Wolves have recorded back-to-back wins in the Premier League, beating Fulham 4-1 at Craven Cottage.
Gary O’Neil followed up the huge win over Southampton before the international break, and it was the team’s best performance of the season so far.
Wolves showed great character to come from behind, and blew Fulham away in the second-half.
It was a fantastic team performance, with a number of stars putting in big performances down in London. Joao Gomes was superb against Fulham, and Mario Lemina and Toti Gomes both shone in the backline.
But it was the Matheus Cunha show once again for Wolves, as the Brazilian scored another two goals and also provided an assist.
Cunha has now provided 10 goals or assists this season and it’s crystal clear that he is this team’s talisman – and the player Wolves have not had since Raul Jimenez.
Wolves finally have their Raul Jimenez replacement in Matheus Cunha
Jorgen Strand Larsen may well wear the number nine shirt for Wolves, but Matheus Cunha is the real ‘successor’ to Raul Jimenez.
In those first couple of seasons for Wolves, Jimenez was genuinely unplayable at times.
The Mexico international had everything – power, pace, link-up play, aerial ability, creativity, clinical finishing and technical ability.
He was one of the most feared strikers in the Premier League at one point – and then his career, and also life, would change forever.
Wolves fans will never forget when Jimenez sustained his skull fracture injury against Arsenal in November 2020. The sight of the striker crumpled in a heap on the floor was truly harrowing.
Sadly, that injury prevented Jimenez from returning to his previous levels for the remainder of his time at Molineux.
He left the club in the summer of 2023, and has only recently shown signs of returning to his best level.
Wolves really suffered as a result of Jimenez’s injury, and badly missed his influence while he was recuperating. But the club finally now have someone with all those traits Jimenez showed before his injury in Cunha.
Sure, Cunha is not technically an out-and-out number nine like Jimenez. But he’s certainly every bit as influential as the ex-Wanderers icon.
Cunha is scary for defenders, just like Jimenez was
One word people could use about pre-injury Jimenez for Wolves was ‘scary’ – and that’s exactly what Cunha is now.
The 25-year-old didn’t quite cut it in his first half-season at Molineux after signing from Atletico Madrid. But under O’Neil, he has been absolutely terrific – and the Wolves manager deserves great credit for the work he’s done with him.
He is a sensational ball-carrier, is very quick and strong and can also link up with those around him really well. And of course, he knows where the goal is, just like Jimenez.
Defenders must absolutely hate coming up against him, because at times there is nothing anyone can do to stop him from influencing the game.
| Matheus Cunha for Wolves (January 2023-present) | Raul Jimenez for Wolves (2018-2023) |
| Appearances – 69 | Appearances – 166 |
| Goals – 23 | Goals – 57 |
| Assists – 12 | Assists – 23 |
He’s too quick and too powerful, and we’ve seen several times now how he can provide those moments of magic from out of nowhere
Wolves were in limbo for a while after Jimenez’s injury in terms of having that fearsome attacking player in their team, but not anymore.
It was great to see Wolves fans give Jimenez a great reception against Fulham on Saturday, and his contributions for the club will never be forgotten.
Hopefully, Cunha can have the same sort of impact and stay for a similar amount of time as his former teammate.