Liam Keen spoke to Nathan Judah following the 2-1 win over Chelsea at Molineux.
A magnificent Mario Lemina display handed Wolves an early Christmas present as the midfielder headed home the first in a 2-1 win to secure all three points against Chelsea.
The battling midfielder set out his stall early in the game on Christmas Eve when he made a last-ditch tackle to deny a Blues goal, as Wolves held on under some Chelsea pressure.
The hosts recovered and had a good end to the first half, before a dominant start to the second saw them take the lead as Lemina nodded in from a corner.
Chelsea pushed for a late equaliser as Wolves held their ground in defence, before a superb move in added time saw substitute Matt Doherty finish from close range to make it 2-0.
Shortly after that goal, Christopher Nkunku headed home for Chelsea to make it a nervous ending, but Wolves held on for the win.
A magnificent Mario Lemina display handed Wolves an early Christmas present as the midfielder headed home the first in a 2-1 win to secure all three points against Chelsea.
The battling midfielder set out his stall early in the game on Christmas Eve when he made a last-ditch tackle to deny a Blues goal, as Wolves held on under some Chelsea pressure.
The hosts recovered and had a good end to the first half, before a dominant start to the second saw them take the lead as Lemina nodded in from a corner.
Chelsea pushed for a late equaliser as Wolves held their ground in defence, before a superb move in added time saw substitute Matt Doherty finish from close range to make it 2-0.
Shortly after that goal, Christopher Nkunku headed home for Chelsea to make it a nervous ending, but Wolves held on for the win.
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SportsTranscript
00:00 [Music plays]
00:09 Hello, I'm Nathan Judo, I'm here with Wolves Report.
00:12 It is Mr Liam Keane.
00:13 Liam, an early Christmas present for Wolverhampton Wanderers.
00:16 Wolves 2, Chelsea 1.
00:18 Not at the best, but my God, that's an effective result.
00:21 Oh, it's a massive result.
00:22 Huge.
00:23 I mean, where does that put Wolves now? Level on points?
00:25 Eleventh. Level on points with Chelsea.
00:27 And Bournemouth North, isn't it?
00:30 Yeah, whatever.
00:31 Yeah, I mean, if anyone had given Wolves 11th by Christmas with what happened in the summer,
00:37 that is a magnificent return for Gary O'Neill and the players.
00:41 22 points from 18 games.
00:43 You have to call it what it is, first of all.
00:46 But then, be fair as well and say, maybe in the first half Wolves weren't at their best.
00:50 They had spouse in this game.
00:52 I felt like maybe a draw would have been a fair result on the balance of the whole game
00:55 because Chelsea had moments and if they were as clinical as West Ham were last weekend,
01:00 Chelsea would be two or three up in that first half.
01:02 It would have been game over.
01:03 Exactly.
01:04 But, you know, Wolves had their ground.
01:06 They were, I think, organised and diligent in the second half,
01:09 took their goals really well and had some individual performers that buoyed them onto a great result.
01:15 Well, I think you said it right.
01:16 It was chaotic in the first half in terms of possession for Wolves, but they were there.
01:20 They kept the ball on the floor, I think, second half.
01:22 They were more calm. They were more measured.
01:23 I think they grew into the game and when Sterling missed that chance when it was basically three on zero in that first half,
01:30 I think the crowd got on top of them and Wolves really found the feet and they carried that forward.
01:34 They signed for the last five or ten minutes in that first half and, like you say, second half they were excellent.
01:38 Yes, well, maybe 15 minutes or so into the first half and then they come out second half,
01:42 probably a little bit fortunate to be nil-nil, but all be it, ended with the half a bit aside
01:46 and carried on from where they left off.
01:48 They were on the front foot early.
01:50 Thiago's still on the stake, Hwang nicking the ball, Djalgo was having a shot deflected.
01:53 That set the stall out early parts of the second half and the goal came fairly quickly after that.
01:58 The timing of the goal was really important.
02:00 The manner of the goal was really important and the player himself that scored it was really important.
02:04 I thought Mario Lamina was absolutely magnificent.
02:07 Well, he epitomised Wolves into it and a great ball as well.
02:10 We've had a little bit of a go at Pablo Serabia with some of his distribution at times,
02:14 but I think that corner was spot on.
