Wolves fans are still gutted over the defeat to Arsenal on Saturday night, but Rob Edwards was keen to highlight the performance of one man in particular.
Wolves fell to a 2-1 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, coming within a whisker of taking a point.
Tolu Arokodare’s late equaliser prompted scenes of bedlam in the away end. But Wolves conceded at the death with Yerson Mosquera putting into his own net.
It was a real sickener for Wolves, who had been so organised.
There was also frustration about Arsenal’s first goal, after Bukayo Saka was not flagged offside in the build-up before a new phase of play from the corner.
Despite the loss, there were positives for Wolves.
And Joao Gomes’ performance drew praise from Rob Edwards.
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Rob Edwards hails ‘excellent’ Joao Gomes after fine display for Wolves against Arsenal
It has been a frustrating season for Gomes.
The Brazilian has unfortunately not been anywhere close to the level we know he can reach. But that can be said for so many players in this squad.
He was missing for the defeat to Manchester United through suspension, but was back starting – as expected – against Arsenal. And it was much more like it from the South American dynamo.
And his display left a lasting impression on Rob Edwards, who said (via Birmingham World): “He’s an important player, he’s really good and I thought he was excellent tonight.
Was Joao Gomes’ performance vs Arsenal his best of the season so far? 🤔
Rob Edwards was certainly pleased with the Brazilian…
“I thought his timing of when to go, some of his regains were brilliant. He was aggressive at the right times and then he gave us a little bit of either a counter-attacking option or a bit of calm and was able to give us a little bit of the ball and take this thing out of the game.”
It was intriguing to watch Gomes against the Gunners, as he was playing a hybrid role that some him come out to the right side on occasion.
It meant he had to get through a lot of running, but realistically there’s probably no better man in the squad to take on such a role.
Much more like it from all-action Gomes
Gomes has not been his usual self this season but has still been one of the better players for Wolves.
And certainly, there is never any doubting how much the man cares. He will run his socks off for this team and it has been that way since he first arrived.
We simply need to see this kind of performance a bit more now.
And if enough people can show a similar kind of level, then we can perhaps start to see Wolves putting some points on the board.
But certainly, the performance of Gomes against Arsenal was definitely a big positive for Edwards.
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