Wolves took a step closer to securing their Premier League status thanks to Diego Costa’s first goal in the league for six years, helping them to a 2-0 victory over Brentford. Hwang Hee-Chan scored a crucial second goal to secure the win for Wolves, who are now seven points clear of the relegation zone with seven games left. This is only the second time this season that they have secured back-to-back wins. Costa’s impressive performance was reminiscent of his dominant days at Chelsea.
After joining Wolves in September, the striker finally found the back of the net and helped inspire the hosts to a 2-0 victory over Brentford. Hwang Hee-Chan scored a crucial second goal for Wolves, who are now seven points clear of the relegation zone with seven games left to play. This win marks the second time this season that they have secured back-to-back wins. Diego Costa’s impressive performance was reminiscent of his dominant days at Chelsea, and helped move Julen Lopetegui’s side closer to safety.
The ongoing relegation battle has brought some clarity to the league’s situation and Wolves are feeling optimistic about their chances. Meanwhile, Brentford, who are not at risk of relegation, suffered a damaging defeat that has caused their hopes of qualifying for Europe to fade. Despite their impressive season, they are now four points behind Brighton, having played two more games. Although it’s not necessarily a critique of their performance, they seem to be settling into mid-table comfort. The Bees struggled to get going at Molineux and were saved by David Raya’s excellent save to deny Mario Lemina’s 20-yard effort early on. Raya also made a great stop against Matheus Cunha’s strike as Wolves searched for a quick advantage. Wolves had previously won four of their last six home league games at Molineux.
At kick-off, the hosts were four points clear of the relegation zone, knowing that they could secure their survival. After gaining confidence from their win over Chelsea the previous week, they continued to apply pressure.
Diego Costa, who had taken time to adjust to the Premier League, forced David Raya into a low save. Meanwhile, Brentford initially aimed to frustrate and Ivan Toney was largely peripheral until he had two quickfire chances at goal.
First, Toney’s deflected shot fell to Josh Dasilva, but his instinctive lob went over the bar. Two minutes later, Toney’s drive was blocked by Max Kilman. Despite this, Wolves remained in control and took the lead after 27 minutes.
The goal was a result of Costa’s driving run from midfield, as he moved forward and picked out Toti on the left. Toti crossed to the box, where Costa evaded Christian Norgaard and scored from 12 yards, marking his first goal in English football since the 2017 FA Cup final.
Lopetegui’s Wolves had not lost in the previous eight games when they took the lead, which was a worrying sign for Brentford. The loss has further shattered Brentford’s chances of qualifying for Europe, with only two wins in their last ten games. Although they needed a response, they failed to deliver, and Raya saved Costa’s second goal attempt four minutes into the second half. Despite his reliability throughout the season, Raya had a scare when Toti fell under his challenge after Mbeumo’s errant pass, but Wolves’ penalty appeals were dismissed after a VAR check by Stuart Attwell, frustrating the Molineux crowd. Brentford improved as the game progressed, but Wissa’s feeble shot was an easy save for Jose Sa. Wolves secured the win with 21 minutes to go, thanks to Nunes’ creativity, who ran down the left and got past Henry and Janelt before crossing low, which Pinnock blocked, but it fell kindly to Hwang, who tapped it in. Toney hit the bar in stoppage time, but it was too late for Brentford to stage a comeback.
