O’Neil praises team’s performance as a coaching highlight

Wolves manager Gary O’Neil, in an interview with Sky Sports, characterized the team’s recent display as “probably one of my favourite performances in my time as a coach.” He acknowledged the difficulty of the match, stating, “We knew this was going to be a really tough test with the players we were missing.” O’Neil asserted that the victory was well-deserved, remarking, “It wasn’t as if we nicked a win today – I thought we were good value. It’s something that the players deserve.” He also highlighted the team’s positive reaction following a previous challenging game, adding, “We’ve had a really good response to a tough afternoon at Brentford.” Discussing the opening goal, O’Neil noted its origin from training sessions: “The first goal was straight off the training ground. Obviously it’s great quality from Matheus, but it’s something we work on a lot.” He further commended the team’s defensive discipline, stating, “It was a really composed performance without the ball. It’s important we take that forward with us.” Regarding Matheus Cunha, the manager expressed his high regard: “I love him, I love working with him. The improvements he’s made are just incredible.” O’Neil described Cunha’s development, recalling, “When I came, there was an incredible, undeniable talent, but [he was] someone who didn’t know how to make [the most of] it. We get him in some great spots now.” He also praised Cunha’s character and defensive effort, saying, “He’s a great guy. It’s probably his best out-of-possession performance for us. He fitted into our structure very well, led from the front and brought some incredible quality to the game.” O’Neil also singled out Mario Lemina for praise, stating, “I thought he was excellent. It was an excellent centre-back performance. He has the tools to play there. We did a bit of work with him yesterday, but it was a really top performance.” While hesitant to focus excessively on individuals, he mentioned other key contributors: “It feels wrong to speak too much about individuals, but Toti [Gomes] is another one. [Goalkeeper] Jose Sa is another one. There are some really good stories.”