Wolves clinched a Premier League away win for the first time since February after dispatching Fulham 4-1 on Saturday.
The emphatic victory at Craven Cottage was unexpected before kick-off and it was also hugely impressive for several reasons.
Matheus Cunha was compared to Dennis Bergkamp after his delicious lob over Bernd Leno, as the Brazilian scored another two goals and assisted once.
Gary O’Neil was also without Craig Dawson and Santiago Bueno, two of his starting centre-backs, as both players weren’t fit enough to make the Wolves squad.
This saw O’Neil deploy captain Mario Lemina at centre-back, and it proved to be a tactical masterstroke from the Englishman.
Alan Shearer on Mario Lemina vs Fulham
Wolves fans would have been fearing the worst when they saw Toti Gomes and Lemina lining up alongside each other in a back four.
But the duo produced a magnificent performance to help the visitors to a stunning away win at Craven Cottage.
Lemina provided the delightful assist for Cunha’s first goal while he was also a figure of solidity in defence, winning all three of his ground duels, making seven clearances and completing five long balls accurately.
Naming him in his Premier League Team of the Week alongside Cunha, who he labelled ‘magnificent’, Alan Shearer said of Lemina: “Starred in his new role at the back, putting in some great tackles and playing an excellent pass to create Wolves’ equaliser at Fulham.”
Shearer wasn’t the only one impressed by the £10m star, as O’Neil hailed Lemina after the game, claiming he ‘didn’t put a foot wrong’.
Why Lemina suited the centre-back role
When Dawson and Bueno return to the fold, likely against Bournemouth, there is a slim chance that Lemina will continue in a defensive role.
The 31-year-old is more of an all-action midfielder but with Andre and Joao Gomes flourishing as a duo, there is a case to be made for him to play in defence regularly.
In the past, we’ve seen players make the seamless transition from midfield to centre-back, most notably Eric Dier for Tottenham and Fernandinho at Manchester City years ago.
Lemina is the same in the sense that, he’s very comfortable in possession and, as seen against Fulham, can pick out those impressive long passes from deep.
The former Juventus man is also a machine in the tackle, strong in the air and excellent at reading the game, with each of those attributes making him a potentially great defender.
Cunha recently joked about Lemina playing centre-back more often, and perhaps it’s an experiment O’Neil will utilise in the future.