Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-3 Leicester City
If you asked a casual fan whether this Premier League fixture would end as an instant classic, he would probably laugh at you before walking off. These two teams aren’t exactly known for their scoring capabilities, and they come into this match after suffering painful defeats.
However, the people who watched this game know that this game is one of the most entertaining they have watched the entire season. Both sides showed passion for the game and the emblems on their chests. And their passion was rewarded with goals upon goals.
Diego Jota was especially fantastic for Wolves as he led his club to victory on the back of a fantastic hat-trick that was completed in the most dramatic fashion.
This is easily one of the best Premier League 2019 results you will ever see, and I am thrilled to have witnessed it.
Highlights of the game
The quality of action that the spectators at the Molineux saw was fast and unrelenting. The Foxes and the Wolves traded quick blows as they tried to establish a fantastic result to stop the inconsistent run of form they have found themselves in.
A quick goal was delivered, and the home fans were delighted that the first strike was theirs. Wolves had a corner on four minutes that was squashed by a resolute backline. They tried launching a quick counter, but the hosts quickly dispossessed the Foxes and launched their own counter. Joao Moutinho launched a cross that found Diego Jota, and the Portuguese forward finished the ball with a beautiful strike.
Leicester looked to equalise and almost got a quick reply when Jamie Vardy almost pinched the ball off Rui Patricio’s foot just one minute later. Vardy would soon come to regret not converting his fifth-minute attempt when their hosts pulled off another goal.
The second goal came from a dead ball, this time. Moutinho launched the ball from the left corner. The ball flew towards the middle of the goal, and Ryan Bennett met the ball to head it past Kasper Schmeichel.
The home fans were ecstatic while the visiting supporters were inconsolable. Any Wolves vs Leicester odds in favour of the Foxes were immediately reversed. Some Leicester fans were probably clamouring for a change in touchline leadership as Puel just isn’t cutting it for them.
However, it’s not like the Foxes have given up on getting back into the game. They managed to recover and fight back to turn things around. Vardy, Demarai Gray and Ricardo Pereira led the Leicester attack but were stopped by Rui Patricio and the Wolverhampton backline. The half ended with the Wolves riding a high.
Whatever Claude Puel said to his team during the break worked wonders as Leicester started the reset on sixth gear. Jamie Vardy collected the clearance on the 47th minute and immediately made the pass to Gray. The 22-year-old then dribbled the ball towards the goal in the midst of two gold shirts and powered a low-driven ball past Patricio.
Puel was pumped with the progress, and the Foxes were back in it. What he didn’t know was that the equaliser was on its way. Four minutes later, Harvey Barnes collected a loose ball within the Wolverhampton box. He then fired a shot that was deflected by Conor Coady and flew into the goal. Not a bad way to get your first goal for Leicester.
The game was already entertaining enough for SBOBET Premier League punters, but Wolves were just getting started. Ruben Neves launched a beautiful long ball to Jota from the counter-attack. He outplayed Schmeichel on the one-on-one by powering the ball underneath him.
The subsequent lack of action saw Leicester fans despair. The last ten minutes of the clock ticked, and Puel was getting animated on the touchline. However, things changed when James Maddison took an 87th-minute free-kick. He launched the ball towards the box, and Wes Morgan fought through two Wolverhampton defenders to head the ball past Patricio. The score was 3-3, and the entire Molineux was on its feet.
The match’s dying embers were tense as it seemed like a draw was inevitable. However, a very happy Raul Jimenez collected a diagonal Neves pass on the counter. He crossed the ball to Jota, and the Portugal U21 international broke Leicester hearts with a sublime strike for his hat-trick.
Key statistics
One could say that this was a battle of two halves, but Leicester had more time with the ball at 54%. They also had 16 shot attempts, but Wolves were just more clinical in the first half. Interestingly, both Patricio and Schmeichel weren’t able to make any saves despite both of them stopping three shots each in the first half.
Leicester have now lost three of their last league games, all of which by a single goal. However, their supporters should be happy that their French manager is doing all he can to break the rut. The Leicester team that played this game reminded me of the motivated side that took down Manchester City on Boxing Day.
There’s nowhere to go but up for Leicester.
What’s next?
Leicester City will be hosting Liverpool next. This is another tough test as they have such a prolific front three in Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane. However, their leaky defence should give Puel’s boys a chance.
Meanwhile, Wolves will play League One outfit Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup before welcoming West Ham United to the Molineux. Given the way they played this game, they should have all the confidence in the world to win this fixture.
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