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Traoré clinches win over Southampton as Wolves maintain push for Europe

Bruno Lage recently misunderstood a question about Europe as an enquiry about his plans for a mid-season warm-weather training camp but there was no mistaking what the Wolves fans were singing about as they dispatched Southampton to rise to eighth in the Premier League.

The substitute Adama Traoré completed the scoring, a couple of minutes after Romain Perraud headed against the frame of the goal in search of a Southampton equaliser. Wolves had looked comfortable but it turned into a grandstand finish after James Ward-Prowse leathered a swerving free-kick in from 30 yards.

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Traoré’s 18 minutes on the pitch provided a snapshot of a player who seems to continuously lurch between the sublime and the ridiculous. Seconds before powering through to score his first goal of the season to seal victory, he had skied a shot over from close range after a tenacious run by another substitute, Fabio Silva. It remains to be seen if it proves Traoré’s last act for the club with the winger, who has less than 18 months to run on his contract and, seemingly no closer to extending his stay, is attracting interest from Tottenham.

These are two managers with little sympathy for their rivals submitting postponement requests to the Premier League. Ralph Hasenhüttl has been critical of the league for allowing clubs perceived wriggle room to delay games to suit themselves and a look at the Wolves lineup reflected the lengths they have gone to ensure they have adequate numbers to fulfil their fixtures during a strained period. Without Romain Saïss, who has captained Morocco to the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations, and Rúben Neves after he returned a positive Covid test, Lage shuffled his pack and handed the 22-year-old Toti Gomes a debut in defence, one of three players recalled from loans this month in order to bolster a thin Wolves squad. Lage also named two goalkeepers and three teenagers among his substitutes.

Fraser Forster and the Southampton defence are powerless as Adama Traoré makes it 3-1
Fraser Forster and the Southampton defence are powerless as Adama Traoré makes it 3-1. Photograph: Dave Shopland/Shutterstock

After the game, Hasenhüttl was in no mood to go over old ground but it is impossible not to think more matches would be played as scheduled if every manager followed Lage’s school of thought.

“The most important thing is not to make excuses or complain, it is to find a solution,” Lage said. “If we have players we need to continue to play. We have a lot of kids from the academy who are available. I want to play, especially now, because we are in a good moment. I didn’t think about [asking to postpone the game]. I put a kid who is just training a couple of times with us in the game, and we win the game.”

Wolves took the lead from the penalty spot after Jan Bednarek clumsily upended Rayan Aït-Nouri inside the box. Michael Salisbury initially awarded a corner but the referee changed his verdict after visiting the VAR monitor and Raúl Jiménez, who stuttered his run-up, sent Fraser Forster the wrong way. Southampton came close to an equaliser before the interval but the Wolves goalkeeper José Sá, who earlier oozed calm when Cruyff-turning away from Armando Broja, twice saved superbly from Mohammed Salisu.

Southampton put four goals past Brentford in midweek but lacked the same attacking thrust here and gave Wolves a leg-up when the hosts doubled their advantage approaching the hour. Forster wandered out of goal to claim an Aït-Nouri free-kick, only to halt his run halfway. Max Kilman did not think twice and sent a header looping over the Southampton goalkeeper and against a post.

The rebound was there for the taking and Coady obliged, scoring his first league goal at this ground since joining the club in 2015.

Ward-Prowse rattled in from distance to tee up a tantalising finish but it was Wolves who had the final say.

“Prowsey’s free-kick was world-class,” Hasenhüttl said. “I’ve seen a lot of good ones but I think this is the best one, against this goalkeeper – one of the best in the league – amazing. It was an unbelievable hit. It is a pity we don’t get anything [from the game].”