Wolves fell to their fourth straight Premier League defeat on Saturday afternoon, losing 1-0 to title-chasing Arsenal at Molineux.
The Old Gold had gotten off to a strong start under new manager Vitor Pereira during the Christmas period, earning positive results against Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in the Portuguese national’s first few weeks in charge.
A tricky run of fixtures thereafter, however, has seen Wolves‘ form fall off of a cliff once again. Pereira’s side have now lost four games on the spin in the Premier League, with the narrow 1-0 defeat to Arsenal – coupled with Everton’s win over Brighton – seeing the club be cut adrift in the relegation battle.
Wolves now sit level on points with newly promoted Ipswich Town, but are just above the relegation zone thanks to their superior goal difference.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 14 |  West HamWest Ham | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 27 | 43 | -16 | 26 |
| 15 |  TottenhamTottenham | 22 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 45 | 35 | 10 | 24 |
| 16 |  EvertonEverton | 22 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 19 | 28 | -9 | 23 |
| 17 |  WolvesWolves | 23 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 32 | 52 | -20 | 16 |
| 18 |  IpswichIpswich | 23 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 21 | 47 | -26 | 16 |
| 19 |  LeicesterLeicester | 22 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 23 | 48 | -25 | 14 |
With games against Aston Villa and Liverpool on the horizon, the Old Gold’s performances will need to improve tenfold if they are to remain above the bottom three.
Liam Keen calls out ‘lethargic’ Wolves attackers in 1-0 loss to Arsenal
Speaking in a video on Express and Star, Liam Keen gave his verdict on Wolves’ lacklustre showing against Arsenal at Molineux, pinpointing the lack of determination shown by players to find a route back into the game as a sore spot for fans.
Particularly, Keen picked out a moment in the final ten minutes which perfectly summed up why Wolves fans were so frustrated leaving Molineux on Saturday. In a conversation with fellow journalist Nathan Judah, Keen said:
“You say, rightly, Wolves’ reaction from that [going 1-0 down], you used the word passive and I’d agree with that. I’d say lethargic as it was disappointing, it really was.
“It’s a Wolves fanbase that were with the team today, who were willing them on and trying to drag them through. And there was a moment, roughly around the 80th minute mark when [Jean-Ricner] Bellgarde picks the ball up in the middle third and he just doesn’t no where to go. He doesn’t know what pass to pick.
“He looks around every one of his teammates, and every single attacking teammate, every single midfield teammate, every single one of them was walking. So he doesn’t know where to pass it, and he doesn’t know to go. [It ends up being] a backwards pass and the fans are so frustrated [because they’re] willing them on.”
Worryingly for Wolves fans, Keen went on state that the performance, and that moment in particular, were symptomatic of a team that is lacking in “confidence”:
“Vitor Pereira has put so much emphasis on confidence, and they look like a team right now that’s really struggling for it,” Keen continued. “It’s four consecutive defeats, and they look devoid of any confidence.”
Matheus Cunha’s work ethic called into question amid transfer speculation
While he put in a slightly improved performance against Arsenal, star man Matheus Cunha’s work ethic on and off the ball has been called into question of late, most notably after the defeat to Chelsea.
Wolves fans were infuriated with the perceived lack of interest Cunha showed during the loss to Chelsea, while manager Pereira also called into question the forward’s ‘body language’ in his post-match press conference.
The Brazilian’s form has noticeably dipped since rumours began to swirl regarding his future at the club. Cunha had recently looked all set to sign contract extension with Wolves, but the club’s refusal to include a relegation release clause in the deal has led to talks stalling. Since then, the forward has been linked with a move to Arsenal, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest among others – with Forest being reportedly keen to table a club-record bid in order to sign Cunha.