Wolves v Aston Villa: Premier League – live

Premier League match report: A crashing drive from Jean Ricner-Bellegarde after a sweeping move across the field looked to have been enough to decide this game, only for Matheus Cunha to make it safe for Vitor Pereira’s side with a fabulous solo goal in added time. Paul MacInnes reports from Molineux …

“I’m very happy and very proud,” says the Wolves manager in an interview with Sky Sports. “We played a tough game. Tactically we played with quality. We played as a team with true spirit, working together and suffering together. I’m very happy. [It was an] important game not only for the three points but to break this [losing streak].

“We know this kind of team [Villa] will come strong and try everything. We organised the block. A clean sheet for us. For everyone we are happy. We know it’s a long way, a difficult way. With our supporters and this spirit we can do it.”

On the disallowed Villa goal: “It was a block on our player. In the moment it looked offside. I was calm.”

Reader, he was emphatically not calm.

“We started very well in the first 15 minutes but when they scored the goal it was more difficult to come back,” says Villa’s manager. “We had more chances to score the second goal and in the second half we tried to push. We competed better but we had two chances to score and maybe if we score it is different. Over 90 minutes, we deserved more.”

On Donyell Malen’s disallowed goal:“It is VAR’s task,” he says. “They watched it and told me. It was not offside because he did not touch the ball. But it is VAR’s task. Even sometimes I think they are making mistakes.”

“We knew how important this was after four losses in a row,” says Wolves’ Irish defender. “I’m pretty sure the teams around us lost today. We knew Villa had a lot of players missing, we knew it was a big opportunity and we took it.

“If you do the basics right the results will come. We did what the manager told us - we know we’re good enough to get points. Today was a good performance.

“[We did] a lot of defending. That’s the Premier League – you’re defending to the last minute. It’s the best league in world, the hardest league in world. You have to be switched on for the whole game. We know how good Jose Sa is. He can make incredible saves you’d expect other keepers not to make. We know we’re good enough to beat anyone on our day. This is the type of win that can rally the whole club.”

Matheus Cunha: At the final whistle, Matheus Cunha kissed the Wolves crest on his shirt, pointed to the Molineux pitch and made a loveheart symbol with the fingers of both hands. Make of that what you will.

A cynic might suggest it’s a sure sign he’ll be off before the transfer window closes on Monday but Wolves fans will be desperately hoping he stays at Molineux. He’s a terrific player but has been very strongly linked with a move to Arsenal.

Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeeeeep! Wolves close out a terrific win, having been forced to cling on to the one-goal lead they got through Jean-Ricner Bellegarde until Matheus Cunha made certain of victory with one of the final kicks of the game.

It was nervy for Vitor Pereira’s team but this win drags them out of the relegation zone, two points clear of Leicester City. For the seventh time in a row, Villa have failed to win in the Premier League following a midweek Champions League adventure.

Wolves double their lead. Running from his own half, Cunha latches on to a ball played from deep, taking advantage of a lucky ricochet off the shins of Ezri Konsa. The Villa defender gets back, prompting Cunha to hold the ball up instead of heading towards the corner flag in a bid to run down the clock.

Having surveyed his options and seen none, he bamboozles Konsa and Kamara with a stepover and shimmy before firing the ball across Martinez and into the back of the net from about 15 yards. That’s a wonderful goal. He gets booked for removing his shirt during his celebration. It’s all over!

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90+5 min: Bailey goes down injured and is immediately dragged back to his feet by his skipper, John McGinn.

90+3 min: Villa’s pressure is relentless and they win a corner. Bailey sends the ball into the mixer, where Sa punches clear. The ball drops for Tielemans, whose shot on the follow-up sails high over the bar.

90+2 min: Onana tries to play the ball wide to Rogers but Doherty intercepts and just hacks the ball as far as he can down the pitch.

90 min: We’ll have seven minutes of add-ons. Villa win a free-kick near the halfway line for a Nelson Semedo foul on Leon Bailey.

89 min: Wolves have 10 men behind the ball as Villa continue to press and probe for a late equaliser. The ball’s played in behind to Malen, whose snap-shot on the turn is saved by Sa.

86 min: There’s a break in play as Bellegarde goes down with cramp and has to receive treatment. “Champions League! You’re having a laugh!” chant the Molineux faithful. Wolves substitution: Hugo Bueno on for Bellegarde, the goalscorer.

83 min: Villa substitution: Kosta Nedeljkovic on for Lamare Bogarde. That’s Unai Emery’s last throw of the dice as Villa have used all five of their subs. Hats off to Bogarde, who put in more of a shift in 84 minutes of this game than his Uncle Winston did in four years at Chelsea.

82 min: Maatsen’s cross into the Wolves penalty area is cleared but Villa keep turning the screw. The players of Wolves are clinging on to their lead.

79 min: Wolves substitution: Hwang Hee-chan is on for Sarabia, who is actually being taken off on this, the second occasion his number has gone up on the fourth official’s board in red lights.

77 min: Cunha’s low, weak free-kick is smothered by Martinez but the referee orders a re-take for some reason or other – I honestly don’t know what. Cunha’s second effort is whipped just high and wide of the top corner.

75 min: Wolves free-kick for a Kamara foul on Bellegarde a few yards outside the penalty area, left of centre. It’s a wonderful position.

72 min: Wolves double-substitution: Rodrigo Gomes and Tommy Doyle and come on for Ait-Nouri and Guedes. There’s a break in play while the officials try to figure out how many players Wolves have on the pitch before the two subs come on. I am not sure how this confusion has arisen – possibly because Sarabia’s number went up on the board at one point.

70 min: Semedo runs on to a ball played from deep into the centre. Offside.

