Here is Stuart James’s match report from Molineux:
That’ll do from this one. Let me send you Ben Fisher’s way again: he’s gone from Singapore to, errrm, Goodison in the blink of an eye to bring you Everton v West Ham. From me – thanks for your company, and see you soon!
I’m not sure Wolves will score enough goals to have an absolutely *stellar* season but that was good stuff today, high tempo for most of the game and plenty of players getting into good areas. Doherty was outstanding down the right and they make that wing-back system work so well.
Burnley, though, really need to get something from at least one of their next two games – against Bournemouth and Cardiff. A lot of that take-no-prisoners approach that’s brought them so far has fallen by the wayside up to this point in 2018-19. They need to get that back and it really isn’t easy once it has gone. I’d be quite worried about them.
Jimenez speaks: “We knew at half-time that we’d have a good result and now we are here with the three points. Before all matches I imagine I’m going to score, it’s my purpose here as a striker. Finally I can score.”
So does Doherty: “I think I was already celebrating in my head before [my chance later] had gone in, which was a mistake. Today I could feel we were really on it and could have won by more.”
Full-time: Wolves 1-0 Burnley
Wolves should have won that by several more. They were much the better side throughout. Burnley are in some trouble this season, I’d say.
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90+4 min: And again, Bonatini really should score. It’s Traore once more, crossing from the right, and the striker can’t quite get his legs right. He bundles wide from a few yards out.
90+2 min: Another chance for Bonatini, set up by another direct Traore run. Over goes the shot from 12 yards. Burnley have two minutes left to punish Wolves, who’ve had 29 shots to their seven.
90 min: Wolves are just getting a bit careless and now Bennett trips Vydra in another decent area. Gudmundsson crosses this time and Bennett redeems himself with a thumping header again. Moments later the ball falls nicely for the Icelander in the ‘D’, and it’s a chance for a guy with his striking ability actually, but he completely scuffs it to Patricio. We’ll have four added minutes.
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88 min: Nope, they couldn’t, not yet anyway. Gudmundsson’s effort troubles nobody. On now, for Wolves, comes Gibbs-White for Jota.
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86 min: Lennon wins a free-kick about 28 yards out in a good position, and then Neves is booked for an uncharacteristically clumsy foul further back. Burnley couldn’t, could they ... ?
84 min: Now Neves has a shot blocked after good work from Traore and Jota, who then wafts one wide from range. They keep on coming.
82 min: Traore is rudely hacked down by Taylor, who gets the booking. No sign of anything from Burnley at the moment. Wolves look much, much better.
81 min: Tarkowski heads away a goalbound effort yet again, this time from Bonatini. Wolves knocking hard at the door for another.
80 min: Burnley eventually clear after a prolonged bout of ball-bobbling around their box. Then Bonatini shoots off target. It would be a poor reflection of proceedings if the visitors snatched a draw here – but they are still in it.
79 min: A third Burnley change, Westwood replacing Hendrick. They are running out of time now ...
76 min: Wolves beat Burnley’s newly-aggressive press and really should score again, Jimenez this time squaring to an onrushing Doherty in a role-reversal of the goal. Doherty can’t quite steady himself and, with the goal in front of him, dribbles his shot well wide. Bonatini comes on for Jimenez straight afterwards.
74 min: Burnley now have a little more “ball”, Taylor and Lennon trying to do something down the left, but it’s not really going anywhere. Wolves won’t want to sit off too much though. They’ve been just fine for most of this.
71 min: Traore shows exactly what he can do with that pace, drawing a save from Hart’s legs at the near post after being played in by Jimenez. I imagine there’ll be more threats where that came from.
70 min: Another Burnley change now, Wood replacing Vokes and meaning they now have an all-new attack.
68 min: A rare Burnley free-kick in a decent position ... and their best chance! It comes off a head in the box, Vydra eventually meeting it at an angle and lashing it across goal. Through Boly’s legs it goes and Cork *just* can’t react quickly enough to jab it into the vacant goal. A corner is the result but all Burnley get from that is a yellow card for Gudmundsson, who breaks up a Wolves counter illegally.
