Wolverhampton Wanderers

Barcelona are interested in Wolves left-back Hugo Bueno, who is currently on loan at Dutch side Feyenoord. (Sport - in Spanish), external

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Phil Cartwright
BBC Sport journalist

Wolves' 2-0 win over Southampton on Saturday was a notable one; not only was it the club's first Premier League victory since April, but it was also the first time they had kept a clean sheet in the league for 258 days.

The £10m signing of England international goalkeeper Sam Johnstone from Crystal Palace in August added competition for Jose Sa, who stayed at the club beyond the summer transfer deadline despite reported interest from Saudi Arabia.

The pair, both 31, have shared goalkeeping duties in the early weeks of the campaign and some Wolves fans have suggested that Johnstone has not proved to be an upgrade, but has merely created a selection conundrum for boss Gary O'Neil.

Based on this season's stats, there is little to separate the two.

Portugal international Sa has a slightly better record in terms of goals conceded per game and has that solitary clean sheet to his credit although, according to Opta, he has made one error that has directly led to a goal, while Johnstone has a marginally higher save percentage.

Neither goalkeeper is close to Sa's save percentage of 69.31% in his 35 Premier League appearances in 2023-24, although other factors may have contributed to Wolves' poorer defensive record this term compared with last.

Max Kilman, Craig Dawson, Toti Gomes, Nelson Semedo and Rayan Ait-Nouri formed a fairly settled back line for much of last season, with all five making at least 25 league starts.

Different defensive setups have been tried this term, Kilman was sold to West Ham in the summer with no first-choice replacement signed, while the serious knee injury sustained in September by Yerson Mosquera - who returned to Wolves in the summer after a loan spell at Villarreal - further reduced O'Neil's centre-back options.

Sa appears to have the goalkeeper's shirt in his possession for now. With Johnstone out injured, he returned to the line-up against Manchester City on 20 October and made a string of fine saves in a 2-1 defeat.

He has played in each of the past four games, but who Wolves' starting goalkeeper will be moving forward will likely be on the agenda again following fit-again Johnstone's return to the bench against Southampton.

Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter

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"I understand the crowd," said Wolves captain Mario Lemina on Saturday. "But we know our manager."

Results and the calendar appeared to be conspiring against Gary O'Neil. Failure to win the final game before the November break - the last until the spring - would have stress-tested Wolves' resolve to keep him, perhaps to breaking point.

We will never know now, or not for a few weeks at least.

The conditions for change were clear, but one factor so common to these situations was missing. Sometimes with struggling teams, suspicions that players have lost faith in the coach seem too obvious to ignore. Not always a lack of effort, but a sensed lack of conviction, and often there is one game when everything unravels.

It has not happened. There have been plenty of faults to spot - especially defensively - but it has never appeared that the players have given up on their work, or on O'Neil. It has always felt as if they care.

There has been despair and emotion from the players, but even at the darkest stage of the past few months, when they were being taken apart at Brentford, Wolves still kept pushing enough to score the last goal of the game. They have shown the will, but not found the means.

Not until Saturday, anyway.

The early goal helped enormously, but soon afterwards, it was hard to claim that it had settled the nerves. After half-time, though, they adjusted and seemed settled. They certainly were after Matheus Cunha's fine shot.

It had not all been enjoyable, but - in the circumstances of the day - once Wolves had scored, the only two words that mattered were "Southampton nil". Better performances will need to follow, but this game had to be won first, by any means.

Lemina has faith and is happy to share it: "We know our manager is doing everything. Sometimes it's not about him - it's just about what we do on the pitch. Today showed he was a good tactical manager."

Nevertheless, there is a section of supporters, voluble in public channels even after Saturday, who still feel that this is the time to change, with winter in mind.

The idea that Wolves are now into an easy spell, after their demanding start, is a fallacy with Fulham next. But for now, O'Neil seems to have the club's backing.

Lemina says he certainly has support from the players.

"We have to stick together. The whole city has to stick together, the club need to stick together, and that’s what we did."

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Henry Brownsey
BBC Sport journalist

There were plenty of memorable numbers across the weekend's Premier League football...

1 - How many games it took Brighton's Matt O'Riley to open his account in the top flight.

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250 - How many appearances Bruno Fernandes has now made for Manchester United, registering a combined 155 goals and assists in this time.

