Wolves are 12 points clear of the relegation zone – and Nelson Semedo has hailed one of his teammates he feels has become very important to the team.
Wanderers are in a very good position now after beating West Ham United 1-0 at Molineux.
Jorgen Strand Larsen scored the game’s only goal, striking from the edge of the area midway through the first-half.
It wasn’t a top performance from Wolves. But the lack of quality from West Ham saw them edge the contest, and claim a hugely significant result.
You could see how big it was at the end, as the Wolves players mobbed Vitor Pereira.
If Wolves can now beat Ipswich Town this weekend, it will surely be all over.
Last night, Strand Larsen was the difference again for Wolves – and he came in for big praise from his captain after the match.
Nelson Semedo says Jorgen Strand Larsen is ‘very important’ even when he does score for Wolves
With his goal against West Ham, Strand Larsen has now scored 10 goals for Wolves in his debut season.
And that means Wolves are one of two teams to have two players to score 10 goals. Strand Larsen and Cunha both have at least 10 each, while Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa both have at least 10 each for Brentford.
Strand Larsen actually came in for some criticism before the game with Southampton for lacking influence.
But he’s responded with three goals in two games in Cunha’s absence – and the star’s importance is not lost on Nelson Semedo.
He said after the game last night: “(He’s) Really important, As you can see, he scored two goals in the 2-1 last game, he scored one goal and we won 1-0 (tonight). So he’s very important.
“Even when he doesn’t score – because I think life for a striker is always about goals – he’s not always like that. He’s a worker. He works a lot, so like I told you, even when he doesn’t score he’s really important for us, and respect to him, he did really well. He’s doing really well.”
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Steve Bull hailed Jorgen Strand Larsen’s work-rate
Strand Larsen can be very pleased with his contributions this season.
It’s never easy coming to the Premier League, so to score 10 goals is good going – but Semedo is right, he is important even when he isn’t scoring.
You can see that Strand Larsen is a team player, as he comes short for the ball, runs the channels and gets into the box.
Strand Larsen does like a duel, with stats showing the Wolves number nine ranks 13th of all Premier League centre-forwards for duels per game so far this term across all competitions. And his heat map speaks for itself.
He’s everywhere, and Steve Bull recently praised Strand Larsen’s work rate for Wolves.
Given Matheus Cunha is highly likely to leave in the summer, these games offer a good insight into what kind of player Strand Larsen could be next season.
And fans are liking what they’re seeing.