Brilliant Gunnarsson, poor Ralls: The best and the worst-rated Cardiff City stars vs Wolves

published

1/12/2018 11:08 AM

Cardiff City player ratings vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

Cardiff City registered their third win of the season as Neil Warnock’s men came back from behind to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 at the Cardiff City Stadium on Friday night.

Matt Doherty gave Wolves the lead from Joao Moutinho’s corner after Raul Jimenez’s header was saved by Neil Etheridge.

The Bluebirds continued to threaten from set pieces and Harry Arter almost got the home team back on level terms, only to have his left-footed drive come back off the post.

Warnock’s men stamped their authority in the second half as Wolves lost control of the game and Aron Gunnarsson took advantage of some poor goalkeeping to restore parity in the 65th-minute.

It looked as if the game was heading for a draw when a moment of brilliance from Junior Hoilett put the home team in the driver’s seat with just 13 minutes remaining.

Wolves suffered their fifth defeat in their last six Premier League outings while Cardiff moved out of the relegation zone to 15th in the standings.

Cardiff City player ratings

1. Neil Etheridge (7/10)

Produced a fine save from Jimenez’s header from the corner but couldn’t do anything about Doherty’s rebound. Had very little to do for the rest of the game.

2. Bruno Manga (7.5/10)

Partially to blame for Doherty’s goal as Jimenez moved away from him to get his head to the ball; put in some solid challenges throughout the rest of the game and always a reliable presence at the back.

3. Sol Bamba (7/10)

Looked a bit bamboozled by the pace and movement of Costa and Traore and dived into a few reckless challenges but won the ball more often than not.

4. Sean Morrison (7/10)

Troubled by the pace of Wolves’ attackers early in the game but slowly grew in confidence and made some important blocks to keep his team in the game.

5. Aron Gunnarsson (8/10)

What a menace he can be with those long throw-ins into the box!!! Calm and composed in possession and took his chance perfectly to put Cardiff back on level terms; acted as a link between defence and attack.

6. Victor Camarasa (6.5/10)

Playing in an unfamiliar right-wing back position, the Spaniard struggled to get into the game at times but did his job fairly well. Wasn’t his best performance of the season.

7. Joe Ralls (5.5/10)

Didn’t have too much impact on the game. Started off brightly and had a shot go wide but faded away gradually as the game progressed.

8. Harry Arter (7.5/10)

Hit the post with a thunderous left-footed effort from a corner in the first half and looked very good with his positioning during set-pieces. Always a physical presence in the midfield and was at the centre of everything Cardiff achieved.

9. Josh Murphy (6.5/10)

Probably the brightest of Cardiff’s attackers in the first half as he troubled the opposition with some powerful running. Faded as the game went on.

10. Junior Hoilett (6.5/10)

He was virtually anonymous for the entire game but lit up the scene with a wonderful goal from 20 yards out to give his team three points.

11. Callum Paterson (7/10)

He indirectly played a part in Gunnarsson’s goal by blocking Rui Patricio with his massive frame as he came to claim the ball. Always a strong presence up front and the defenders found it difficult to deal with him.