Wolves 2-0 Crystal Palace: Player Ratings as Nuno's Men Get Their Groove Back

31 October 2020 01:10

Wolverhampton Wanderers got back to their best on Friday night as they roared to a 2-0 victory against a disappointing Crystal Palace.

Palace had a goal correctly ruled out for offside, and before you could get your breath back, Wolves were ahead thanks to a delightful strike from the debuting Rayan Aït-Nouri. Daniel Podence made it two before Palace thought they had a route back into the game when Patrick van Aanholt won a penalty - only to see the decision overturned because of an earlier offside.

The second half was far more even, with Palace shifting their shape to try and get back into the game. They enjoyed plenty of possession but lacked the cutting edge to break through Wolves' stubborn defence, and any hope of a comeback was extinguished as Luka Milivojević was shown a late red card for a nasty challenge.


WOLVES

1. Goalkeeper & Defenders

Coady was comfortable throughout | Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images

Rui Patrício (GK) - 6/10 - Forgot he was even playing. Hope he stayed warm.

Willy Boly (CB) - 7/10 - Looked comfortable at the back (even through he almost gave away a penalty), and he was unlucky not to find the back of the net with an early header.

Conor Coady (CB) - 7/10 - Relished the battle with Batshuayi and Zaha and rarely came out on the losing end. His cross-field passing was typically superb.

Max Kilman (CB) - 6/10 - Didn't need to do anything spectacular but rose to every challenge presented to him. Doesn't look like losing his spot in this team any time soon.


2. Midfielders

Semedo was everywhere | Pool/Getty Images

Nélson Semedo (RM) - 8/10 - Outstanding. Was constantly flying down the right side of the pitch and whipping in plenty of dangerous crosses. Deserved an assist or two but Jiménez's finishing wasn't there.

Leander Dendoncker (CM) - 8/10 - Looked impressive getting forward and joining in with Wolves' attack, but still made sure he was there to recover possession when needed. Hit the woodwork twice.

Rúben Neves (CM) - 8/10 - Completely ran the show in midfield, picking passes with terrifying ease all night long. Palace couldn't get anywhere near him.

Rayan Aït-Nouri (LM) - 8/10 - What a debut. The teenager complimented Semedo excellently, offering dangerous cross after dangerous cross. Took his goal with real composure.


3. Forwards

Jimenez's movement was impossible to handle | Pool/Getty Images

Pedro Neto (RW) - 7/10 - Combined with Semedo to tear Van Aanholt apart. An excellent cross for Podence's goal.

Raúl Jiménez (ST) - 7/10 - Will be frustrated with some sloppy finishing but more than made up for it with some outstanding link-up play. Pulled Palace out of position so often.

Daniel Podence (LW) - 8/10 - His partnership with Aït-Nouri was too hot to handle. Was always drifting around the pitch to find possession and was in the perfect position to score his goal.


4. Substitutes

Moutinho was lucky not to pick up a serious injury | Pool/Getty Images

João Moutinho - 6/10 - Victim of a shocking challenge from Milivojevic, having gone about his business in typically unassuming fashion.

Adama Traoré - 6/10 -
Ran around quickly, as you'd expect, but wasn't required to turn on the turbos as Palace don't play the exposure at the back game.

Fábio Silva - N/A


CRYSTAL PALACE

5. Goalkeeper & Defenders

Guaita could do nothing about the goals | Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Vicente Guaita (GK) - 6/10 - Better than the scoreline suggests. Had to be alert to stop Wolves from snatching a few more goals.

Nathaniel Clyne (RB) - 3/10 - Had the impossible task of coping with Podence and Aït-Nouri but still made it harder than it should have been. Wasn't at it at all and showed his obvious rust.

Cheikhou Kouyaté (CB) - 5/10 - Generally solid at the back but was caught out of position for Wolves' second goal. Left Clyne exposed.

Scott Dann (CB) - 4/10 - Dragged around by Jiménez's movement and didn't have the legs to cope with it. Missed a great chance to get his side back into the game.

Patrick van Aanholt (LB) - 3/10 - Like Clyne, was completely overwhelmed by the overload. Had no help but didn't do himself any favours with some sloppy positioning.


6. Midfielders

Riedewald looked solid in midfield | Chloe Knott - Danehouse/Getty Images

Andros Townsend (RM) - 4/10 - Couldn't get into the game at all. Had to drift into central positions to try and get the ball but then looked uncomfortable.

Luka Milivojević (CM) - 2/10 - Best moment was preparing to take a penalty that never even happened. Was sloppy all night and deservedly shown a red card for a dangerous challenge on Moutinho.

Jairo Riedewald (CM) - 6/10 - Unfortunate to be on the wrong side of this game. Looked solid in midfield and was a rare bright spark.

Jeffrey Schlupp (LM) - 3/10 - Forced to drop back to try and contain Semedo but was absolutely awful at it. A passenger throughout.


7. Forwards

Zaha's frustrations boiled over | Pool/Getty Images

Michy Batshuayi (ST) - 4/10 - Showed some good movement but was completely isolated as Palace's wingers couldn't get the ball to him. Had the ball in the back of the net but saw a third strike in consecutive games ruled out for offside.

Wilfried Zaha (ST) - 5/10 - Unsurprisingly, Zaha was at the heart of everything positive Palace did, but the problem is that they barely did anything positive. Clearly grew frustrated with his lack of impact.


8. Substitutes

Eze struggled to get involved | Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images

Ebere Eze - 6/10 - Didn't really get involved, but didn't put a wrong either in his defence. Will be confident of starting future games if this is how Palace perform.

Jordan Ayew - 5/10 -
Wasn't able to influence proceedings much as, you guessed it, the ball wasn't particularly forthcoming.

Christian Benteke - N/A


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Source: 90min