02:15 When you put it in that mixer, in that danger zone, you're asking for it.
02:18 Totte just before the awarding sign there, should have really done better, but a decent save.
02:22 I think either side of the keeper, that's 1-0 and then Lamina.
02:25 As good as he is defensively and breaking up possession, he's scored some important goals this season.
02:31 He really has.
02:32 When Wolves were struggling in that first half, he was making tackles, he was winning balls,
02:37 he was G-ing the crowd up.
02:38 Early on, within the first two or three minutes here, down in front of the South Bank,
02:41 Brozier cuts inside Totte, he's about to shoot, and Lamina comes in,
02:45 slide tackle, wins the ball and celebrates it like it's a goal in front of the South Bank.
02:48 That set out the atmosphere of his own performance throughout the afternoon.
02:54 He was brilliant.
02:55 He's not the only one.
02:56 I thought Gomes in that second half was absolutely outstanding, winning every ball,
03:00 winning every single blade of grass.
03:02 He covered every blade of grass, covered every yard.
03:04 He was magnificent.
03:05 I could go through the whole team, I thought there was a lot of good performances there.
03:09 It's a mixed afternoon for the overall performance, but it's certainly not mixed when it comes to the result.
03:16 It's a huge three points that puts him in such a good position going into Christmas.
03:21 And fair play to Gary O'Neill bringing on the best finisher of the club in majority.
03:25 Look, it's incredible, Iman.
03:27 It's not by luck, is it?
03:29 Obviously, his first fell here, he was fantastic, he was goals, he was an assist machine,
03:33 but he finds himself in some superb positions.
03:36 We couldn't quite understand what position he was playing.
03:38 He was midfield and breaks.
03:40 Look, he only needs one chance.
03:41 It's a great second goal.
03:43 Look, it was needed in the end as well.
03:45 Exactly.
03:46 Gomes wins the ball in the far corner as well.
03:47 He starts the phase, plays a nice one-two with Hugo Bueno.
03:50 It's a lovely ball from Bueno that should be dealt better with by the Chelsea defence.
03:54 It's a lazy flick with the heel and it falls perfectly to Dock,
03:59 who made a pretty simple but effective run into the box.
04:02 He opens his body up and it's an easy finish for a professional footballer.
04:07 But with that kind of pressure on you…
04:08 I don't know, I've seen the first few, I've fluffed the lines out.
04:11 It's a fair point.
04:12 He should be scoring, shouldn't he?
04:14 You can imagine the pressure at that moment in time.
04:17 It's the 93rd minute, we've still won the lap,
04:19 but you don't know where the game's going to go.
04:21 Obviously, as you mentioned, they did end up getting a goal shortly afterwards at Chelsea.
04:24 It's a really, really nice finish.
04:26 Open the body up, almost fake it to go the other corner, just roll it into the far corner.
04:30 Lovely goal and then, yeah, we'll switch off for a split moment, split second in the 96th minute.
04:35 Kilburn, who I thought was very good actually today, just lost him.
04:39 A little flat-footed, a little bit asleep.
04:41 And Kunku, it's a good header.
04:44 And thank God, he's got that second goal.
04:46 But like you say, you look at it and you look at the last four games,
04:49 goals have not played well, good football in the last four games really.
04:52 Apart from in patches, but Burnley, Forest, West Ham, now Chelsea.
04:57 Seven points in those four games.
04:59 That's a decent return, it really is.
05:01 Of course, Brentford have got a big break as well with Manchester City in the Club World Cup,
05:05 so they're going to be refreshed.
05:06 Everton at home here.
05:07 But you look at Brentford, you look at Everton, you're thinking,
05:09 there's no reason why Wolves can't go on there.
05:11 Remember, they had not a lot of options on that bench today.
05:14 The senior players came on, but there's obviously some virus in the camp,
05:18 there's an issue there.
05:19 So it was a weak, young bench.
05:21 Pedroneta still to come back into this team.
05:24 Things are looking up.
05:25 And then you've got Jenny around the corner, maybe a couple of additions.
05:28 I tell you what, I tell you what, the Judah barbecue,
05:30 could be on.
05:31 A little bit of European Conference League.
05:33 I'll take it.
