Fulham 1 Wolves 4: Gary O’Neil shows Molineux faithful why he’s still in charge by thumping high-flying Cottagers
IT PAYS sometimes in football to stick with what you have and not make a drastic change.
And how Wolves must be grateful, if not a bit smug, they persevered with Gary O’Neil even when the calls to axe him grew louder and louder.
Molineux supporters may have been divided about whether the Englishman should have carried on as results got worse.
Issuing a P45 during the international break would have been an ideal opportunity for the hierarchy, especially as the side languished in the Premier League bottom three.
But O’Neil has never lost the faith of the players and as this comeback romp over Fulham showed, they are fighting for him with every sinew.
Matheus Cunha and Joao Gomes will get the plaudits and rightly so but overall all 15 Wolves stars put up a fight, amid difficult and testing circumstances, to register back-to-back Premier League victories.
It is also their first league success on the road since defeating Tottenham in February – how easier O’Neil would have felt on the coach home last night despite the ringing wet coat.
It was a soggy, gusty, grey and generally miserable afternoon in West London and the wintry conditions were particularly testing given the slippery surface underfoot.
Wolves debuted their third kit, a garish purple number, and their defensive problems worsened pre-game as Craig Dawson, a pillar of the team, was ruled out through sickness.
It meant three of their four centre-halves were unavailable for the Craven Cottage trip and emergency measures had to be taken with midfielder Mario Lemina working in tandem alongside defender Toti Gomes.
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The skipper had to take evasive action on 17 minutes when the lively Antonee Robinson crossed from the left.
As he stretched to clear, the ball deflected off Lemina’s foot and then Fulham striker Raul Jimenez, a former Wolves player, saw his snapshot crash off the crossbar.
Three minutes later, Lemina and the rest of his teammates at the back were culpable for not clearing their lines.
Eventually possession fell to Kenny Tete and Alex Iwobi controlled the short pass and then curled a magnificent effort with his left that goalkeeper Jose Sa could not reach.
It was a stunner, a contender for goal of the month, and took the Nigerian’s tally for the season to three goals.
Fulham were deserving of their lead but Wolves got back into the contest thanks to a moment of magic.
Gabon international Lemina reminded us that he is a makeshift defender as he picked out Cunha with a superb 30-yard long pass just after the half an hour mark.
The Brazilian showed off his samba skills, taking it with right and though the ball bounced off his groin, he delicately flicked it beyond Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
A decent Wolves following had made the trip and they were in full and fine voice on 53 minutes despite the driving rain.
After some intricate passing involving Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Cunha on the edge of the Fulham box, the ball was fed to Joao Gomes.
And the Brazilian showed terrific awareness and finishing, taking it with his right and shooting with his left, to guide his attempt past Leno. It was his second goal in three matches.
Cunha thought he had a second when he latched on to a misplaced pass by Fulham’s Tom Cairney but despite dancing through the defence, his strike deflected wide.
He had to be patient and wait until three minutes from normal time when his exceptional finish beat Leno and capped an important win for the visitors.
The fourth goal came deep into stoppage time when substitute Goncalo Guedes benefited from a quick counter-attack and clinically beat Leno.
Harry Wilson is Fulham’s supersub and his three goals before the break had helped the Cottagers register 18 points – their highest top-flight tally after 11 games since 1960.
The Welshman came on again as a sub – boss Marco Silva is clearly a hard man to impress – but there was no late intervention this time.
His biggest contribution was a shot from distance that hit the crossbar.
But Fulham, apart from a brilliant opening 30 minutes, were very poor in the closing stages.