Wolves clinched a vital 1-0 win over Bournemouth in the Premier League, in what was a huge boost to their survival hopes.
Matheus Cunha’s first-half strike secured the three points for Vitor Pereira’s men, who moved five points clear of 18th place Ipswich Town.
Cunha was, of course, instrumental in all of his side’s attacking quality, driving them forward with his pace and power while dropping deeper to link play.
The Brazilian was one of several players who starred at the Vitality Stadium, with Pereira praising Marshall Munetsi on his debut, who joined Jean-Ricner Bellegarde in an attacking trio.
Bellegarde started after being dropped to the bench against Liverpool and the 26-year-old continued his excellent form under the Portuguese boss.
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde was unplayable against Bournemouth
Since Gary O’Neil was sacked by Wolves, Bellegarde has experienced a new lease of life, and as a result, is finally showcasing his talents to the Molineux faithful.
Bellegarde scored against Aston Villa, helping his side secure an invaluable victory over their rivals, with the Frenchman then starting in Wolves 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup.
Pereira then made the mistake of leaving him out of the starting lineup at Anfield last weekend, as the former Strasbourg man was brilliant from the bench, earning him a start at the Vitality.
And on a day when Cunha stole the headlines once more, Bellegarde was unplayable against the Cherries. He was incredible at carrying the ball forward while getting through a sensational amount of defensive work.
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde’s stats vs Bournemouth
- 80 minutes played
- 1 shot on target
- 1 successful dribble
- 54 touches
- 30/37 accurate passes (81%)
- 2 key passes
- 9/11 ground duels won
- 4 fouls drawn
As demonstrated by the above statistics, the Frenchman was influential in every aspect of the game, from his appetite to win possession back and ability to win free kicks for his team.
The only thing arguably missing was a goal but his first-half strike drew a world-class save from Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Bellegarde can replicate his 2022/23 season with Strasbourg
For Bellegarde to reach the next level at Wolves, he needs to deliver a consistent output of goals and assists.
During the 2022/23 campaign at Strasbourg, he returned an impressive two goals and nine assists, showing he’s capable of being a chief creator of chances.
In 53 games for Wolves, so far he’s only registered eight goal involvements but on the evidence of his recent displays, he can improve on that total.
Indeed, Bellegarde can shoulder some of the goalscoring responsibility currently carried by Cunha.