Wolves progressed into the final eight of the FA Cup last night with a 1-0 victory over Brighton, a game that saw Santiago Bueno show just how useful he could be to Gary O’Neil.
Wolves are just one game away from Wembley after last night’s well-fought win over Brighton in the FA Cup.
Not many would have believed that Gary O’Neil’s side would be in touching distance to Wembley and only one point off the top seven, with the reality telling the tale of an exciting campaign for the Old Gold so far.
Next up in the FA Cup quarter-final comes Championship outfit Coventry City, who will pose another challenge for Wolves to overcome in order to reach the last four.
How Wolves beat Brighton in the FA Cup
Quite like the win over Sheffield United on Sunday, O’Neil saw his side have to dig deep in order to be smiling at the final whistle.
The host’s pressures were eased in the opening minutes of the game, as Mario Lemina latched onto a sumptuous piece of play from Jean-Ricner Bellegarde on the left side to head the ball beyond Jason Steele.
It only took the second-minute goal for Wolves to settle the tie, with wave after wave of threat from Roberto De Zerbi’s team left for the Old Gold to suppress for the remainder of the 90.
While the celebrations were exuberant, there were some concerns after the game over the fitness of Hwang Hee-chan, Joao Gomes and Lemina, who had to withdraw due to injury.
Despite the worries of losing the trio during the fixture, the manager will be overjoyed with his side’s result, with one star in particular proving the boss a point with his display.
What Santiago Bueno proved to Wolves during Brighton win
Called into action to make his eighth appearance for Wolves was Santiago Bueno, who was acquired in the summer window for £8.5m from Girona.
The centre-back has had to be patient with his game time due to the solidity of Craig Dawson in defence however, the Uruguayan earned his place in the starting lineup last night.
Lauded as “immense” by journalist Charlie Gregory for his performance, Bueno slotted in effortlessly to O’Neil’s back three, as supported by his numbers during the 90 minutes he played.
As per Sofascore, the defender recorded a tidy pass completion rate of 93% and provided six clearances and three blocks to assert his dominance at the back to maintain De Zerbi’s front line.
Prior to the fixture, O’Neil admitted that his squad were prepared to go through a “tough” time with reference to lack of depth and influx of fixtures, with Bueno’s performance only easing the boss’ woes.
The centre-back proved that he can be called upon when needed by the manager, without him having to risk a drop in quality, with the 25-year-old’s display almost faultless in place of Dawson.