Wolves secured a vital 2-1 victory over Luton Town this afternoon and Gary O’Neil praised several of his players.
Wolves hosted strugglers Luton at Molineux following six matches without a win in the Premier League.
Gary O’Neil was able to field an attack consisting of Hwang Hee-Chan and Matheus Cunha for the first time since December 30.
O’Neil labelled that duo as “amazing” and lauded their impact as the “difference” between the two sides this afternoon. Cunha set up Hwang for the opener, freeing him into the left channel before the South Korean forward cut inside and found the net.
Hwang’s 11th strike of the season was followed by a Toti Gomes diving header, who doubled their lead at the start of the second half.
Carlton Morris did grab a late consolation but the Englishman couldn’t remove the gloss off a positive Wolves performance as one player in particular stood out.
Gary O’Neil lauds Boubacar Traore as ‘very good’ v Luton
Despite performing brilliantly in the 2-0 defeat against Arsenal, midfield destroyer Boubacar Traore was dropped in the 1-0 defeat against Bournemouth on Wednesday night.
O’Neil then reversed that decision by starting the Malian alongside Joao Gomes and Mario Lemina in midfield.
Supporters perhaps felt aggrieved that the 22-year-old was left out in midweek, and he demonstrated why with his domineering performance on the pitch.
Traore looked assured in possession, protected his defence with some ferocious pressing and won the ball back on numerous occasions.
It’s such a performance that rewards a starting berth week in and week out as O’Neil was left impressed by what he saw for him.
As per journalist Nathan Judah, the former Bournemouth manager labelled him as “very good” while also reserving praise for Toti.
Boubacar Traore stats vs Luton Town
O’Neil fielded a midfield trio that had the perfect blend of tenacity, energy and creativity in abundance.
Traore asserted his dominance and showed his class next to Gomes and Lemina by being a force of creativity on the ball and a ball-winning machine off it.
Once hailed as “special” by Steve Davis, the £10 million signing won eight ground duels, made six tackles and one clearance while making two key passes, firing two shots on goal and recording a pass completion of 83%.
Traore put in as complete performance as you’re ever likely to see and it surely rewards him with a start in their gruelling trip to Manchester City next weekend.