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4 - Consecutive defeats for Pep Guardiola's Manchester City side, and the first time he has had such a losing run in his managerial career.

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28 - Points Liverpool boss Arne Slot has earned in the Premier League in his first 11 games in charge - the joint-most of any new manager.

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80 - Seconds between Bournemouth going 2-1 up and Mikkel Damsgaard equalising for Brentford.

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1:48 - How long into the game Pablo Sarabia put Wolves ahead against Southampton - becoming the club's earliest Premier League goalscorer.

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22 years, six months, two weeks and three days - The amount of time Ipswich Town had gone without a Premier League victory before Sunday's win at Tottenham.

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George Lakin
Fan writer

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Gary O'Neil survives, and his post-match fist pumps to the South Bank speak to his remarkable ability to shift sentiment. Just last week he didn't know what he was doing, and was told as much.

Marmite pales into insignificance compared with this when it comes to splitting opinion.

The pervading narrative is that O'Neil is still learning on the job - an unpolished diamond and one of the "best young operators" in the game, according to the board.

His future, supposedly, is yet to have even been discussed, such is their faith.

The reality is his youth and inexperience are dubious concepts. Mikel Arteta, Andoni Iraola, Enzo Maresca, Steve Cooper, Arne Slot, Kieran McKenna, Russell Martin and Ruben Amorim are all within five years of him either side, while Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler is a decade younger.

Ultimately, he is among his peers.

The adage "it's the hope that kills you" has taken on a new meaning: the higher-ups' high hopes for O'Neil feel like a punter who naively believes the "free beer tomorrow" sign chalked up behind the bar.

And yet, despite unconvincing performances, results since Brentford have improved. Arguably, O’Neil has achieved only a point or two less than anyone could have in the four matches since.

To survive long term, however, excuses must stop and philosophies must begin to show. Any side with a spine as strong as the likes of Matheus Cunha, Jorgen Strand Larsen, Joao Gomes, Mario Lemina and Santiago Bueno should not be languishing in the relegation zone and still without a distinct identity.

From the shoots of that first win over Southampton, O'Neil must build this team in his image. How Wolves express themselves is a reflection of him: his beliefs, his ideologies, his principles.

At the moment, that screams uncertainty. We look a side lacking conviction and confidence, riddled with fragility, fear and self-doubt, and on the brink of collapse.

Tetchy. Much like our manager.

The noise surrounding him is loud and the fanbase reactive (which can work both ways), but O’Neil's biggest challenge is undoubtedly - among the chaos - to find himself.

Firefighting will not suffice.

Find more from George at Always Wolves, external

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BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty has been answering your questions about the battle to avoid relegation this season.

Nick asked: Do you think Wolves' win over Southampton has only given Gary O'Neil a stay of execution, or do you think he can turn it around? The three points were important, but the performance again was poor. With the quality of players we have, it is hard to argue against a better manager getting much more out of this squad.

Phil answered: Time will tell on the long term but there is no doubt that was a huge result for O'Neil and Wolves. It was all about the win on Saturday - the substance, not the style.

It is clear the club want to stick by him and admire him but a loss to Southampton at home would have ratcheted up the pressure, which is why it was portrayed in many quarters as a must-win game.

In mitigation, O'Neil did lose some important players such as Max Kilman and Pedro Neto in the summer, as well as having a tough opening spell of fixtures. The club clearly showed its faith with a new four-year contract in the summer.

This vital win against Southampton now has to be the platform for improvement for Wolves and O'Neil because they are still in a precarious position.

David Moyes is eyeing a return to Premier League management with Crystal Palace, Wolves, Southampton and Leicester all potentially interested. (Talksport), external

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Opta's supercomputer has tipped promoted Southampton, Ipswich Town and Leicester City as the three most likely teams to get relegated from the Premier League this season.

Southampton are bottom and winless after 10 games since returning to the top flight, with the computer giving them 94.9% chance of being relegated.

Despite climbing out of the bottom three with an impressive first win of the season against Tottenham at this weekend, Ipswich are the next side being tipped to go down with a 70.7% chance.

While Leicester are 15th, three points clear of the drop zone, they are the third most likely side to get relegated according to Opta, with a 46.9% chance.

Wolves, Everton and Crystal Palace are the remaining sides that have an 18% or more chance of falling down to the second tier by May.

