Wolves may have lost to Manchester City at the weekend, but several players had great games.
Wolves came up agonisingly short against the Premier League champions, losing right at the death to a John Stones header.
Gary O’Neil changed Wolves’ formation and went with a back three – which is the same tactic he used last season.
It proved to be the catalyst last term, and Wolves looked much better in the system once again on Sunday, even though the team ultimately lost.
It was a big defensive effort and one man who really impressed former Wolves midfielder Dave Edwards was Craig Dawson.
Wolves’ Craig Dawson hailed after another top showing against Erling Haaland
Last season, Dawson put in one of his best performances in a Wolves shirt against City at Molineux.
He kept Erling Haaland totally quiet that day in the 2-1 win for Wolves, and there was always going to be a focus on that battle again on Sunday. Steve Bull did suggest that Dawson’s battle with Haaland would be key, ahead of the pair’s latest battle.
As was the case last time, Dawson did a number on Haaland, who was limited to just 13 touches all game.
Dawson gave him nothing, and Edwards said in his latest E&S column: “Bueno did well, Toti was a little shaky at the start but I thought he really grew into the game and Dawson was back to his absolute best.
| Craig Dawson stats vs Man City |
| Passes/completed – 19/20 (95%) |
| Touches – 33 |
| Clearances – 9 |
| Interceptions – 2 |
| Tackles – 1 |
| Duels/won – 4/2 |
| Possession lost – 1x |
“That’s two occasions now where he’s really got the better of Erling Haaland.
“You can see that Dawson’s straight next to him all the time. He’s trying to unbalance him. He’s trying to be physical with him. You can see Haaland getting very frustrated.”
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Dawson has succeeded where so many have failed
Dawson was right at the heart of Wolves’ defensive effort on Sunday and he really did not deserve to end up on the losing side.
The veteran, as Edwards rightly states, was back to his very best, against one of the game’s most prolific marksmen in Haaland.
| Erling Haaland stats v Wolves |
| Shots – 0 |
| Dribbles/completed – 1/0 |
| Touches – 13 |
| Aerial duels/won 5/0 |
| Passes/completed – 8/6 (75%) |
| Possession lost – 5x |
It is the second time at Molineux he’s kept the Norwegian sensation quiet. That is quite the feat, and something not too many other players can lay claim to.
If Wolves are going to climb the table, the form and fitness of £45,000-a-week ace Dawson is going to be so crucial. Wolves look like they could not stick with a back three and wing-backs, and he is very much the leader back there.
He’s the glue that holds it all together, and Wolves fans will just hope that he can remain available for O’Neil.
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