Wolves entered the international break with a priceless three points against Southampton as one star continued his recent good form.
The pressure on Gary O’Neil was enormous heading into that match, as the Wolves boss could have lost his job if they failed to take all three points.
It was a game that needed a couple of special moments and luckily, O’Neil had Matheus Cunha to thank for his starring role in both goals.
The Brazilian created the chance for Pablo Sarabia’s finish superbly before sending a missile beyond the despairing Aaron Ramsdale in the second half.
Troy Deeney thinks Cunha is miles better than his Wolves teammates after stealing the headlines at Molineux but there is one player who has perhaps gone under the radar.
Toti Gomes was excellent in the win over Southampton
When O’Neil switched to a four-man defence in the early stages of the season, a few of his stars struggled to adapt, and one of those was centre-back Toti Gomes.
Wolves were ripped apart on multiple occasions, most notably in the 6-2 defeat to Chelsea, where Toti was dubbed as ‘clumsy’ for his performance.
Last season, the Portuguese international was impressive in a three-man defence alongside Max Kilman and Craig Dawson, while the 25-year-old has since reminded fans why he is much better on the left of a back three this term.
Toti has established a decent partnership with veteran Dawson and Santiago Bueno, with Liam Keen claiming he’s ‘getting back to his best’ after starting the season ‘very poorly’.
“Toti Gomes is getting back to his best playing in a back three,” Keen said on the Keen & Judah show.
“He started the season very poorly playing in a four, all over the place and struggled. Last three games actually, all be it in the two prior to Southampton, he’d come off early in those games.
“Not because of his performance, more for tactical reasons with Wolves changing shape. So I think he’s maybe slightly gone under the radar because of that but with those three games, and particularly Southampton, I thought he’s played really well.
“Was not dribbled past once at all against Southampton; quick, athletic, won lots of recovery tackles, he’s not afraid to put his body on the line. In this five, where he’s playing as a bit of a left back/centre back role, he looks really comfortable.”
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Toti misses out on Portugal call-up but Roberto Martinez rates him highly
Toti’s recent form has gone under the radar and his statistics in the Southampton match were impressive.
The £25k-a-week star made six clearances, won four ground duels, three tackles and completed 82% of his passes, as per Sofascore.
Last year, it was similar levels that saw him earn his first call-up to the Portugal senior side, starting in a 2-0 win over Liechtenstein.
Sadly, Toti missed out on the latest Portugal squad, as Roberto Martinez chose Chelsea’s Renato Veiga over him.
That said, the Spanish tactician still rates the Wolves man highly and will get his chance if he continues playing well.
“He’s a player we follow, we like him a lot, but Renato Veiga’s start to the season has put him ahead,” Martinez told O Jogo.
“I like being honest, we do a very professional job, and then it’s football that gives opportunities to players, who have to be ready when the chance comes.
“Renato Veiga had his chance, he took it very well, and in the future Toti will keep knocking on the door and be ready.”