Wolves got a huge three points against Chelsea last weekend, but there was no sign of Raul Jimenez in the matchday squad.
Julen Lopetegui elected to leave the Mexico international out against the Blues. Rayan Ait-Nouri also missed out for the second weekend running.
It is the first time that has happened to Jimenez this season.
The only reason the £30 million star missed squads earlier this term was through injury.
Saturday was the first time he missed out pure for tactical reasons, which is what Lopetegui said after the game.
Against Chelsea, the manager went 4-4-2 and used Matheus Cunha and Diego Costa up top. Cunha played just off Costa, and it really worked well.
While neither player scored, they gave the Chelsea defence real problems. And both were in the box being menaces when the ball came out to Matheus Nunes to fire into the top corner.
Fans have been clamouring to see a two-man attack. A lot of people have been suggesting that it would bring the best out of Cunha.
And we saw that on Saturday, with Cunha really linking play nicely.
And Costa was terrific against his former club.
Former Molineux defender Andy Thompson praised him highly, saying (Wolves official): “He’s a presence, isn’t he? We all know about his reputation and the way he plays, and he’s not going to run past you, he’s not going to run beyond, but what he will do, he’ll nick the ball, he’ll fight, and he’ll make it awkward for defenders, as he has done, and he makes it difficult for people to get past him.
“He knows all the tricks of the trade, he knows how to play against defenders, he’s done it for years, and we need somebody up front.”
Quite possibly, this is the way to go for Wolves moving forwards.
Cunha and Costa partnership looked good and could leave Jimenez struggling for starts
It was a huge surprise to see Jimenez missing from the squad on Saturday.
We obviously don’t know what goes on behind the scenes. But Lopetegui is not afraid to make these huge calls. We saw it a few weeks ago with Daniel Podence.
The fact Lopetegui felt comfortable doing that suggests Jimenez is down the pecking order at the moment.
He will still have a part to play. But the 31-year-old could now really struggle for starts.
Cunha just makes Wolves a better, more dangerous team, despite not being prolific himself.
And then you have Costa, who just feels exactly what this team needs at this moment in time.
Wolves are still scrapping for their Premier League lives and no one battles more ferociously than Costa. You can understand why the manager would want to play him over Jimenez.
But of course, Costa is 34 and cannot be used too heavily. Which is why Jimenez will still have a part to play. He just might find his starting prospects have taken a hit.