Wolves player ratings vs Aston Villa as Andre gets 8/10 and several 7/10s despite defeat

Wolves fell to defeat in the West Midlands derby, with Aston Villa coming out as 1-0 winners.

It was a great start from Rob Edwards’ side, and they could have entered half-time with a couple of goals.

Jorgen Strand Larsen hit the back of the net, but Jhon Arias was ruled to have impeded the goalkeeper from an offside position. And then Yerson Mosquera forced Emiliano Martinez into a save off the bar.

The second half was just as good, and the Old Gold looked the most likely to score.

However, before the game, Aston Villa were the best in the Premier League at scoring outside the box, and that trait would punish Wolves.

Boubacar Kamara rifled a ball into the top corner, and there was not much for Sam Johnstone to do about it.

However, despite the loss, there were plenty of positives to take away from the defeat.

Who do you think was Wolves’ best performer in the 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa?

Wolves player ratings vs Aston Villa

Sam Johnstone – 6

There was not much he could do about the goal. Made one good stop, but other than that it was mainly routine saves for the Englishman.

Jackson Tchatchoua – 7

Wolves’ best chances of the game mostly came down his right-hand side, and he put in some great crosses.

The issue with Tchatchoua is he has to do that much more often, as he can clearly have an impact in the final third.

Yerson Mosquera – 7

Could have scored the opening goal of the game with a thunderous header, but Emiliano Martinez made one of the saves of the season.

Defensively solid and was composed on the ball as well. Took his chance with Ladislav Krejci ruled out.

Emmanuel Agbadou – 7

The defence today was quite good, and Agbadou made himself a powerful presence. However, Donyell Malen did get the better of him on a few occasions, and there was one moment Toti Gomes had to bail him out.

Toti Gomes – 7

Best of the centre-backs, and bailed out his teammates quite a bit. Did not lose a single duel and led by example as captain.

Much better from him, and hopefully more of the same to come.

David Moller Wolfe – 6

Offensively quiet, which is where you would expect the wing-back to have the most influence. In defence, not as strong in his duels as you would want. Overall, he was not bad, but nothing to rave about.

Andre – 8

Wolves looked like they could actually score a goal, and that came down to them being able to hold onto the ball for long periods.

Andre was exceptional with his passing and kept Wolves’ attacking play ticking. Need him to do this much more often.

Joao Gomes – 7

Similarly to his midfield partner, he was a big help in keeping Wolves in possession when they had it.

Perhaps he went down too easy just before Aston Villa scored, and it was no shock the Old Gold conceded when he was not in position, highlighting how essential he was today.

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde – 7

The Haitian midfielder offered a lot more going forward than others have in the last few weeks. His tenacity and willingness to battle for the ball were much appreciated assets. Must start again on Wednesday.

Jhon Arias – 5

An eventful afternoon for the Colombian but in all the wrong ways. His presence in front of Emiliano Martinez meant Wolves did not go 1-0 up, as he was deemed to be impeding the ‘keeper from an offside position when Jorgen Strand Larsen put the ball in the net.

He was then subject to a VAR review for a red card, but surprisingly the referee went to the monitor and did not send him off.

He did have some bright moments, and his role of moving across the whole front line did show some promise, but there is still a long way to go for him.

Jorgen Strand Larsen – 6

In the first half, he had a couple of chances to put Wolves ahead and did manage to score one of those. However, it was ruled out for offside.

In the second half, it seemed that Villa’s defenders were able to deal with him more effectively.

Substitutes

Tawanda Chirewa – 5

Came on as Wolves’ first sub, which was a bit of a surprise. However, in that time, he made just five touches and could not imprint himself onto proceedings.

Still young, and hopefully more to come.

Hugo Bueno – 6

Came on with 13 minutes left but did not really impact the game, with nothing much really happening from that point on.

Mateus Mane – 6

Fans would have been excited to see Mane enter the pitch, and he certainly looked bright. Under Edwards we could see him given more minutes.

In the game state, there was not much he could impact.

Tolu Arokodare – N/A

Came on for the final few minutes and added time.