Roy Hodgson singled out the ‘great’ Ruben Neves for praise after the Wolves star scored a wonderful goal in Thursday’s 4-0 dismantling of Premier League strugglers Watford, speaking to the club’s official website.
Hodgson was parachuted into Vicarage Road in a desperate attempt to instil some discipline and organisation in a side sinking like the proverbial stone.
But, as Watford shot themselves in the foot time and time again at Molineux, the former England boss must have been watching on in horror, wondering whether all those hours on the training pitch, all those repetitive drills on team-shape and defensive structure, were a complete waste of time.
Wolves were 1-0 up after 13 minutes. 2-0 up after 18. And 3-0 up after 21.
Cucho Hernandez put through his own net just moments after Raul Jimenez’s opener. And Daniel Podence probably couldn’t believe his luck as visiting goalkeeper Ben Foster scuffed a clearance straight into his path, an open goal at the playmaker’s mercy.
Are Watford all-but relegated now?
“It’s a very disappointing evening in every respect,” sighs Hodgson.
Watford have now lost 16 of their last 22 league games.
“We’ve got a very sad dressing room because we really did think we might cause Wolves some problems. But the game was virtually over after the three goals.
“We lost the game very much in the first half. I didn’t get the impression we were under siege. But when we gave the chances away that we did they were harshly punished, which made it a long way back.”
If Wolves’ first three goals were avoidable, there was very little Foster and co could do about the fourth. Picking up the ball on the corner of the penalty area, Neves took a touch before floating the most glorious of chips into the back post.
It was a goal that wouldn’t look out of place hanging in the Louvre. Football as performance art.
“It was a great finish for their fourth goal,” Hodgson adds. “The last goal was a wonder chip from Neves.”
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