy for the Hammers homegrown hero – forced to ply his trade in the lower Leagues after being released by the club as a youngster – only tears of pain.
As shortly after tipping Raul Jimenez’s flukey looping effort over the bar he conceded his first goal in a Hammers shirt from another corner in the 23rd minute.
Leander Dendoncker stabbed home the opener from a cornerCredit: PA:Press Association
Wolves players were relieved after a recent packed scheduleCredit: Reuters
Unlike on Saturday, when his West Ham team-mates defended so brilliantly, Martin was let down badly by those in front of them.
The visitors defence went missing as Joao Moutinho whipped in the corner and Dendoncker prodded home from close range as his marker Ryan Fredericks tried to grapple with thin air.
It was no more than Wolves deserved but oddly it sparked the Hammers into life with Declan Rice heading a Robert Snodgrass corner in the arms of home keeper Rui Patricio.
The Portuguese was then called into action again to keep out Pablo Fornals’ curling shot following a one-two with Felipe Anderson.
Just before the break Diogo Jota had a shot beaten away by Martin as the temperature at Molineux plunged to below freezing.
This made it feel very Christmassy and Wolves fans got into the festive spirit by singing: “Last Christmas I gave you my heart, but the very next day you gave it away.
“So this year, to save me from tears, I’ll give it to Nuno Santo.”
On the field, West Ham kept gifting Wolves chances with Jonny’s shot blocked by Martin following a Jimenez cross after the break.
Snodgrass should have equalised for the Hammers on the hour mark.
But after Fornals’ fantastic pass found him unmarked in the box, the Scot miscontrolled the ball and allowed Patricio to gather it.
As Snodgrass stayed down – possibly more due to embarrassment than injury – his bench subbed him with Andriy Yarmolenko.
Jimenez dragged a shot across the face of goal and Romain Saiss nodded another Moutinho corner inches wide as Wolves pressed for a second.
Pellegrini threw on Nathan Holland for his Premier League debut as a sub for Mark Noble in the 72nd minute.
Martin again produced a fine stop down to his right to keep out Jimenez’s shot.
But there was nothing the stopper could do to keep out Wolves’ sub Cutrone’s clever finish to make it 2-0 in the 86th minute – following Pedro Neto’s bustling burst into the box.
While Wolves go from strength to strength, the Hammers were weary once more.
Pellegrini cannot afford another comprehensive defeat when Arsenal visit the London Stadium on Monday – or he may also turn into a superhero.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
