Player Ratings: Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 Fulham

Dan Cooke takes on the player ratings after a disappointing afternoon in the Black Country.

Well that was an odd game of football. I thought Fulham were pretty excellent in the first half, creating three big chances and we should be burying at least one of them. Going into half-time things felt good, two players forced off for Wolves in the first half, Fulham on top, it felt like a matter of time. However the first 25 minutes of that second half were a shambles. Errors all of the pitch, misplaced passes galore, and ultimately we gifted Wolves two goals.

Which leaves me the dilemma of how to rate players after that. What rating do you give to someone who had half a brilliant game and half an awful game? Let’s find out…

Bernd Leno

Our Germany ‘keeper didn’t actually have a huge amount to do yesterday. He made one good stop, rushing out to save at the feet of Nathan Fraser, showing his ever present alertness to balls that come in behind our back line. There was nothing he could do about the two goals, especially given the fluky nature of the second. Did get away with one in the first half when he sold Bassey short and played in Sarabia, which fortunately did nothing with it. 6.5/10

Timothy Castagne

Castagne has a real ability to go unnoticed, and I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing. I struggle to remember him doing anything of note, which for a right back isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I think it plays into this dependable consistency you get from him. I would’ve liked to have seen more though, particularly going forward. 6/10

Tosin

Pretty flawless first half, woeful – and I mean totally woeful – second half. I have no idea what happened to Tosin after the break but he suddenly forgot how to pass the ball. He played us into trouble multiple times, and just looked totally off it. I love Tosin, and I really want to defend him, but he probably shoulders a sizeable portion of the blame for the second half capitulation. He also really should have put that chance away. Despite all that, the first half to me still cements the idea that him and Bassey are the best partnership we’ve got, and the best we’ve had for quite a long time. 5/10

Calvin Bassey

Immense. How many centre-backs in this league could have Pedro Neto driving at them one-on-one and match him for pace, then perfectly time the challenge and run away with the ball? I thought Bassey was fantastic, but then the first goal is ultimately his fault… a weak flicked on header, which he did at Old Trafford as well, but that time we got away with it, and this time we didn’t. I think he needs that coaching out of him quickly. This man is the future of our defence, and there will be mistakes, but I back him in a duel against pretty much anyone, and if it wasn’t for that mistake, he was probably my man of the match. 7/10

Antonee Robinson

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This game was always going to be a challenge for Jedi. Pedro Neto is a superb, direct winger, but I thought he dealt with him fairly well, and always had Bassey in support as a safety blanket. I thought it was a fairly trademark performance, bombing up and down the left flank, driving us forward, but also covering all the ground to get back and defend again. Just edges it for me as man of the match, especially as he was never sloppy whilst those around him capitulated. 7.5/10 – Man of the Match

Saša Lukić

Another player who had a game of two halves. The first 45 were really good from Saša, tidy in possession, starting quite a few counter attacks with intelligent passes. The second half exposed us to what a Fulham team can be like without Palhinha. Mario Lemina was exceptional and our Serb couldn’t handle him. It’s hard to imagine Lemina being so influential if he’d been up against João. I think Lukić should keep his place, but I want him alongside João, not instead of him. 6/10

Harrison Reed

Terrier-like as ever. Reed covered so much ground in the first half, and really got under the skin of the Wolves players and fans. I was surprised to see him taken off so early, and it felt like we lost energy in the midfield for the 10 minutes where we didn’t have him or Palhinha on the pitch. It’s been a good run in the side for Harrison, but I wonder if this is a sign from Silva that our stand-in captain will be returning to the bench next week. Personally, Reed is one of few who comes out of the game with credit. 6.5/10

Andreas Pereira

This felt like a backwards step for Andy. He’s been really good recently, but we saw some of his carelessness in possession creep back in today. Had a good chance in the early minutes of the game and forced a good save. I was happy with his involvement, he wasn’t invisible like he has sometimes been this season, but execution just didn’t feel there today. Not awful, but not great. 6/10

Harry Wilson

His miss was the real sliding doors moment of the game for me. If he puts that away, I think that’s Fulham’s goal of the season. The interplay was exquisite, and it just needed Harry to slide it past the on-rushing Sá, or probably the even better option, which was to go round him, as the Portuguese keeper was out in no man’s land. From then on it felt like Harry’s game got worse, he was involved less, and struggled to make things happen. Although he wasn’t far off with a a trademark edge of the box curler. Ultimately, I think he came off too late, as the introduction of Traoré had a big impact. 5.5/10

Alex Iwobi

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I rate this man. His pass for the Wilson chance was divine, his finish for the consolation goal is so intelligent, and not given enough credit I think. However, I do think outside of that, big Al had his quietest game since he came back from AFCON, but was still a positive influence on the team. I always want him on the pitch, wherever he plays, as he makes us a better team. 7.5/10

Rodrigo Muniz

A quieter game for Roddy today and it felt like he struggled to make an impact. Max Kilman was very solid at the back, and made life hard for our Brazilian. There were still flashes of brilliance from Muniz, a lovely pirouette turn in the first half, a header cleared of the line, and blocked volley which may well have been going in. It says a lot about what he’s done this past month, that his performance felt a bit disappointing. Led the line well, and actually paired up quite nicely with Broja when we moved to two up top. 6/10

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Substitutes

Tom Cairney

The game did seem to be crying out for TC to try and calm things down. It was a game where we needed one to just go in off someone’s backside, unfortunately it game of TC’s and went into our own net. It of course isn’t his fault at all, but it was a less commanding performance than we usually see from the skipper, and the sub didn’t have the intended impact. 5.5/10

Willian

I thought he showed his class in the 30 minutes he was on for. Gave Semedo a hard time, and played a few lovely balls into the box. Could we see him on the left and Iwobi in the middle next week? 6.5/10

João Palhinha

Could have been sent off, and would have been scandalous if he had been. Referee’s are making decisions based on reputation, and it is starting to really irritate me. We saw the difference with him on the pitch, and he nearly grabbed a goal too. Has to start next week. 6.5/10

Adama Traoré

Christ this man gets bums off seats. He is so fun to watch, and Molineux quickly stopped booing and got very concerned after he drove 25 yards and unleashed a ferocious shot, which was saved excellently. He needed to come on earlier, and I’m starting to wonder whether we should think about starting him. 7/10

Armando Broja

I’m not going to rate him, as it was a short cameo, but I thought the Albanian did well. He looked sharp and strong, winning headers and also running in behind the back line. I was impressed.