Pedro Neto stood out, but several other players were sub-par as Wolves and Leicester City played out a goalless draw at the Molineux on Sunday.
It was a game in which chances came few and far between, with both the teams defending superbly for the most part. Having said that, there were some openings that could have been converted, with Pedro Neto and Adama Traore, in particular, conjuring up the chances for Wolves.
On the other end, Leicester’s players were not at their creative best, with James Maddison enduring an off day, although the Englishman and compatriot Harvey Barnes were denied by some critical blocks. The biggest chance, though, fell to Fabio Silva, who was thwarted by Kasper Schmeichel. The game, though, ended in a draw in the end and The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over both sets of players.
Wolves
Rui Patricio: 6/10
Rui Patricio did make three saves against Leicester, but none of them really tested him. Will be glad to have kept a clean sheet, though.
Leander Dendoncker: 7/10
It has been a while since Dendoncker played in a back-three, but the Belgian looked at ease in the position. Never really looked troubled and covered ground smartly.
Conor Coady: 7/10
Wolves lined up in a 3-4-3 once again and it was hardly surprising that Coady was much more comfortable against Leicester. The Wolves captain did not do much wrong on the day and was accurate with the ball at his feet.
Max Kilman: 7/10
A fabulous display by Kilman, who made one big block to deny Harvey Barnes while remaining diligent in his duties at the back all throughout. Connected well with Jonny.
Nelson Semedo: 5/10
Sub-par. Despite seeing a lot of the ball, Semedo was quite wasteful when moving it forward while also leaving a lot to be desired with his end product. There were sloppy moments in the defensive phase as well and he really needs to step up.
Ruben Neves: 7/10
A decent enough display by Neves, who kept a check on Youri Tielemans and initiated some fine moves. 4 interceptions and 5 tackles are a measure of a strong display.
Joao Moutinho: 6/10
A game of hits and misses. While Moutinho moved the ball along quickly on transitions, there were a few wayward passes, although he also created 4 chances. Shooting was off, however.
Jonny Otto: 7/10
A shame we couldn’t get the three points at home… but I’M BACK to give my everything for the pack again!! Doctors, staff, teammates, family, friends, supporters… THANK YOU!! ? No words can describe how I feel!! The work continues now!! ?? pic.twitter.com/CdeVec2Alh
— Jonny Otto (@JonnyOtto19) February 7, 2021
A surprising return, Jonny made quite an impression despite coming after a long layoff. The wing-back did not show a single sign of rust and made a stunning double block to help keep the score at 0-0 in the first half. A welcome return for Wolves.
Adama Traore: 7/10
The game’s big theatre came in the form of Traore’s battle with James Justin. Got the better of the Leicester full-back plenty of times while also delivering some dangerous-looking balls. Could not manage to make a telling difference, though.
Willian Jose: 5/10
A difficult outing for Willian Jose. Despite the enterprising performances of Traore and Neto, the Brazilian never really found a way into the game, which just passed him by. Taken off for Fabio Silva, who did not really make an impact either.
Pedro Neto: 8/10
A top-class display by Neto, whose performance deserved better rewards. Had the measure of Ricardo Pereira all game long and created three fine chances. Always looked a threat on the ball, in what was a bright showing.
50% of the total take-ons completed in the opening 30 minutes of Wolves vs. Leicester City were by Pedro Neto [3/6].
So dangerous 1v1. ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/VRgDjQdR8H
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) February 7, 2021
SUBSTITUTES
Ki-Jana Hoever: 6/10
On for Jonny, Hoever continued from where the Spaniard had left off, defending diligently. Did not make a big impact going forward, though.
Fabio Silva: 5/10
On for Willian Jose, Silva hardly saw the ball in his cameo but had one of the best chances of the game falling to him, only for a poor effort being saved by Kasper Schmeichel.
Morgan Gibbs-White: N/A
A late introduction, Gibbs-White did not have enough time to make an impact.
Leicester City
Kasper Schmeichel: 7/10
While Wolves did threaten Leicester over the course of the game, Schmeichel did not have a lot to do. In fact, the Leicester skipper made just one save all game, although it was the best save of the match, denying Fabio Silva from close range.
Ricardo Pereira: 5/10
Ricardo continues to build his fitness and the lack of sharpness was evident in his battle with Neto, who overpowered him for the most part. Sloppy on the ball as well, with poor end product and will hope to get back to his best quickly.
Jonny Evans: 7/10
There were many balls that were floated into the centre of the Leicester box and Evans was alert to clear any danger away (7 clearances in total). Some difficult moments against Neto, though, in his bid to cover for Ricardo.
Caglar Soyuncu: 7/10
The full-backs were occupied all throughout, but Soyuncu, along with Evans, held the fort in the middle and completely dominated the two Wolves strikers who played this game. 3 clearances and as many blocks helped preserve the clean sheet for Leicester.
James Justin: 7/10
Indulged in an engrossing battle with Adama Traore. While the Spaniard did get the better of him at times, Justin too made an impression with some decent defending, winning 9 duels while also making a big block. Not as big a factor going forward this time out.
James Justin vs Adama Traoré was a classic 1v1 duel
•Justin on top in the 1st half- including a great block to stop Adama’s goal-bound shot
•Adama fought back in the 2nd half including creating a big chance for Neto
•Then it was even in the last 20 minsTop football all-round pic.twitter.com/lcPQKgyHbY
— Premier League Panel (@PremLeaguePanel) February 7, 2021
Hamza Choudhury: 7/10
Choudhury impressed last time out and earned another start. The young midfielder vindicated Brendan Rodgers’s decision to stick with him, hardly misplacing a pass while never letting his marker out of sight. Earning a long rope.
Youri Tielemans: 6/10
The Leicester creative players did not perform to potential, and Tielemans was no different. Did see a lot of the ball and played a couple of key passes, but also lost possession a staggering 20 times. A rare blip wherein he did not deliver.
Ayoze Perez: 5/10
After a promising display against Fulham, Perez was sub-par here. There were some loose touches while his passes were needlessly sloppy at times. Needs to do better.
James Maddison: 6/10
As is the running theme for Leicester players, Maddison did not enjoy himself on Sunday. Not at his creative best, but the English international did have the goal in his sights twice, only to be denied brilliantly by Jonny.
Harvey Barnes: 6/10
Another game wherein Barnes was not as big a factor as he would have liked to be. But, the English winger did carry a threat when he did get the ball on his feet and most of Leicester’s dangerous moves had him involved, with the player also being thwarted by a couple of blocks.
Kelechi Iheanacho: 6/10
After an impressive display against Fulham earlier in the week, this was a frustrating evening for Iheanacho. With Wolves putting men in behind the ball, the Nigerian was starved of service, though he did play as many as 3 key passes himself. Back to the bench, though, now that Jamie Vardy is back.
SUBSTITUTES
Jamie Vardy: 6/10
Returning after a short spell on the sidelines, Vardy showed no signs of rust whatsoever, with his movement troubling the Wolves defenders to a great extent. It is this movement that nearly saw him score the winner, but he sent his header wide of the target.
Marc Albrighton: 6/10
On for Perez, Albrighton provided an injection of energy from the right flank and set Vardy up for a fine chance with a dangerous cross. Could not make a telling difference in the end, though.