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66 min: Jonny squares for Costa to wrap his foot round the ball ... and wrap round it he does, before ballooning his effort from a decent position. That’s his last act – on comes that man Traore in his stead.
64 min: Burnley are going to have to come at this now, and that means they might leave space for ... Adama Traore, who will join us shortly I think.
Goal! Wolves 1-0 Burnley (Jimenez 61)
It was most definitely coming! A patient move down the right ends with Doherty, so important today, cutting back to Jimenez to turn a lovely first-time finish across a helpless Hart and in off the post. It’s a much harder finish than it looked, that. Wolves absolutely deserve this. What have Burnley got now?
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59 min: Jota takes a Neves pass that was actually meant for the better-played Doherty, but swivels and fires wide of the near post. Very high-tempo start to this half from Wolves.
58 min: Hart, perhaps a bit unsighted, tips wide a speculative Neves effort that wasn’t going on target. His bearings weren’t quite right. Can Wolves punish him from their latest corner? Spoiler: nope.
57 min: It comes to nothing but that was a note of encouragement. Vydra is a bundle of invention and intent at his best.
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56 min: Burnley bring on Vydra, who might offer a bit more movement in attack, for Barnes. They need something else up there, that’s the sure. And he instantly earns their first corner ...
55 min: Solid defending from Taylor against Costa concedes a corner. Still the Wolves pressure. This flag kick is incredibly deep and eventually Doherty slashes miles over from 30 yards.
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54 min: Jota asks for a penalty after Lennon, tracking Jimenez’s smart lay-off, runs across him. But there’s no contact, much as a snarling Nuno on the sideline would have liked there to be.
52 min: “Does Dyche realise that in order to score ... and win ... you need to attack the opposition goal..?” ponders Niall Fogarty. As I write, Mee rises to meet a very deep Gudmundsson free-kick but that’s going nowhere near Patricio’s goal.
50 min: Burnley haven’t been able to get out since half-time and it’s Gudmundsson, whose major contributions have been defensive, cutting out a slide-rule Neves ball towards Costa.
48 min: The early Wolves pressure continues, Hart punching away a Moutinho cross after a short corner routine.
46 min: Oh, what a miss from Jimenez! Bardsley fluffs a backpass and sends Jota clear on the inside left. The defender recovers fairly well and forces Jota to slightly rush his pass inside for Jimenez, who has an open goal to aim for 18 yards out, bar another covering defender. He leans back and spoons it over, with Hart taken out of the game! A fantastic early opportunity for Wolves.
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Peeeep! Just like that, we're back underway!
Wolves get the second half of this party started.
If you like Formula One, have a look at what’s going on in the Singapore Grand Prix with Ben Fisher here:
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Half-time: Wolves 0-0 Burnley
Hardly a chance-fest but Wolves will think they should be ahead – and they would be if Hart, who has been sharp in all departments, hadn’t made two vital saves just after the half-hour. They’ve had two or three intense periods of pressure; Burnley, led by the impressive Tarkowski, have had to defend well and haven’t offered much at the other end themselves. Can someone break through after the break? Find out soon!
44 min: The pressure is, once more, heavy from Wolves. They win another flag kick and Vokes, again, gets the defensive header in ... only as far as Boly, who controls and volleys only *just* over the bar from 15 yards.
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43 min: Jonny cuts in and tries to weight a curler into the far corner, but Tarkowski – again – reads it and deflects wide. Another Wolves corner. It’s headed away by Vokes, out to Neves ... and his shot is headed away by Bardsley before it can reach Hart, who had already started to dive.
41 min: Coady sees a clever early run behind the defence from Doherty and plays a similarly clever ball towards him, but Hart – who is having a very good game – is out to claim first.
