Wolves recorded a huge win over Chelsea yesterday to go four points clear of the relegation zone – and it’s possible fans watched the birth of Ruben Neves’ long-term replacement in young Joao Gomes.
Wanderers took three points courtesy of a sublime first-half strike from Matheus Nunes.
The 24-year-old grabbed his first goal of the season, lashing in on the half-volley from a tight angle.
It was an unstoppable hit from the Portuguese, who gave a magnificent performance at Molineux.
But one man who really caught the eye was Gomes, who came into the midfield alongside Mario Lemina.
Gomes is already a hugely popular figure at Wolves for the way he helped orchestrate his January transfer from Flamengo to fruition.
Against Chelsea, he was absolutely everywhere and truly lived up to his nickname of ‘The Pitbull’.
According to Sofascore data, he contested 20 duels in the game. He made four clearances, five tackles and had 63 touches of the ball – no Wolves player had more.
It was fantastic to watch Gomes going about his business so efficiently, on only his second Premier League start.
Eyes were on him in the absence of the suspended Neves. And he certainly justified Julen Lopetegui’s decision to bring him into the team.
Joao Gomes feels like he could be Ruben Neves’ heir at Wolves
This was an outstanding performance from Gomes against a Chelsea side full of quality players.
It felt somewhere near to the kind of performance Mario Lemina put in against Liverpool back in February.
Gomes wasn’t just combative though. He showed great technical quality throughout and it is so exciting to think how good he could become.
Many Wolves fans accept Ruben Neves is likely to leave the club this summer. He’ll only have one year left on his contract, and has been with the club now since 2017. Few would begrudge him a move.
And if that does happen, Wolves might just have someone who can step into his shoes.
Gomes is a midfielder with the potential to do it all. He’s arrived at the club at a similar age to Neves and also a similar fee (£15 million).
The Brazilian is already hugely popular at the club. He feels like he’s already on his way to getting that level of adoration Neves has.