Wolves were sent back into the Premier League’s bottom three on goal difference after their 3-0 defeat against Newcastle United.
Some calamitous defending and wasteful finishing was the story of Wolves evening at St James’ Park, and that has often been the case this season.
Wolves fans blasted Hwang Hee-chan for the role he played in the first goal they conceded, as the South Korean gave possession away cheaply before Newcastle counter-attacked and scored through Alexander Isak.
Hwang’s laziness on the ball left Vitor Pereira ‘furious’ during the game, with the Portuguese manager unable to control his anger on the sidelines.
The 28-year-old’s latest lacklustre display wasn’t the only thing that would have annoyed him on Wednesday night, as there was another glaring problem.
Joleon Lescott and Glenn Hoddle think Wolves aren’t clinical enough
The scoreline may read a comfortable victory for Newcastle but it was far from it, as the hosts were fortunate Wolves spurned some golden chances.
Jorgen Strand Larsen missed two big opportunities in the game, one of which skimmed the post in the first half, while Matheus Cunha squandered some decent chances to score.
It wasn’t the visitors’ night in front of goal and pundits Joleon Lescott and Glenn Hoddle think this has been the case all season, claiming the Old Gold haven’t been clinical enough.
Speaking on TNT Sports pre-match, former Wolves defender Lescott said: “I think even against Nottingham Forest if Wolves are able to be a bit more clinical.
“They’re not going to finish every chance – no team does and no striker does – but if they can become 20-30 per cent more clinical, they’re going to be a lot more difficult to beat because they’re obviously going to score a lot more goals.”
Hoddle then agreed with Lescott’s assessment while on commentary for TNT. He said: “It sums up Wolves season, they’ve not been clinical enough.”
Many will agree with the pundits’ comments that Wolves have been wasteful however, one particular statistic dispels such a myth.
Only one Premier League team has a better chance conversion rate than Wolves
Remarkably, the numbers suggest that Wolves are one of the best teams in the Premier League at taking their chances, boasting the joint-second highest goal conversion rate.
| Club | Total shots at goal | Goals | Conversion rate |
| Brentford | 276 | 40 | 14.5% |
| Wolves | 287 | 31 | 10.8% |
| Tottenham | 398 | 43 | 10.8% |
| Liverpool | 454 | 48 | 10.6% |
| Arsenal | 389 | 41 | 10.5% |
Brentford are the league leaders when it comes to chance conversion but Pereira’s men have statistically been more prolific than Liverpool and Arsenal this season.
It highlights that, while Wolves have missed some huge chances in recent weeks, the numbers suggest this isn’t their biggest problem and fixing their defence is more important.