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Victory over Southampton on Saturday came with a healthy dose of relief at Molineux.

There is no desire to part company with Gary O'Neil. There is a firm grip of reality and perspective at the club's Compton training ground but defeat against the Saints would have pushed him to the brink.

Had Wolves been bottom and winless after 11 games going into the international break, O'Neil's future would have been bleak.

Wolves can consider themselves fortunate Ryan Manning's leveller was disallowed after Mateus Fernandes was ruled to have fouled Nelson Semedo.

Southampton were also upset there were no fouls given for challenges on Cameron Archer and Fernandes in the build-up to Matheus Cunha's clincher.

But O'Neil can argue Wolves are due some luck after last season's trouble with VAR and victory can give them a springboard.

There is a belief, both internally and externally, the squad is good enough to survive.

Yet Wolves remain in a precarious position - Ipswich's win at Tottenham hardly helped matters.

Fulham and Bournemouth await after the international break, games which Wolves still need results from both to maintain momentum.

Fulham have won four of their past seven and, while Bournemouth's form has been patchy, they have beaten Arsenal and Manchester City while also taking a point at Aston Villa recently.

Every game is winnable but it would be dangerous to view those matches as Wolves' immediate salvation.

They are still in danger and O'Neil still needs results.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Wolves and Southampton.

Here are some of your comments:

Wolves fans

John: A frustrating first-half performance after a stunning opening goal. We then sat deep which was strange as we are much better going forward but clearly afraid of giving away possession. In the second half we came out with much more energy, snapping away at Southampton and Joao Gomes in particular was immense. A great Matheus Cunha strike. Deserved win.

Geoff: Woeful, sideways, mind-numbing and pedestrian football, Gary O'Neil didn’t win the game... VAR ensured Wolves got a win! He has taken us from a fast counter-attacking style to the slow, patient, run-the-clock-down rubbish we saw under Mick McCarthy all those years ago. Far from a convincing win.

Graham: At last, three points. Dare I say the pendulum is swinging our way for a change? Two decisions have gone for us in as many weeks but not before time. Why did we not play like we did in the second half in the first? The international break will now give us time to enjoy this result. Well done lads.

Southampton fans

Darren: We had 71% possession and not a single shot on target. We are so one-dimensional. Russell Martin doesn't listen and will be sacked saying "we had lots of possession". He is clearly not a Premiership manager. Fix it now before it's too late!

David: Our manager continues to be a predictable 'one-trick pony', who seems incapable of fully appreciating how easy it is for other teams to set up, be patient and wait to pounce on our inevitable mistakes. Too many of our squad are Championship level, and Jan Bednarek is the ultimate ball watcher.

Derek: Just really, really disappointing. When it's a game we cannot lose and we have zero shots on target, it simply isn't good enough. Away from home we have to go for it and pressurise the home team because we can't even rely on our home form at the moment. Sadly, relegation is looking inevitable.

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Wolves fan Ryan Leister, host of the Wolves Report podcast, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live about Saturday's 2-0 win over Southampton:

"I feel like we'd have been having a totally different conversation [about boss Gary O'Neil] if Wolves hadn't won.

"It wasn't pretty - in fact, it was the complete opposite, it was ugly. Southampton had nearly 70% of the ball, but Wolves had one half-chance and one proper chance and took them.

"If you put that performance against a Manchester City or a Liverpool, you'd say it was a tactical masterclass so there is a bit of football snobbery involved because of how ugly it was. But all that mattered on Saturday was Wolves getting the win."

On goalscorer Matheus Cunha: "We are very lucky to have a player of his quality. He's a bit of a maverick.

"When that second goal went in, the relief in the stadium and the joy on my face must have been a picture. I was so happy. We've waited since April for that win. It's been a long time coming and I'm delighted we're off the mark."

Former Premier League defender Micah Richards spoke to BBC Match of the Day about Matheus Cunha's performance in Saturday's victory over Southampton:

"Gary O'Neil talked about getting him to to a position where he can affect the game and he was sort of playing as a left-centre.

"His football IQ is absolutely sensational. He's the one who can unlock the doors. He finds the little pockets of space and makes the right decisions at the right times.

"He's always scanning where he needs to be and always plays the right pass. He is so key in what Wolves are trying to do. He is the best at everything.

"Off the ball, he can do a little bit more - but on the ball, he is certainly the main man in this team."

