Wolves 1-0 Leeds: Player ratings as Illan Meslier own goal hands hosts deserved win
By Tom Gott
Wolverhampton Wanderers were made to work hard for their 1-0 win over Leeds at Molineux on Friday night, a result handed to them thanks to an unfortunate own goal from Illan Meslier.
It was Wolves who had the game's first real chance as Pedro Neto's 11th-minute superb strike from range was palmed over the bar by Meslier. The two sides exchanged half-chances for the remainder of the half, with Wolves having the better of things, but neither side could make the breakthrough before half time.
The hosts pressure would be rewarded less than 20 minutes into the second half as Adama Traore's weaving run and thumping long-range effort cannoned off the crossbar, before ricocheting off the helpless Meslier before nestling into the back of the net.
Patrick Bamford thought he had equalised in the 78th minute, but his goal was ruled out for offside - allowing Wolves to hold on for a valuable three points. Here's how both sets of players rated.
WOLVES
1. Goalkeeper & Defenders
Rui Patricio (GK) - 6/10 - Practically a spectator on his 100th Premier League game. Had little to do until stoppage time but was alert enough to keep Leeds at bay.
Leander Dendoncker (CB) - 7/10 - A couple of hospital passes from the back, but the Belgian was solid defensively and found himself in the right place when needed. Kept Bamford quiet all night.
Conor Coady (CB) - 7/10 - On what was his 100th Premier League appearance, Coady didn't really have much to do. Some nice passes but a relatively quiet night.
Romain Saiss (CB) - 7/10 - Did well to deal with the threat of Raphinha on the right. A little too physical at times but clearly did enough to unsettle Leeds' forwards.
2. Midfielders
Nelson Semedo (RM) - 7/10 - A constant threat down the right but lacked end product. Had two good chances but failed to really test Meslier.
Ruben Neves (CM) - 7/10 - Pulled the strings in midfield without ever creating anything significant. Hoovered possession up and was quick to recycle the ball forward.
Joao Moutinho (CM) - 7/10 - A real workhorse. Broke up play regularly and was happy to charge forward with pace when needed.
Jonny Otto (LM) - 6/10 - Bombed forward with regularity but didn't get involved as much as Semedo on the right.
3. Forwards
Pedro Neto (RW) - 7/10 - The game's best player by some margin. Everything dangerous came through Neto, but his desire to score a 30-yard screamer let him down at times.
Willian Jose (ST) - 6/10 - Tried is best to be a focal point and was a nuisance when it came to battling for long balls, but he wasn't involved as much as Wolves would have hoped.
Adama Traore (LW) - 6/10 - Looked a lot like the Traore of old for large parts. His end product was often lacking, although his thunderbolt of a strike deserved a goal.
4. Substitutes
Marcal - 6/10
Rayan Ait-Nouri - N/A
Fabio Silva - N/A
LEEDS UNITED
5. Goalkeeper & Defenders
Illan Meslier (GK) - 7/10 - Was helpless for Wolves' opener and did not deserve to become the youngest goalkeeper to score a Premier League own goal. Made some good saves early on to stop Wolves from getting ahead earlier.
Luke Ayling (RB) - 7/10 - Embraced the battle with both Traore and Neto. Understandably struggled at times but caused enough problems to prevent either from getting into the box too often.
Pascal Struijk (CB) - 7/10 - Looked so much more comfortable back at centre-back. Enjoyed his battle with Jose.
Liam Cooper (CB) - 7/10 - Happy to do the dirty work both in the air and on the ground. Made life hell for Jose and forced Neto to keep trying his luck from range. Should have opened the scoring but failed to make the most of an early header.
Stuart Dallas (LB) - 6/10 - Didn't shirk the battle with Traore but found Neto's fast feet too much to deal with. Spent a lot of the game very deep to ensure he didn't get caught on the counter.
6. Midfielders
Jamie Shackleton (DM) - 5/10 - Struggled in the Kalvin Phillips role. Found it hard to connect defence and midfield and was a little too sloppy in possession.
Raphinha (RM) - 7/10 - Leeds' biggest danger man by far. Regularly got into dangerous positions and did well to create space around him, but the end product wasn't always there.
Mateusz Klich (CM) - 4/10 - A tricky night for Klich. Looked to struggle with the pace of Wolves' attacks and couldn't contribute enough going forward himself. Passing accuracy was not there.
Tyler Roberts (CM) - 5/10 - Asked to play as too much of a midfielder for somebody who isn't a midfielder. Was responsible for too many attacks breaking down.
Jack Harrison (LM) - 4/10 - Worked hard getting up and down the pitch but simply couldn't get involved. More of a left-back at times to help cope with Traore and Neto.
7. Forward
Patrick Bamford (ST) - 5/10 - A passenger for the majority of the game. Couldn't get in behind Wolves' back line apart from for an offside goal. Will have angered a lot of Fantasy Premier League players.
8. Substitutes
Pablo Hernandez - 6/10
Helder Costa - N/A
Ezgjan Alioski - N/A