Wolves Vs Aston Villa: wolves vs aston villa review, player ratings and Rob Edwards' reaction
Wolves produced just their second Premier League win of the season in the wolves vs aston villa derby, beating Aston Villa 2-0 at Molineux on Friday. The result matters because it underlined defensive improvement under Rob Edwards and arrives ahead of a high-profile visit from Liverpool on Tuesday that could be trickier for the visitors than expected.
Wolves Vs Aston Villa: Edwards emotional after the derby
Rob Edwards celebrated on the touchline and matched that emotion in his post-match press conference after the West Midlands clash. The win — Edwards’ second in the Premier League since taking charge — was described by him as a special moment in a difficult season and “why I came here. ” He praised the fans for backing the players through Villa’s periods and said the end was incredible.
Edwards admitted he lost himself in the moment, saying he forgot where he was and who was watching, and added that if you can’t enjoy nights like this then you shouldn’t be in the game. He stressed the need to carry out the plan against a tactically strong side like Villa, and praised the team’s defending, blocks and desire to keep the ball out of the net.
On a personal note, Edwards referenced his long connection to the area, saying his kids were brought up locally and that his first child was born during the first pre-season when Nuno arrived.
Joao Gomes and Rodrigo Gomes produce second-half strikes at Molineux
The result came courtesy of Joao Gomes and Rodrigo Gomes strikes in the second half of a memorable night at Molineux. Joao Gomes returned to the team and opened the scoring; Edwards said Joao had been on the bench against Arsenal because he wasn’t fit and had trainers on the bench, but came back into the side and got his goal. Edwards also admitted he had put pressure on Joao at pre-match, asking him to be Man of the Match, and the player stepped up.
The opener owed much to a combination of work from Jackson Tchatchoua and the central striker. Jackson Tchatchoua (£4. 4m) was described as superb: he whipped in a match-high six crosses from open play and helped create the opener for Joao Gomes (£5. 3m). Adam Armstrong (£5. 4m), deployed as the central striker with Mateus Mane (£4. 6m) slightly advanced on the left, delivered the assist for Joao’s opener.
Tolu Arokodare (£5. 4m) was left on the bench after suffering racial abuse the previous week; Edwards said his decision to leave Tolu out of the starting line-up was “purely tactical. ”
Defensive improvement: Mosquera, Toti Gomes and the home run
Wolves’ defensive showing was repeatedly highlighted. The head coach said “The defending was amazing” and that there was desire to block and defend the goal “with our lives. ” Under Edwards, Wolves have avoided defeat in four of their last six home matches, a run that has included three clean sheets and shows defensive improvement under the new head coach.
Yerson Mosquera (£4. 3m) and the fit-again Toti Gomes (£4. 2m) both impressed at the back and banked defensive contribution points. A first-half booking for Mosquera at Molineux took him to nine yellow cards for the season, not 10, and one more caution before Wolves contest their 32nd fixture will trigger a two-match ban. Edwards pointed to statistics over the last 15 games showing the side are right up there for defensive work, while acknowledging the odd defensive mistake can be punished at this level.
The defensive signs give Wolves confidence ahead of Liverpool’s visit on Tuesday, a fixture Edwards suggested might be trickier for the visitors than the fixture difficulty ratings imply.
FPL notes and player form: Tchatchoua, Armstrong and Rogers
From an FPL perspective, Jackson Tchatchoua’s attacking work was a highlight: the advanced 4. 4m player delivered six open-play crosses and contributed to the opener. Joao Gomes is listed at £5. 3m, Adam Armstrong at £5. 4m and Mateus Mane at £4. 6m in the relevant valuations. Defensively, Mosquera (£4. 3m) and Toti Gomes (£4. 2m) earned DefCon points for their displays.
Morgan Rogers (£7. 7m) blanked for the eighth time in 11 matches on Friday despite registering a match-high four shots at Molineux. The win was described as fully deserved, with Wolves executing their game plan to perfection and adjusting from an imperfect first half to a stronger second period that they largely controlled once they went 1-0 up.
Club notes and merchandise listing
Match coverage and club messaging also featured retail listings for the 2025-26 range: home and away shirts and goalkeeper variants were promoted in adult and junior sizes, with women’s and pro home shirt listings also shown.
- 2025-26 Wolves Home Shirt — adult, junior, women’s and pro home variants mentioned
- 2025-26 Wolves Goalkeeper Home Shirt — junior listed
- 2025-26 Wolves Away Shirt — adult, junior and women’s variants mentioned
