Wolves player ratings vs Southampton: Joao Gomes completes comeback after Mario Lemina red card

Latest Wolves news from BirminghamLive includes the player ratings from the dramatic 2-1 win over Southampton

Joao Gomes made himself an instant hero for Wolverhampton Wanderers with a debut winner at Southampton.

The 21-year-old stepped off the bench to score an 87th minute winner at St Mary’s to complete a spectacular turnaround for 10-man Wolves. An own goal from Jan Bednarek had earlier cancelled out Carlos Alcaraz’s opener for the hosts. Wolves had ex-Saints man Mario Lemina sent off in farcical circumstances in the first half of a dramatic match.

The game sparked into life in the 25th minute when Alcaraz put Saints ahead. Wolves failed to clear a set piece and Alcaraz reacted well to fire home from the edge of the box after his initial effort was blocked by Craig Dawson.

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Within two minutes, referee Jarred Gillett had made matters worse for Wolves by sending Lemina off. Lemina - who had been booked for an earlier challenge on Alcaraz - was given his second yellow card after approaching Gillett to complain about not being awarded a free-kick.

A fine block from Max Kilman prevented Bednarek from scoring a second for Saints shortly before half-time. Wolves’ best effort of the first half saw Matheus Cunha fire over the bar after neatly dribbling his way beyond the home defence.

Kilman was bailed out by Jose Sa at the beginning of the second half after a sloppy back pass gave Kamaldeen Sulemana a one-v-one. Sa raced out to thwart the lively forward to prevent Saints from pulling two goals clear.

Lopetegui made four substitutes before the 70th minute with Hugo Bueno, Adama Traore, Diego Costa and Joao Gomes all coming on. Three of those substitutes combined to equalise in the 72nd minute.

Bueno did well down the left and fired a ball across which Costa couldn’t force home. Adama followed up Costa’s initial effort and, despite Bednarek’s best efforts, the ball was bundled over the line.

The aforementioned trio were to be outshone by a magical moment from Joao Gomes. The Brazilian midfielder advanced forward in the closing stages and saw his initial shot blocked, before placing his second effort into the top corner.

Jose Sa 7

The goalkeeper spared Kilman’s blushes by denying Sulemana at the beginning of the second half following the defender’s awful back pass. Sa was solid and used the ball well with his feet.

Nelson Semedo 7

Semedo caused Saints problems in the opening period with some excellent dovetailing with Sarabia. He dropped deeper once Adama was introduced in the second half and used the ball intelligently.

Craig Dawson 7

Dawson is proving to be an excellent addition for Wolves. He made a few timely blocks at the back and marshalled Wolves’ defence well.

Max Kilman 6

Like Dawson, Kilman made a couple of important blocks - one which prevented Bednarek from scoring - but he did give Sulemana a chance to make it 2-0 with a poor back pass.

Rayan Ait-Nouri 5

Ait-Nouri wasn’t able to influence the game going forward and was one of several players booked by Gillett in the first half. Lopetegui withdrew him at half-time and brought on Bueno.

Mario Lemina 5

It is harsh to criticise Lemina without knowing exactly what he said to Gillett to warrant a second yellow card. Yes, he should have known better, but in fairness to Lemina you see numerous examples of what he did go completely unpunished in every game.

Ruben Neves 7

The skipper drove 10-man Wolves forward in the second half. His use of the ball was exceptional, as per usual, especially the way he constantly released Adama down the right flank in the second half.

Matheus Nunes 6

The Portuguese midfielder started out wide on the left again and wasn’t able to influence the match positively. He improved after moving back into midfield to cover the loss of Lemina.

Joao Moutinho 5

Wolves clearly set out to dominate possession with four central midfielders in their starting line-up, but Moutinho became redundant once Southampton were handed a numerical advantage. It was no surprise to see him sacrificed at half-time.

Pablo Sarabia 6

Sarabia couldn’t show off his silky skills in a feisty match at St Mary’s. There were some nice touches in and around Saints’ box, but nothing that overly concerned the home side.

Matheus Cunha 6

Cunha is feeding off scraps at the moment and his teammates didn’t create a meaningful chance for him at St Mary’s. The Brazilian now hasn’t scored in eight appearances, albeit five of those have come as a substitute.

SUBS

Hugo Bueno (for Ait-Nouri, 46) 7

The Spaniard added solidity and quality at left-back to help Wolves seal a fantastic win. He was in the right place at the right time at the death to clear the danger.

Adama Traore (for Moutinho, 46) 7

Adama started slowly but he was instrumental after getting up to speed. He forced home the equaliser and played his part in a superb comeback.

Diego Costa (for Cunha, 58) 7

Costa was a surprise introduction from the bench, especially so early, but he added something to the Wolves attack. He fought for every ball and was an excellent focal point.

Joao Gomes (for Matheus, 70) 7

Does it get any better than this? On his Wolves debut, in the final minutes, Gomes lived the dream with a stunning finish. He is a hero already.

Jonny (for Semedo, 84) N/A

Not used: Bentley, Collins, Neto, Jimenez

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