05:34 It's amazing to be able to say, like I say,
05:36 the amount of money that Chelsea spend to be level and point to them.
05:39 This is a team we're talking about who are predicted to go down this season,
05:42 at the start of this season.
05:43 Isn't it an incredible achievement really from Gary O'Neill?
05:46 Whether you like him, whether you don't like him,
05:48 he has got the best out of these guys.
05:50 And you're going to get better results, of course you are.
05:52 And he said that from the start, we know that.
05:54 But when you don't play well, or you play okay,
05:57 and you've beaten the likes of Chelsea at home, it makes it all worthwhile.
05:59 Yeah, to be fair, I think of those four games you mentioned,
06:02 you've probably played better today than any of those people actually,
06:04 on the balance of all of those games.
06:06 But you are completely right.
06:08 Look, they've got illness in the camp.
06:10 Samedo, Lamina, Dawson and Kunio all struggling at West Ham.
06:13 All played, so can't use it as a major excuse,
06:16 but they were struggling with illness.
06:17 Had a couple of days of training off during the week leading up to this game.
06:23 And then we come into this game, and albeit it is three players that may not have started,
06:27 Troy Ulray, Silva and Belagard.
06:29 I mean, Belagard is the only one out of those three that may have started.
06:32 Those three were all missing, and once you lose them,
06:34 you've got three kids coming onto the bench.
06:36 Again, illness again, the reason for those three.
06:38 So, you know, you've also got a small squad.
06:41 They've got their light on options.
06:42 They now have Dawson gone, injured here.
06:44 They need additions, but with what is here,
06:47 and I keep using this reference because I think it's really important,
06:49 you've got a squad here, by and large the same squad,
06:52 apart from a couple of additions later on in the window,
06:55 and then Loptegi publicly said we're not good enough to stay up in the league,
06:58 or compete was the phrase he used, to compete in the Premier League.
07:01 I think they're showing, and Gary Neill's showing,
07:03 they're more than good enough to compete.
07:04 They need additions, they need a few changes here and there,
07:07 but this is a good sign that Gary Neill is getting every ounce of effort out of them.
07:11 Three days until they go to Brentford.
07:13 What do you expect to see, changes, or is it keep on going, guys?
07:17 Remember we've got that winter break coming up, haven't we?
07:19 We've got a bit of a break.
07:20 There's not many games in January.
07:21 There's a few people who are pretty much in the red zone, you would say.
07:26 You'll have to patch a few up when you go into the next year.
07:28 Do you keep on playing them until you push it, because of how small this squad is?
07:32 Yeah, I mean, in fact, Gary Neill spoke about it in the press conference before this game,
07:36 to say that I'm having to take it one game at a time,
07:40 purely because the squad is so small,
07:42 and that as soon as Chelsea's over, I'll think,
07:45 "OK, who is available to actually play?"
07:47 and then just pick an 11 from who's available.
07:49 Now, hopefully, the majority, depending on how Dawson is,
07:52 the majority will be available and ready to play.
07:54 Ait Noorie, I thought, was good today,
07:55 but obviously came off and looked a little bit tired coming out from injury,
07:58 so whether he can play straight away or so soon after this game.
08:01 But regardless of that, I think, by and large,
08:03 you have to keep this team and this starting 11 together,
08:06 because there's not a lot of options there, especially if the illness takes over.
08:08 But these players are performing.
08:10 If you've got Domenico and Dalgomez battling it through to three points,
08:13 then this team can be any team in this league.
08:16 - A cheeky glass of champagne tonight to celebrate the win.
08:19 - It might be prosecco. I'm not sure champagne's in vogue.
08:23 - Not in your wheelhouse.
08:24 - It's not in my wages, I'm afraid.
08:26 - There's some beers in the media room, by the way. Loads of beers.
08:28 - All right, then.
08:29 - You could be rocking out here.
08:30 - Not the alcohol ones.
08:32 - Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
08:34 - Don't book him on the M6, probably.
08:35 - I'll be doing the Gary Neill press announcement about relaxing Gazza.
08:38 - Gazza will be on it. He'll be on it.
08:40 We'll see what Chelsea want before the post-match reaction.
08:43 Make sure you log on to Express and Start.
08:45 I'm not going to do it.
08:46 It's not calm!
08:47 [LAUGHTER]