Matheus Cunha was instrumental in Wolves’ dominant win against Fulham in the Premier League.
The Brazilian scored two sublime goals to lead Gary O’Neil’s side to a much needed away win.
During the contest, Cunha was compared to Dennis Bergkamp, portraying just how impressive the forwards afternoon at Craven Cottage was.
Fulham were torn apart by Cunha, who was joined on the scoresheet by Joao Gomes and Goncalo Guedes; however, it’s another player who deserves big praise.
- READ MORE: Three things we learnt as Wolves demolished Fulham to move out of the Premier League relegation zone
Mario Lemina was superb against Fulham
In the midst of a defensive injury crisis, O’Neil was forced to call on Mario Lemina to play in the defensive three to support Toti Gomes and Rayan Ait-Nouri.
The Gabon international led by example with the armband in the back line, playing out of his skin to protect Jose Sa’s goal and to influence the game ahead of him.
Post-match, Cunha said Lemina should play centre-back more often, joking about how impressive his captain was in an unfamiliar role.
It was an outing to remember for the 31-year-old, who not only defended expertly, but contributed to Cunha’s opening goal too.
Lemina’s performance saw him dubbed ‘heroic’ by journalist Nathan Judah, who sung the former Juventus midfielder’s praises after the win.
When O’Neil needed him most, the Wolves skipper went above and beyond to do what was asked of him, proving he can play almost any role following his attacking cameos in the latter stages of last season.
Lemina’s impressive numbers against Fulham
On a normal day, Lemina offers a metronome-like balance in the middle of the park, bolstered by his ability to playmake to support those in attack.
Against Fulham, the Gabonese star was asked to put such approach aside to play centre-back however, he managed to play his usual game whilst covering at the back.
| Mario Lemina vs Fulham |
| 75 touches |
| 83% passes completed |
| 1 assist |
| 2 key passes |
| 5 long balls completed |
| 7 clearances |
| 75% duels won |
| 3 tackles |
| 2 interceptions |
As seen above, there was little stopping Lemina at Craven Cottage, where he spent one year of his career whilst on loan from Southampton.
From being attentive defensively, winning 75% of his duels, to assisting the goal and maintaining a strong passing outlet, Lemina had it all against his former club, shining as one of Wolves’ best on the pitch.
Naturally, the 31-year-old’s performance will be overshadowed by the likes of Gomes and Cunha although, that won’t bother the captain, who is ready to give his all for the Old Gold no matter the demand.