Wolves scraped a replay against Shrewsbury in their last cup outing, and Tuesday’s meeting didn’t seem much easier for them. A Matt Doherty double and an Ivan Cavaleiro winner knocked Shrewsbury out of the competition, but Sam Rickett’s men had their moments. After Doherty put Wolves in front, they managed to pull back level with a goal from James Bolton. They then took the lead after a blunder from John Ruddy saw Josh Laurent’s effort stumble into the net. Luckily, Wolves managed to up their game and came out on top in the end.
Overall Performance
Shrewsbury tried hard to get the win over Wolves but they didn’t quite have what it takes. Even though Wolves weren’t at the top of their game, they live to fight another day. They had 72% of the possession, and 11 shots on goal. Of the four shots that were on target, three were scored. This is exciting to see as at the start of the season their conversion rate was poor, and it is something they have really improved on recently.
Despite winning less duels, aerials and tackles than their opposition, Nuno’s men still averaged a solid 84% passing accuracy. There were times where passes were frustratingly missed but there were also glimmers of brilliance. For example, Adama Traoré.
He has been criticised in the past by fans for only being able to run fast and having poor pass completion. However, his display against Shrewsbury was much improved and certainly impressive. There were moments where he tricked the opposition, darted down the wing and put in some decent crosses. The only downside is that no one was quite quick enough to get on the end of said crosses. He’s definitely learning!
Doherty sees double
The Irish defender already saved Wolves‘ place in the FA Cup in the first meeting with Shrewsbury, and this time around he did it again. He was involved in all three goals (scoring two and assisting the other) and has now scored more goals in all competitions this season (six) than any other Premier League defender. This makes him Wolves’ second-highest scorer this season, with only striker Raul Jimenez scoring more (11).
Doherty was the shining light in an average performance. Not only was he involved in all three goals, but he also had 81% passing accuracy, made three key passes, played two accurate long balls, and won four out of six duels.
Conclusion
Not the best performance from Wolves but also not the worst. They played ok and did enough to put themselves into the next round. That’s what the FA Cup is all about though right? Scrappy wins and all that. Wolves now move on to face Bristol City away in the fifth round.
Next up in the league is a home meeting with Newcastle, who are not to be underestimated. Despite a poor start to the season, they beat Manchester City just weeks ago and may be looking to upset the boys in gold and black. With Wolves recent good form, there you wouldn’t expect there to be a problem claiming all three points, but only time will tell if that Marbella sun has done them good.
