Wolves climbed up to 8th in the Premier League table with a 1-0 win over Sheffield United, and although Pablo Sarabia was the goalscorer, it was Craig Dawson who stole the show for the Old Gold.
Wolves leapfrogged Newcastle United, Chelsea and West Ham United to claim 8th place in the Premier League table with a home win over Sheffield United.
It was a game of two halves for Gary O’Neil’s side, who despite dominating the opening 45 minutes, filled Molineux with anxiety in the second half as the pace dropped off.
Luckily, Pablo Sarabia’s 30th-minute strike was the decider of where the points would lie, in a win that put the Old Gold firmly in the running to claim European football next campaign.
Despite the Spaniard netting the decisive goal and being crowned man of the match by Sky Sports, it was Craig Dawson who shone for the hosts in what was a dominating display by the centre-back.
How Craig Dawson performed against Sheffield United
It was a game in which Wolves didn’t know what to expect from their opponent, as the manager explained prior to the matchup with the bottom-of-the-table Blades.
The Old Gold had to be patient, which at times in the first half led to Sheffield United bombing forward whatever chance they could get, all to no avail largely thanks to Dawson.
During the first half, journalist Josh Bunting lauded the 6 foot 2 defender for his “dominating” display to keep his side ahead.
“Craig Dawson extremely solid in that first half, just won everything in the air. Sheffield United to their credit have to tried to play around them but when they have done direct he’s been first to the ball. Just dominating the box, vastly underrated defender and so experienced.”
The statistics support Bunting’s praise of the 33-year-old, who via Sofascore, recorded 88 touches, eight clearances, three blocks and completed four out of his six attempted long balls.
On top of his defensive masterclass as Wolves’ anchor, the Englishman maintained a stellar pass completion rate of 93%, acting as the host’s saviour at times when Rhian Brewster threatened.
How important Craig Dawson is to Wolves
It’s not the first time that the veteran defender has been praised for his performances at Wolves, and it certainly won’t be the last.
Dawson’s reliability as the last man allows O’Neil to open up his defence, seeing the likes of Max Kilman, Toti Gomes and particularly Rayan Ait-Nouri and Nelson Semedo flourish in advanced areas.
The manager has got it all with the 33-year-old, who brings a level of experience and defensive mastery in the Premier League that money can’t buy.