Wolves managed to sneak into the fourth round of the FA Cup on Tuesday night after they overcame Brentford 3-2 in the replay.
On a bitterly cold night at Molineux, the hosts had to equaliser twice in the match before Matheus Cunha netted the winner from the spot in extra time.
Tensions were high throughout the ground with many fans knowing that a victory would see the side face West Brom in the Black Country Derby.
While Gary O’Neil’s side wasn’t able to replicate the performances of recent weeks such as their 3-0 victory over Everton, they did just enough to squeeze themselves through the door.
Many fans would have likely expected Wolves to overcome Brentford with ease. This is especially true when you consider that the side battered the Bees 4-1 away only last month.
However, given the circumstances of the tie, we examine why O’Neil deserves a lot of praise for guiding the club into the next round.
Gary O’Neil did fantastically well to take Brentford to a replay
Before Tuesday’s night game, many fans and pundits cannot forget the original tie.
O’Neil’s side were down to 10 men after nine minutes and soon found themselves a goal down just before half-time. However, a resurgent Wolves came out in the second half and soon equalised thanks to a fantastic Tommy Doyle strike.
The visitors could have very easily come away as the victors on the day as well. The introduction of Pedro Neto in the second half, pushed Wolves further up the pitch with the winger, causing Brentford all sorts of problems.
In the end, both sides were forced to settle for a replay but it was certainly an incredible effort from Wolves. Many sides would have succumbed to the Premier League outfit a player down. However, they hung on to give themselves a second chance in the replay.
Gary O’Neil got it right, eventually
After receiving the news that Wolves could face a trip to the Hawthorns in the fourth round, the replay became a highly important game for the club.
Despite many of the club’s best players being unavailable, O’Neil still managed to bring back multiple from the sidelines for the clash.
However, the manager chose not to risk many of these and only made one change from the previous meeting.
Then, it looked like all that promise of a Black Country Derby would come to nothing as former Wolves man Nathan Collins put the visitors in front early on.
Nathan Semedo would equaliser before half-time but the Bees would sting the hosts once again as Neal Maupay made it 2-1 in the second period. With Brentford sitting back, it looked as if Wolves were out of ideas.
However, O’Neil managed to fix many of the side’s problems once again with a substitute. Youngster Nathan Fraser was brought onto the pitch after 70 minutes with fans praying that the manager had made the right decision.
Then, after just two minutes on the pitch, the striker made his mark. As he received the ball on the right, the 18-year-old fired low into the bottom corner to ensure that the game was taken to extra-time.
Cunha then finished off the comeback to ensure Wolves made it to the Hawthorns on January 28.
O’Neil deserves a lot of praise for once again fixing the issues within his side with substitutes. This is not the first time this season this has happened, and it probably won’t be the last.