Wolves 2 (Bellegarde 12, Cunha 90+7) Aston Villa 0
Wolves secured their first three points of 2025 and jumped out of the drop zone with a crucial victory over Aston Villa under the lights at Molineux.
Vitor Pereira’s side triumphed thanks to goals in each half, early on from Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Matheus Cunha right at the death.
For the first time in 2025, Wolves took the lead in a Premier League match, with Bellegarde finishing off a terrific team move. Cunha then sealed the victory in added time with a brilliant solo effort.
The contest started energetically, with both sides contributing to a competitive opening, highlighted by the six fouls within 10 minutes. The Molineux crowd were on it from the outset, which was mirrored on the pitch.
The hosts struck first with a superb team goal in the 12th minute. Cunha collected the ball on the left and squared it infield to Goncalo Guedes, who helped it along to Pablo Sarabia. The Spaniard looked up and picked out an onrushing Bellegarde, who rifled the ball past Emiliano Martinez at his front post.
Wolves followed up their opener with sustained pressure as their high-press proved difficult for Villa to bypass, however nothing led to an opportunity to double their lead.
Cunha had Wolves’ best chance of the first half to extend their advantage when he went one-on-one with Martinez. He muscled off Boubacar Kamara and latched onto Sarabia’s enticing ball over the top but failed to convert his effort. Guedes also missed the mark with the rebound.
Moments later, Wolves had another golden opportunity to double their lead before the break. Sarabia’s superb defensive efforts allowed Bellegarde to collect the ball and advance it to the halfway line. He then slid a pass into Guedes’ stride, and he did well to shrug off Ezri Konsa, but the forward failed to find the net, pulling his left-footed shot wide.
Guedes was involved again on the stroke of half-time, picking up Cunha’s through ball inside Villa’s penalty box. He fired goalwards, but Martinez did well to turn it around the post for a corner. Wolves went into the break with a well-deserved lead after a dominant first-half performance.
Half-Time | Wolves 1-0 Aston Villa
Villa raced out of the blocks quickly in the second half and thought they had found their leveller soon after the restart. A training-ground set-piece resulted in Donyell Malen putting the ball in the net; however, the flag was raised for offside, and Wolves survived the scare.
The Villains continued to press for a leveller and came close again. Half-time substitute Ian Maatsen arrived on the left side of the penalty box, and his cut-back found Leon Bailey whose shot was blocked by Emmanuel Agbadou, preventing any further action.
Wolves weathered a period of Villa dominance after half-time with resolute defending. They responded with a counter-attack as Bellegarde switched the play to Sarabia, now in the attacking third, but his delivery failed to find Cunha at the back post.
As the game entered its final 20 minutes, Pereira’s side began to find a foothold again, with substitutes Tommy Doyle, Rodrigo Gomes and Hee Chan Hwang providing a welcomed boost.
Defending remained Wolves’ priority, and Jose Sa was called into action twice as the 90-minute mark approached. First, Malen gained a yard on his marker and fired a shot towards goal, but Sa made a strong save with an outstretched glove. The rebound fell kindly to Morgan Rogers, but Matt Doherty’s defending denied the second strike.
Malen was involved again as he latched onto a through ball from Youri Tielemans inside the area, but once again, Sa stood strong to prevent the equaliser.
Wolves continued to weather the final Villa storm as seven minutes of injury time were announced. Meanwhile, the Molineux faithful played their part, offering harmonious encouragement, which was again soon reflected on the pitch.
Cunha sealed the victory in added time after a solo run from his own half left him with only Konsa to beat. He shifted the ball on to his preferred right foot and expertly arrowed his effort into the far corner of the net.
It was a dominant performance as Wolves overcame their local rivals with a well-deserved victory.
Full-time | Wolves 2–0 Aston Villa
Wolves | Sa, Semedo, Doherty, Agbadou, Toti, Ait-Nouri (R. Gomes 71), Andre, Bellegarde (Bueno 87), Sarabia (Hwang 79), Guedes (Doyle 71), Cunha.
Subs not used | Johnstone, Dawson, Forbs, Chirewa, Lima.
Aston Villa | Martinez, Garcia (Onana 45), Konsa, Kamara, Digne (Maatsen 45), McGinn, Bogarde (Nedeljkovic 83), Tielemans, Ramsey (Bailey 45), Rogers, Watkins (Malen 45).
Subs not used | Olsen, Zych, Swinkels, Jimoh-Aloba.
Referee | Andy Madley
By Callum Greybanks
