Wolves are safely through to the third round of the Carabao Cup after a 2-0 win over Burnley, and Mario Lemina was left impressed by one of his teammates at Molineux.
Wolves will now face Brighton, after a relatively comfortable night’s work against the Clarets.
Goncalo Guedes was on target twice for Wolves, with the linked-away Portuguese forward perhaps making himself an option for Gary O’Neil for at least the first half of 2024/25.
Wolves needed a good performance and result after the 6-2 drubbing at the hands of Chelsea last weekend.
And that’s exactly what the players gave.
O’Neil rang the changes and a number of fringe players really impressed for Wanderers on the night.
Young Pedro Lima made his competitive debut, grabbing an assist for Guedes on the first goal.
But there was one man who really stood out for Mario Lemina.
Santiago Bueno shines in first Wolves appearance of 2024/25 v Burnley as Mario Lemina praises teammate
In the Premier League so far, Wolves have looked very shaky at the back.
Yerson Mosquera has real potential, and Toti Gomes has largely been a reliable performer for Wolves, but the pair’s partnership in a back four has not convinced so far.
So O’Neil swapped both out last night, with Craig Dawson and Santi Bueno coming in.
Bunrle did not offer a great deal in the game, but it was still a very assured display from both of them, which was refreshing to see.
Bueno was particularly good, and hardly put a foot wrong against the Championship side.
For a lot of Wolves fans the jury is still out on the Uruguay international, but last night he was a real class act. As per Sofascore data, he completed 71/79 (90%) passes and also contested a game-high 13 duels.
His seven defensive actions (four of which were clearances) were only equalled by Pedro Lima and Rayan Ait-Nouri, and bettered only by Burnley’s Bashir Humphreys.
Bueno posted on Instagram after last night’s game, saying: “On to the next one.”
Fans praised the star, and there was also acknowledgment of his top display from captain Lemina, who said simply ‘Baller’, including a fire emoji to boot.
Bueno may be in contention for Forest if he doesn’t leave
- READ MORE: Wolves player ratings vs Burnley: 8/10 Goncalo Guedes stars as Old Gold progress in Carabao Cup
Last night’s game will have given O’Neil a lot of food for thought.
Granted, Burnley did not provide the sternest of tests on the night. But it was a professional job nonetheless from Wolves, and a number of players will now be pushing to start against Nottingham Forest this weekend.
£8.5 million signing Bueno is one such player. He and Dawson were terrific together last night.
Given the struggles of Toti against Arsenal and Chelsea, one of those two could be starting alongside Mosquera this weekend.
Bueno would like to hope it will be him. As it’s a short turnaround, he might just get the nod over the older Dawson, who needs managing more carefully this season.
But of course, there is a the possibility that Bueno actually may not still be a Wolves player this weekend. It was reported earlier this week that the defender could yet be loaned out before deadline day.