39 min: Now Tarkowski, very good so far for Burnley, stands up well to prevent Jota getting a run on goal. That flurry around the half-hour aside, Burnley haven’t been damaged too badly.
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37 min: Cork is deservedly booked after pulling back a weaving Jota, who had beaten three men in midfield and was about to play Doherty into space.
35 min: Neves releases Jonny delightfully but the resulting cross is a bit too deep for Jimenez to get enough power on the header, which goes through to Hart with little fanfare.
33 min: Moutinho, quiet so far, belts one over from 25 yards. Wolves have awoken again.
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31 min: How do Burnley survive this? Hart saves brilliantly from Jimenez after a superb bit of play down the left from Jota, then Tarkowski heads the follow-up away from under the bar. Then Hart tips away a dangerous cross from the right and is in action seconds later to block at point-blank range from ... I think ... Doherty at an angle on the right. Amid all that, Tarkowski cleared from in front of goal again. It was quite a 30-second flurry. Are you watching, Gareth Southgate?
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29 min: Costa seems to have worked himself space to shoot after a fine combination between Jimenez and Jonny, but Burnley never quite make it easy enough and eventually he’s crowded out. Very good defending, that, from Mee and Tarkowski.
28 min: Bardsley is booked for getting *very* tight on Jota, who would have got away on the counter.
27 min: For now, Burnley are playing this one on equal terms. They seem to have absorbed that early pressure and are growing more expressive and confident on the ball. Still lacking a big moment at either end though.
25 min: I do wonder – and have wondered – whether Wolves could do with a link between midfield and attack, a number 10 I guess. They perhaps lack that little bit of nous between the lines and the midfield can sometimes be a bit flat, positionally.
22 min: Better from Burnley, Lennon jinking towards the byline after a nice move and seeing Bennett nod his cross away ahead of Barnes. Then Bardsley blazes his own effort wildly over. They’re settling down though, it seems.
20 min: Costa tries to play Jota in with a one-touch pass but overcooks it a little and Jota, second-favourite now against Bardsley, has to foul him. For all Wolves’ superiority they’re yet to create a clear chance. Barnes blasts well off target from an improbable position at the other end.
18 min: Burnley don’t look very good on the ball at all, thus far. But they’re not being given much time on it. Looking like a tough afternoon on early evidence.
17 min: Barnes, who hasn’t scored in eight games, gets a quarter of a sniff – if that – on the left side of the box and rushes a harmless shot into the arms of Patricio.
14 min: Another Wolves corner, won a little fortunately from Tarkowski after Jonny played Jota into an area where not much was on. This time it’s passed out to Costa beyond the edge of the box, but his rather tentative shot is blocked before it can get anywhere near goal.
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12 min: Not sure we’re in for many goals today but Wolves look very assertive when they step the pressure up. They’ve asked the questions so far.
10 min: Doherty, heavily involved down that right flank, earns another corner. The cavalry come up. It’s played short to Costa, who whips in a superb left-footed ball – and Hart has to dive in very bravely to parry the ball away with Boly lurking in a crowded box.
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9 min: Plenty of Wolves possession here. They do like that diagonal crossfield ball from Coady, their spare centre-back, out to the wing-backs. He tries one for Doherty, who heads into the area, but Gudmundsson covers astutely and draws a foul.
6 min: They do make some ground. Gudmundsson is tackled superbly on the edge of the area by Bennett as he looks to shoot and, shortly afterwards, does get a crack at goal in but slices very well wide.
4 min: And now Hart has to get down a smother a low Jota shot, although the forward didn’t really get a good purchase on it. Burnley not exactly under relentless pressure but need to get an early foot on the ball.
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3 min: Now Hart has to leave his area to boot away a long pass towards Jimenez. Strong start here by the home side.
2 min: Doherty gets forward well to win an early corner for Wolves. Who said he can’t drive towards the line? Neves aims it towards Boly at the near post but Burnley smuggle it away.
Peeeeep! We're off! It's on!
Burnley, going left to right, start us off.
