• 9 months ago
Birmingham World reporter Charlie Haffenden's thoughts after Wolves 2-3 Coventry in the FA Cup quarter final.
Transcript
00:00 Wolverhampton Wanderers have been knocked out of the Emirates FA Cup by Coventry City
00:05 in the most devastating manner. In the quarter-final stage here at Molineux, Wolves were 2-1 up
00:10 in the 97th minute, but Coventry with two goals in three minutes very deep in added
00:15 time earned a 3-2 victory. Mark Robinson's team, sensational really to turn it around
00:20 so late. One of the most incredible ends to a game I think I've ever watched. Molineux
00:25 just a few minutes earlier was absolutely bouncing, but then in the end silenced as
00:31 Coventry in the away end were rampant and in an absolute frenzy. You can't blame them.
00:37 One of the most incredible days for them as well. Travelling support, 4,800 of them here
00:42 at Molineux. What an experience for them and a gutting heartbreak for Wolves. How did the
00:46 game go then? Well, Coventry probably deserved to win to be fair to them. They had more chances,
00:52 they created so many opportunities, having so many shots on target. If it wasn't for
00:56 Jose Sarr, the Wolves goalkeeper, it could have easily been four, maybe five goals for
01:01 Coventry today, or if not more to be honest. Coventry got plenty of shots on target. They
01:06 were quite clinical in that aspect, but Sarr in between the sticks, making himself look
01:09 massive, making the goal seem pretty small, kept Wolves in the game. Ellis Sims got the
01:14 first goal. It was bundled in, a bit controversial. It was looked at for about five minutes. I
01:20 can't believe I'm saying that, but five minutes, I think it was in the end from VAR, seeing
01:24 if he'd handballed it over the line. There was no conclusive evidence to suggest he had.
01:30 It was more off of his chest rather than from his hand is what it appeared, but no certainty
01:34 there. 1-0 to Coventry. Wolves battled back eventually. It took it to about the 70th or
01:40 maybe even 80th minute to show much attacking threat, but that's when it came. Ryan Aitnouri
01:45 playing a bit further up the field. A big tactical change from Gary O'Neill gets on
01:49 the score sheet to make it 1-1. Molyneux bouncing again, and then just a few minutes later,
01:54 Hugo Bueno playing at left back in Aitnouri's absence, playing up top. He comes and scores
02:00 an incredible finish actually. Ryan Aitnouri playing it through to him after a good run
02:05 and a very composed finish from a left back Bueno, putting it into the far bottom right-hand
02:09 corner. Not a stunner, but to show that composure under that pressure was really impressive.
02:15 You think at that moment, Wolves advancing to Wembley. They're going to be lining Wembley
02:19 away in a few weeks' time, but Coventry had other ideas. Not once, but twice they scored
02:24 deep and at a time. Ellis Sims again, another bundled finish before Haji Wright, just as
02:29 you thought was going to extra time, in 90 plus 10, the 100th minute of the match, puts
02:34 it in the bottom right-hand corner. It was Sims again, the one who assisted it. An amazing
02:39 game, Sims, albeit one crazy miss in the first half. He should have scored from about three
02:45 yards out and fluffed his lines. He more than made up for it. Two goals, an assist for him
02:49 and that goal for Wright, just absolute bedlam in the Coventry end, but heartbreak here for
02:54 Wolves fans. Gary O'Neill, devastated understandably. He says it's going to take the entire two
02:59 weeks of the international break to get over this. And also bad news on Pedro Neto. He's
03:06 expected to miss most of the rest of the season, if not all of it, with a hamstring problem.
03:10 But there's more to come. BirminghamWorld.uk for the post-match reaction, the player ratings,
03:15 the injury updates and a disagreement between Gary O'Neill and Mark Robbins.

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