68 min: Cunha and Bogarde tussle as they chase the ball towards the Villa byline. Bogarde is stronger and the ball runs out of play for a Villa goal-kick.

64 min: Already on a yellow card, Morgan Rogers escapes a second one despite being penalised for a somewhat cynical foul on Matheus Cunha. He needs to be careful.

63 min: Agbadou blocks from Bailey after good work down the left by Konsa and Jacob Ramsey.

61 min: It’s worth noting that the Villa “equaliser” that was ruled out was an excellent set-piece straight out of the Austin McPhee handbook and Morgan Rogers really didn’t need to obstruct Semedo in the build-up, whatever the rights or wrongs of the decision to disallow Malen’s effort.

59 min: Wolves free-kick, wide on the right. Matheus Cunha’s cross to the near post is half-cleared and the home side appeal for a penalty after a Malen kicks the back of Toti’s heel while trying to clear the ball. I’ve seen them given for a lot less but the Villa substitute gets away with it.

54 min: It’s an excellent set-piece routine straight off the training ground. The ball is played low along the ground by Bailey to McGinn, who squares for Malen to tap home from close range.

The goal is ruled out for a Rogers offside despite the player not touching the ball after a VAR consultation but I’m not sure it should have been. The officials in Stockley Park seem to think he interfered with play by obstructing Nelson Semedo as the free-kick was rolled towards McGinn.

52 min: Rogers bears down on the Wolves penalty area and is hustled off the ball by Doherty. It’s a soft free-kick for Villa in a good position, three yards outside the Wolves penalty area, left of centre. Wolves manager Vitor Pereira gets booked for protesting against the award of the free-kick.

51 min: Sarabia plays a weighted ball towards the byline for Semedo to chase, He hooks a cross into the penalty area but the flag goes up.

49 min: Ah, there we go. Onana is fouled by Bellegarde and Villa have a free-kick wide on the right. McGinn floats the ball towards the far post, where Jose Sa claims easily.

48 min: Villa’s subs get involved as Bailey plays a crossfield pass to Maatsen, who pings the ball towards Malen. Wolves clear their lines before Amadou Onana can stick his oar in.

46 min: Play resumes with four changes in personnel for Villa. Amadou Onana, Ian Maatsen, Donyell Malen and Leon Bailey are on for Garcia, Digne, Ramsey and Watkins.

Ollie Watkins: I will be surprised if we see Aston Villa’s striker come out for the second half. He’s in very obvious discomfort with a groin injury that will only be exacerbated if he plays on in this game.

An email: “Re: Sarabia’s booking,” writes Adam Roberts. “In Half Man Half Biscuit’s ‘Paintball’s Coming Home’ there was this couplet: ‘If I were a linesman, I would execute defenders who applauded my offsides’.”

An email: “I can’t believe Villa sold their Colombian striker!” writes Peter Oh. “There goes the Duran Duran banter. “Without him, they don’t seem as hungry like the Wolves.”

The sides go in for the break with Wolves leading their local rivals by the only goal of the game, scored by Jean-Ricner Bellegarde. They missed several gilt-edged chances to extend their lead, the pick of them when Goncalo Guedes missed on the follow-up after Matheus Cunha had failed to beat Martinez in a one-on-one. Wolves are in the ascendency on the pitch and the scoreboard but there’s only the kick of a ball in it.

45+5 min: Guedes shoots on the turn from a narrow angle but is denied by Martinez. It wasn’t as easy as his previous two opportunities but it was a chance nonetheless. It’s half-time.

45+4 min: Cunha sends a low cross into the Villa box after giving Andres Garcia the slip. Ezri Konsa slides in to intercept.

45+3 min: Lamare Bogarde is booked for foul on Rayan Ait-Nouri.

45+2 min: We’re into four minutes of added time at the end of this first half. Wolves are well worth their lead and should be further ahead. Their goalkeeper, Jose Sa, has yet to make a save.

45 min: Bellegarde plays Guedes in behind the Villa defence but his shot acorss the bows of Martinez towards the far corner rolls a yard wide of the far post. That’s two glorious chances the Portuguese has missed.

43 min: Oh dear. Ollie Watkins appears to be in discomfort and is feeling his groin. It’s a good job Villa have Jhon Duran in reser … oh.

40 min: Jacob Ramsey is penalised for a blatant, if accidental, trip on Sarabia in the area between the touchline and the Villa penalty area. He protests his innocence in the most vociferous terms but like Sarabia, doesn’t have a leg to stand on. Kamara sends the free-kick out for a corner, from which nothing comes.

38 min: Ollie Watkins goes to ground after getting caught in the small of the back by Jose Sa’s knee as the duo contested a high ball which the Wolves goalkeeper won. It’s a sore one but I don’t think it’s too serious.

35 min: Rogers tries to play Ramsey through on goal but his pass is superbly intercepted by – I think – Agbadou. Wolves break upfield and Cunha outmuscles Kamara to find himself clean through on goal. With the Villa goal at his mercy and only Martinez to beat, he shoots too close to the goalkeeper. Goncalo Guedes shoots wide on the follow-up and a glorious chance to double their lead goes to waste for Wolves.

34 min: Pablo Sarabia gets booked for – I love this – sarcastically applauding one of the referee’s assistants after he’d raised his flag.

32 min: McGinn and Bellegarde have an off-the-ball tussle of soerts that leaves the Villa skipper holding his face and cussing his opponent. Already on a yellow card, McGinn needs to control his temper.

32 min: Sarabia floats the ball towards the far post, Agbadou nips in behind to nod the ball across the face of goal and Villa hack it clear. The flag goes up for offside, although I’m not sure why. Agbadou was definitely onside.