Wolves legend Andy Thompson has insisted Mario Lemina and Joao Gomes caused Chelsea ‘so many problems’ on Sunday in the 4-2 win at Stamford Bridge.
Gary O’Neil masterminded Wolves’ best result and performance of the season, with Matheus Cunha scoring a brilliant hat-trick.
The win has taken Wolves into the top half of the Premier League table, pushing Chelsea into the bottom half in the process.
It is a position that very few, if any, Wolves fans thought the club would be in at this point of the season, given the chaotic summer.
Gary O’Neil is doing a tremendous job, with so many players having top seasons under him.
Cunha and Neto have been the most talked about players since Sunday’s game, but in the eyes of Thompson, two other Wolves stars were very good against the Blues…
Andy Thompson praises Mario Lemina and Joao Gomes for their displays v Chelsea
Thompson was commentating for Wolves TV on Sunday alongside Mikey Burrows, and the Molineux legend was absolutely delighted with what he saw.
It was just a superb team performance at Stamford Bridge, and after the game O’Neil stated that it was his favourite performance of the season, even above the 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Cunha and Neto ripped the Chelsea defence apart on Sunday.
But for Thompson, another duo caught his eye. He said (via Wolves official): “The Chelsea fans weren’t happy with how their team played, but that was down to Wolves. Wolves didn’t allow them to play, they made it difficult for them, they pressed, and that’s the reason why Gomes was in there.
“Doyle’s a very good player, but Gomes and Lemina were very efficient in there and caused Chelsea so many problems by nicking that ball in good positions, and the pace we have up front was at their backline, which they couldn’t deal with.”
Lemina and Gomes were amazing vs Chelsea
It was an interesting call from O’Neil to start Joao Gomes in midfield over Tommy Doyle, who has been brilliant in recent weeks for Wolves.
But it was a decision that was fully vindicated in the end, with Gomes’ tenacity and ball-winning ability proving very effective. It was largely thanks to him that Cunha was able to score an equaliser very quickly after Cole Palmer’s opener.
Gomes is a brilliant young talent, and his partnership this season with Lemina has been going from strength to strength.
The pair complement each other really well, and they must be an absolute nightmare to come up against, as they are both aggressive and full of energy.
Wolves had two excellent technical midfielders in Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho. Gomes and Lemina are very different players, but just as good to watch as their Portuguese predecessors.