Powerful Costa, poor Doherty – The best and the worst-rated Wolves stars vs Arsenal

published

12/11/2018 9:58 AM

Wolverhampton Wanderers player ratings vs Arsenal

Wolverhampton Wanderers were held to a 1-1 draw by Arsenal at the Emirates as Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s 86th-minute strike cancelled out Ivan Cavaleiro’s goal early in the first half.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s men created multiple clear-cut chances and threatened to claim all three points even after Arsenal equalised. Substitutes Adama Traore and Morgan Gibbs-White could have given the new boys of the Premier League a shock victory but were denied by Bernd Leno and the crossbar.

The 1-1 draw put an end to Wolves’ three-game losing streak and Nuno Santo will have plenty of positives to take from a lion-hearted effort against the Gunners away from home.

Wolves player ratings

1. Rui Patricio (7/10)

Produced a wonderful save to deny Aaron Ramsey from close range and not really at fault for Mkhitaryan’s goal.

2. Ryan Bennett (8/10)

He had a tough battle in his hands against the likes of Aubameyang and Lacazette and did excellently to keep them at bay; not afraid to put his body on the line and made some crucial blocks from close range.

3. Conor Coady (8/10)

Arguably the standout performer at the back for Wolves; good with his positioning, made some solid challenges and denied Lacazette with a supernatural block from inside the box.

4. Willy Boly (7/10)

He was solid for large quarters of the game. Party to blame for Mkhitaryan’s goal as he could have stretched a bit more to deal with the cross; failed to score from a relatively easy opportunity.

5. Matt Doherty (6.5/10)

Solid at the back and linked up well with Helder Costa to contribute to the attacking play up front.

6. Jonny Otto Castro (7/10)

Another impressive performance by the Spaniard in the wing-back position. He got the better of Bellerin on many occasions and contributed to both defence and attack.

7. Ruben Neves (8/10)

Caught the eye with his flawless passing and switched the play really well with some perfectly measured long passes; cut out the attacks from the midfield and looked very impressive with his distribution.

8. Joao Moutinho (7.5/10)

Showed some sublime touches in the middle of the park and did a wonderful job against one of the most feared midfield forces in the Premier League.

9. Helder Costa (8.5/10)

A wonderful outing for the Portuguese international. Looked very threatening on the counter and ripped apart the backline with his pace down the right flank; always a lively presence in the final third and forced Bernd Leno to make a couple of good saves.

10. Ivan Cavaleiro (7.5/10)

Collected a loose ball from Xhaka in the midfield and combined brilliantly with Jimenez to score the opener.

11. Raul Jimenez (7.5/10)

He did not get on the scoresheet but proved his worth to the team yet again with a fine assist; showed good work rate and put the backline under pressure.

Substitutes

Morgan Gibbs-White (6/10)

Struck the crossbar with his wicked effort from within 25 yards.

Adama Traore (6.5/10)

Tormented Arsenal’s defence with his pace and guile and could have won the game for Wolves, only to be denied by Leno.

Diogo Jota (5/10)

Should have made it 2-0 from Traore’s cross.