Wolverhampton battled Aston Villa to a 1-1 draw in the eighth round of the 2023-24 Premier League (PL) at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, England, on Monday (Aug. 8).
The hosts lined up in a 3-4-3 formation.
Hwang Hee-chan, Mateusz Cunha, Pedro Neto, Joao Gomes, Mario Lemina, Layan Aitnou Nelson Semedo, Totti Gomes, Maximilian Kilman, Craig Dawson, and José Sa started.
Villa lined up in a 5-3-2 formation away from home.
Ollie Watkins and Moussa Diaby started up top. John McGinn, Douglas Lewis, and Boubacar Kamara lined up in the middle. 바카라사이트
Luca Digne, Pau Torres, Diego Carlos, Ezri Consa, and Matty Cash formed the defense.
Emiliano Martinez was in goal.Villa set the tone early in the match.
In the seventh minute, Villa had a great offensive opportunity.
McGinn sent in a sharp early cross.
Cash connected with a non-stop shot, but Sa made a perfect save. McGinn continued to lead Villa’s attack with a bold shot on the ensuing attack.
Wolverhampton were balanced in midfield, but still looked to hit back intermittently through Hwang and Netou.
After the midway point of the first half, Wolverhampton began to dominate possession, attempting to penetrate Villa’s defense through flanking attacks, but lacking creativity in their attacking process.
In the 33rd minute, Wolverhampton finally had a chance to score.
Hwang Hee-chan sent in a cross from the left, which was met by Ait Nouri, who headed wide of the post.
As the game wore on, the atmosphere became more intense.
The 34th minute was a prime example.
Ait Noorie turned around and collided with Cassie’s shoulder and head. Ait Noorie, who hadn’t seen Cassie coming at all, collapsed to the ground.
The medical staff tended to him immediately, but it didn’t look good.
The first half was over.
At the start of the second half, Matt Doherty came on for Ait Noor, who had a head clash in the first half.
Villa started the second half in control.
Two minutes into the second half, McGinn again delivered an early cross with precision. Watkins got on the end of it, but Sa got down well to make the save.
Early in the second half, Hwang Hee-chan was injured.
Two minutes into the second half, Hwang was hit in the face with an elbow while contesting with Lewis.
Hwang went down immediately and complained of extreme pain.
Wolverhampton medical staff were called in.
Hwang was bleeding from the nose.
After being treated for a nosebleed, Hwang came on.
He overcame his nosebleed to score. In the eighth minute of the second half, a counterattack began through Netu.
Neto made a bold break from the right side and delivered a cross.
Hwang Hee-chan exquisitely connected with Neto’s cross and scored.
It was Hwang’s third consecutive goal and fifth in the league.
Hwang’s goal didn’t last long as Wolverhampton conceded shortly after.
In the 10th minute of the second half, Ollie Watkins delivered a cross from outside the penalty box.
Torres got on the end of it and fired a shot that beat the Wolverhampton defense.
Hwang Hee-chan’s game improved after the goal.
He moved freely between the flanks and the center, linking up well with Neto. But once again, he collided with Lewis.
In the 19th minute of the second half, Hwang suddenly went down holding his neck.
He had a small argument with Lewis, and after a small collision, he went down.
There was a VAR review of Lewis’ violent behavior, but no warning or sending off.
Wolverhampton faced a crucial scoring opportunity in the 27th minute.
An exquisite pass was played in behind the defense to Semedo.
After beating a blocking defender, Semedo tried to shoot, but his power was too weak. He could have created a better scoring chance if he had given way to Hwang Hee-chan.
Hwang also expressed his disappointment with Semedo.
Wolverhampton continued to create chances on the counterattack.
In the 34th minute, a counterattack from Hwang Hee-chan found Netou through Sasa Kalajic. However, Neto’s shot went over the bar.
Hwang limped off in the 40th minute.
Hwang was lying on the ground after what appeared to be a non-collision, and after consulting with the medical staff, he was substituted.
It didn’t appear to be a major injury.
Fabio Silva came on for Hwang.
There was a big change in the second half.
Three minutes into second-half stoppage time, Lemina, who had already been cautioned, was sent off again. Wolverhampton went into full defensive mode.
Wolverhampton were in trouble in the final minutes of the game.
In the ninth minute of second-half stoppage time, the ball was played back from a corner.
Ganiolo got a foot to it, but the ball went into the side netting.
In stoppage time, Watkins’ shot hit the post and Villa were unable to find the back of the net, leaving Wolverhampton with a point.
Soccer stats site SofaScore gave Hwang a rating of 7.7. Hwang attempted only two shots on goal.
He had one key pass, one successful cross (one attempt), and three successful ground balls (four attempts).
While his stats might suggest a lackluster performance, Hwang’s efficient movement helped his team win the game.
“Hwang is the first player in the PL to be involved in the offense in five consecutive home games,” said soccer statistics outlet OPTA.
Injury concerns don’t seem to be a problem.
After the game, Hwang walked onto the pitch and greeted his teammates and Villa players in a relaxed manner.
This was likely a move to prevent injury. Hwang will immediately board a flight to South Korea to join the South Korean national team.