The teams are striding out. There are fireworks. “Out there boys, out there, come on!” yells a Burnley voice in the tunnel. It’s almost time ...
@NickAmes82 No conflict from me re. Wolves. Great manager, some terrific players, nice football, supportive board who listen to the fans... what's not to love?
— Dan Pressland (@SteelyCityDan) September 16, 2018
Happiness in Wolverhampton.
Burnley actually have FIVE senior goalkeepers, don’t they – even if Nick Pope is injured. Anders Lindegaard and Adam Legzdins are also there. Most fans would presumably trade one of them for, say, a top-class forward.
Joe Hart is having a Frank Conversation in a dark room with Sky. He’d love to play for England again. “I was absolutely gutted and ... other words ... that I wasn’t in the World Cup squad,” he says. Now he’s centre stage in Burnley’s rather, errr, well-stocked group of England goalkeepers.
For your reading pleasure, a fine interview by the also very fine Stuart James with the equally fine Matt Doherty, of Wolves:
Wolves and Burnley first played each other in a league fixture in September 1888 (Wolves won 4-1, their first ever league win.)
— Ian King (@twoht) September 16, 2018
Told you it was old-school. Proper football clubs, places and venues both.
Any Burnley supporters in the hoooouuuuuuse? Tell me – are you worried? Is it too early to be worried? Do you think there’s only so far things can be taken in their current form? Should we all just chill out?
And Wolves fans – are you loving this? Unfettered riches, global names, nice football. I very much enjoyed the atmosphere at Molineux when I covered the Everton game on the opening day. Or does it feel a bit artificial, all this? Are you conflicted? I don’t know – I’m genuinely asking.
2 - @Wolves have only lost two of their 28 home games in all competitions under Nuno Espírito Santo (W18 D8 L2). Mentality. pic.twitter.com/KtXgHavxhC
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 16, 2018
That’s what Burnley have to deal with today.
The takeaway from that team news? Wolves select the same XI for the fifth game running. It means no starting place yet for Adama Traore, scorer of that late winner against West Ham.
Burnley make three changes from the home defeat to Manchester United. Vokes, Barnes and Gudmundsson replace Wood, Westwood and McNeil.
Team news
Wolves: Rui Patricio, Bennett, Coady, Boly, Doherty, Neves, Joao Moutinho, Jonny, Helder Costa, Jimenez, Jota. Subs: Gibbs-White, Ruddy, Saiss, Vinagre, Hause, Bonatini, Traore.
Burnley: Hart, Bardsley, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor, Lennon, Hendrick, Cork, Gudmundsson, Barnes, Vokes. Subs: Heaton, Lowton, Wood, Westwood, Ward, Vydra, Long.
Referee: Andre Marriner
Hello
Quite an old-world feeling about this fixture, isn’t there? Except today it’s cut-and-thrust, cutting-edge, decidedly serious Premier League action – and there’s plenty of “narrative” to get our teeth into.
Wolves go into this one feeling pretty darn happy after getting one over West Ham – the continuation of whose death march you can follow later on – and have made a very solid start to life in the top flight. They’ll be absolutely fine this season; the real question, I think, is whether they have the ingenuity and firepower to string a number of wins together and make a play for the top half. It’s not beyond them. That Moutinho-Neves axis will be formidable when it gets going and the system looks very well-drilled. Just need to make sure they can score enough, I think.
Burnley’s problems are a little bigger. It’s probably a relief that a squad this stretched has gone out of Europe but that doesn’t automatically bring Premier League results. Is this the season Dycheball falls short? I have a feeling it might be, you know. When Burnley are 10% short of their gut-busting maximum I think they’re in real trouble, and that’s been the case too often so far this season. They need a win, sharpish, and silencing Molineux would be a good way to get their season going.
All this talk and conjecture will, as ever, be rendered null and void when the action starts. And it does soon, at 1.30pm UK time. Stay close, and get your emails and tweets in. Enjoy!
