Wolves secured a long overdue victory against Southampton on matchday 11 of the Premier League season.
Pressure has been momentarily lifted from Gary O’Neil’s shoulders, as his side finally ended their winless streak.
Over six months after Wolves’ last Premier League win, the Old Gold picked up three points against Southampton, winning 2-0 at Molineux.
Goals from Pablo Sarabia and Matheus Cunha decided the direction of the points, taking Wolves within one point of safety heading into the international break.
- READ MORE: Wolves fans make their feelings clear on Gary O’Neil’s future after victory over Southampton
Gary O’Neil made a bold call with Pablo Sarabia vs Southampton
Sarabia scored Wolves’ fastest Premier League goal during the victory, which was a shock considering that many expected the Spaniard to be benched.
The 32-year-old earned a start against Crystal Palace on match day 10 and disappointed, making O’Neil’s decision to name the midfielder in the XI again peculiar.
Journalist Liam Keen shared the opinion that starting Sarabia was a ‘crazy’ thought from the manager, dissecting the 2023 arrival’s performance against the Saints post match, via Express and Star.
“Regardless of the result today I would have stood here and said, the decision to start Pablo Sarabia, in my opinion, was a crazy decision. Then in two minutes it’s justified.”
Keen admitted that starting the Spaniard was brave but justifiable as he scored in the opening minutes although, remained firm with his assessment of the ex-PSG man’s display.
“Did Sarabia have a great rest of the half? Not really,” Keen said.
“He wasn’t great but what he does do is offer technical ability, intelligent positioning and quality in the final third, he made a fantastic run, one touch round Ramsdale and that’s his quality.
“I didn’t think it was the right decision to play him but it was justified very quickly.”
Wolves win was the first step
O’Neil substituted Sarabia due to a tight calf, seeing the attackers afternoon end after just 45 minutes.
Fortunately, his impact was valuable as he opened the scoring at Molineux, which ultimately set the tone of the match.
It was by no means an impressive performance from Wolves as a collective however, three points was necessary to give the squad a platform to build momentum.
The November international break will see the players split up before domestic action returns, with a lot to be done when the Premier League resumes for the run in to 2025.