After sitting back for most of the first half against an Aston Villa side that had failed to score in their last three, Wolverhampton Wanderers finally found their feet after the restart. But in the end it was too little too late as the two sides drew 0-0.

Conor Coady, who scored his first goal since April 2018 against Manchester City, should have left Villa Park with a brace.

The Wolves Captain rattled the inside of the post with a header after meeting a lovely cross from Pedro NetoRomain Saiss followed up the shot, and shockingly missed the open goal, blazing the ball over the bar with his outstretched foot. 

Emiliano Martinez's then denied Coady the chance to redeem himself. Willian Jose's weak shot from the outside of the box fell to the Englishman who turned and directed his effort at the hand of the Argentinian goalkeeper.

Wolves' failure to score meant they missed out on the opportunity to overtake Leeds United in the Premier League table. 

  • First Half Struggles

Once again, Nuno Espirito Santo's side started the match slowly and were lucky to enter the break level. Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins both hit the bar in the first half that the home side dominated. 

Wolves started their midweek fixture at the Etihad Stadium in a similar fashion before growing as the game went on. Starting slow is excusable against a side that will inevitably become champions, however to do it against a side that were struggling for form is not acceptable.

It is becoming a recurring theme that Wolves are relying on the second half to get a result.

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Out of the 10 shots the visitors had, just three came in the first half, two of which were from outside the box. 

Whether it's a tactical approach to the game, or just laziness at the beginning of the game, it needs to change quickly, because Wolves simply cannot rely on the second half to get something out of games.

  • Pedro Neto

Once again, Neto was the key man for Nuno's side. 

His early solo counter-attack set the tone for what would be a dominant second-half display.

After latching onto a clearance from a Villa corner, Neto drove the length of the pitch before smashing an effort straight at the opposition's goalkeeper. 

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Some clever footwork from the Portuguese winger opened up space to swing in the cross for Coady's first chance at goal.

Week in, week out, Neto is proving his worth to this team and his contributions have carried Wolves throughout the season. 

It is exciting to see the heights that the 20-year-old can reach.