Watch the full analysis on BBC iPlayer

Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, 31, is in high demand as the Japan international continues to struggle for game time at Anfield, with Wolves, Fulham, Ipswich and AC Milan all interested. (Caught Offside, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Highlights and analysis from Saturday's six Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Wolves 2-0 Southampton

• Brighton 2-1 Man City

Tom Gayle
BBC Match of the Day commentator at Molineux

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This was your textbook six pointer. However, irrespective of the scoreline, the approach from the two men in charge was a strong indication of how each will go about their business when it comes to picking up points.

For Gary O’Neil the result was clearly more important than the performance. Despite leading 1-0, the majority of the first half was played out amidst an anxious atmosphere amongst the Wolves supporters, frustrated by the apparent lack of pressing from their team, and a reluctance to commit too many bodies forward.

We had the bizarre situation at one point where Rayan Ait-Nouri stood hand on hip in disbelief at his Head Coach’s instruction to play the ball backwards, rather than race forward with one of his counter attacking marauding runs home fans have come to expect. It was far from pretty at times, but O’Neil would argue the ends justified the means.

As for Russell Martin, and I won’t be the first or last to make this observation, Southampton appear stubbornly wedded to a possession based playing philosophy, that whatever the game situation or opponent, will not change. Speaking to both Martin, and Taylor Harwood-Bellis pre-match, they both made it clear the plan was to impose their game style on Wolves.

It was hard to keep track of the number of passes Southampton made with each venture forward. It’s no surprise they are still yet to score from a cross. Set-pieces and corners aside, never once did a Saints player opt to swing a ball into the box from open play and simply see what happens. Calculated and methodical, rather than throwing caution to the wind.

Time will tell how significant this game was in deciding the fortunes of both teams, and indeed the futures of both managers. Yet from I saw from up of the gantry, O’Neil appears content to don his tin hat when needed, and get the job done by any means necessary, whereas with Martin, winning ugly doesn’t seem to be an option he’s willing to explore.

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Wolves captain Mario Lemina spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live after victory against Southampton: "We have been struggling a lot since the begining of the season to try to find a way to win games. Sometimes it comes from scrappy games like that where you have to be resilient.

"The first half was really tough but we stayed together and really fought hard. At the end of the game when you feel this kind of resilience you desrrve the points."

On nervousness in the crowd: "Of course you feel it. Every time we have conceded in the last few weeks we heard it and we wanted to reverse it by getting the clean sheet. It was even better for the confidence to get it.

"After the international break we will come back to the league with a positive result. We are unbeaten in three games now and we take that forward. It is really good for us."

On Matheus Cunha's goal: "They are the type of players, the creative ones, who have to keep calm and trust the team and when they get the ball they have to show that they are the best on the pitch. What he is doing right now is amazing."

Image source, Getty Images

Gary O'Neil spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Wolves' victory against Southampton: "Pleased for the group. They've given a lot and played better than we had today and came away with nothing. it was a gritty performance. Southampton are an awkward side to play against. We had to be patient. I thought we were excellent in the second half.

"We spoke a lot about this week about everyone being responsible. We did a lot of work on out-of-possession stuff. Half-time came at a good time for us and we could tweak it. It was a big clean sheet and I'm pleased for Jose Sa. He's had to work hard since Sam Johnstone came in.

On Matheus Cunha: "He's huge for us. He has such ability but he is one of those players who drifts and takes up positions. We work very hard on him on how it is to be a trusted team player when we don't have the ball. He's worked very hard on it after I spoke harshly to him after Brentford away. A big win for us and Matheus Cunha had a big say in it.

On the change in performance: "Brentford was a big mark for us. We went there and we were miles below our level. We should have got something off Man City here and then we've gone three unbeaten. It's going to be a big fight for us but we know we can turn it around."

Image source, Getty Images

Pablo Sarabia’s opener (1:48) was Wolves’ earliest ever Premier League goal, eclipsing Matt Jarvis’ strike against Blackpool in February 2011 (01:56).

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

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Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Six matches make up Saturday's Premier League action, and we will bring you every moment.

• Brentford v Bournemouth

• Crystal Palace v Fulham

• West Ham v Everton

• Wolves v Southampton (listen on BBC Radio 5 Live)

• Brighton v Man City - 17:30 (listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Liverpool v Aston Villa - 20:00

Kick-off 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here