Wolves clinch first win over saints
Daniel Podence’s close-range finish earned Wolves their first Premier League win of the season at the expense of Southampton.
Podence broke the deadlock in added time at the end of a poor first half, sending an unorthodox finish past Saints goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu from Matheus Nunes’ low delivery.
Che Adams thought he had restored parity after Joe Aribo’s cross was deflected into the Southampton striker’s path by Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa, but Adams used his arm to bundle the ball over the line and the goal was correctly disallowed by referee John Brooks.
Adams – making his 100th Premier League appearance – then headed Stuart Armstrong’s looping delivery against the crossbar as Southampton pushed for an equaliser, but to no avail.
The victory lifts Bruno Lage’s side out of the bottom three, while Southampton drop into the bottom half.
Wolves clinch first win – just
Wolves fans will have been buoyed by the inclusion of £15m signing Sasa Kalajdzic in Lage’s starting line-up – particularly after a groin injury to substitute Raul Jimenez during the warm-up at Molineux.
The 6ft 7in Austrian international was signed in the hope of adding another dimension to Wanderers’ attack but endured a difficult start to his Premier League career, managing just eight first-half touches before being forced off with an injury of his own at half-time.
The home side created the better chances prior to Podence’s opener but it was a familiar story in front of goal, Rayan Ait-Nouri shooting straight at Bazunu and Pedro Neto dragging an effort desperately wide after cutting inside from the corner of the penalty area.
Just as a soporific first period was drawing to a close, Matheus picked out Podence with a crisp ball across the face of goal and the winger guided it past Bazunu. It was not the cleanest of finishes but it came at a crucial time for the hosts, with Southampton finishing the half in the ascendency.
The scrappy nature of the contest continued into the second period, but Southampton will be frustrated not to have earned a point after twice going close through Adams.
The former Birmingham frontman made a meal of what should have been a straightforward finish when he nodded a looping ball against his own arm from point-blank range, leaving referee Brooks with an easy decision.
Adams struck the woodwork with a firm header soon afterwards, but the visitors can have few complaints with the outcome after registering just one shot on target – a James Ward-Prowse free-kick easily saved by Sa.
Wolves, meanwhile, were left to celebrate their first victory in the league since a 2-1 triumph over Aston Villa on 2 April – 154 days ago.
Article provided by BBC Sport
