Wolverhampton Wanderers picked up their first victory since mid-October with a 1-0 home victory against Premier League rivals Leeds United in the Carabao Cup. 

A goal from Boubacar Traore was enough to settle what was a very uneventful evening at Molineux, with neither side managing to cover themselves in any sort of glory. 

The away side had chances to score, but none of their efforts managed to beat a strong Matija Sarkic in the Wolves goal. 

With the home side travelling through to round four, and the visitors losing their back-to-back winning run, what exactly did we learn from this cup tie?

  • Wolves are back to winning ways

Before the match, Wolves’ last victory came back in mid-October, when they beat bottom side Nottingham Forest by a single goal, courtesy of a Ruben Neves penalty. 

Since then, the club were winless in four and were also manager-less following the departure of Bruno Lage.
 

Victory comes at a crucial time for the home side, with new boss Julen Lopetegui set to take charge on Monday. 

Alongside this, there is also the small factor of the World Cup in less than two weeks’ time.

Therefore, with a month long break coming up, Wolves has been in dire need of a victory.

They will now need to use this win as motivation to turn their Premier League results around. 

Wolves sit 19th in the Premier League, and host the league leaders Arsenal on Saturday evening, therefore an injection of confidence ahead of their toughest game of the season so far is definitely a positive rather than a negative. 

  • Wanderers’ youngsters shine brightly

The Carabao Cup tie between Wolves and Leeds was not a classic.

Neither side managed to add any sort of flare, passion or imagination into their performances, but one thing that did standout was the impressive showings from the club’s younger players. 

Six months ago, midfielder Connor Ronan was on loan at Scottish Premiership side St. Mirren and was still awaiting his first real break at the highest level. 

Another player that caught the eye was one of his midfield partners Joe Hodge.

The 20-year-old was one of the best players on the pitch with his defensive work, making four interceptions as well as two clearances, whilst completing 78% of his passes. 

With the side struggling in the Premier League, the door is definitely wide open for young players to take their chances and push for a permanent spot.

The youngsters played by caretaker boss Steve Davis definitely did enough to put themselves in contention for future appearances in the top-flight. 

  • The Whites’ winning run comes to an end

Before the game, Leeds were in strong form, picking up back-to-back victories with both games including late winners.

They ended Virgil Van Dijk's unbeaten league record at Anfield against Liverpool, before coming from 3-1 down to beat AFC Bournemouth at the weekend. 

Although the defeat to Wolves, does not end their league run, it will definitely affect confidence ahead of the club’s match against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday afternoon.

Whether Leeds will be able to bounce back or not remains to be seen. 

In truth, Jesse Marsch will be left disappointed that despite the changes he made, his side couldn't take any of the opportunities that came their way. 

Jack Harrison, Joe Gelhardt and Mateusz Klich all went close, but they could find a way past Matija Sarkic.

Therefore, if results are going to continue to turn round for the visitors, they need to start taking their chances before the task of Premier League survival becomes much more difficult. 

  • Ayling returns

Something which Marsch will be delighted about, is the return of defender Luke Ayling who completed the full 90 minutes as captain against Wolves

The 31-year-old completed only his second 90 minute match of the season so far, in a campaign dominated by constant injuries since the get-go.

Ayling has also made just six Premier League appearances this season, and his return will be a major boost for the away side. 

Defensively, Leeds United have struggled this season, conceding twenty-two goals, which although does not sound bad, has cost the club points which could become crucial in a few months’ time. 

His return also adds further depth for Marsch to decide between, and his passion can be a huge factor for the rest of the side going into the World Cup break as well as the second half of the Premier League season. 

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