Wolverhampton Wanderers picked up their 11th Premier League win of the campaign with a narrow 1-0 victory over Sheffield United.
Despite dominating the ball throughout, they were unable to build upon their first-half one goal lead. Wolves had just one more shot than their bottom-placed opponent, which further proves they didn't completely dominate the tie.
A lack of creativity in the attack was apparent in the second half, which led to a handful of nervy moments towards the end.
Gary O’Neil will be pleased with the three points and the result, but the performance left a lot to be desired, and the showing was a huge drop off in quality and intensity compared to last week's 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Nonetheless, the Old Gold climbed to eighth in the table.
#1 Liverpool
26
38
60
#2 Man City
26
33
59
#3 Arsenal
26
39
58
#4 Aston Villa
26
21
52
#5 Spurs
25
14
47
#6 Man Utd
26
0
44
#7 Brighton
26
8
39
#8 Wolves
26
0
38
Pablo Sarabia’s performance in numbers
Pablo Sarabia showed his quality and experience against the Blades this afternoon, with his goal separating the two sides.
Throughout the game, the 31-year-old's technical ability allowed him to evade the pressure of Chris Wilder’s midfield to control the game for Wolves.
The Spaniard was handed an 8/10 rating by Birmingham World for his performance, and his statistics also prove that he was the host's biggest threat.
Sarabia had five shots, one key pass, and lost the ball 20 times, which shows that he was willing to take risks to help the side increase their advantage.
However, the Spaniard wasn't the only hero for O'Neil on Sunday.
Rayan Ait Nouri’s performance in numbers
Rayan Ait Nouri is such a reliable player for the manager to call upon, and the left-wing back role he features in is absolutely perfect for his skill set.
The Algerian proved that once again today during his 77 minutes on the field. In the first half, the defender provided a wonderful, curling cross with his weak foot for Sarabia’s header, which ended up being the winner.
Without that moment of brilliance, Wolves could have been walking away with just a point instead of three, and the table below shows a handful of his key stats from the tie.
Minutes
77
Assists
1
Touches
68
Pass accuracy
98%
Successful dribbles
1/2
Possession lost
4
Tackles
3
Ait Nouri was extremely comfortable in possession, only losing the ball on four occasions throughout the game while also completing one successful dribble and creating the winner.
However, the stat that stands out above all is his 98% pass accuracy, which means he misplaced just one of his 55 passes. This is even more impressive considering he was involved in the play frequently, drifting inside to get on the ball, as shown by his 68 touches.
The full-back was everywhere, and he maintained concentration defensively despite the side having 63% of the ball. His three tackles often helped his side regain the ball instantly, preventing Sheffield United from maintaining any real momentum.
Birmingham World gave the 23-year-old an 8/10 rating for his performance, and it was another quality showing by Ait Nouri.
