Midlands | New manager same old problems for Wolves

Wolves 0 - 2 Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace climbed into the top four after handing Wolves’ new head coach Rob Edwards a defeat in his opening match.

Author | Peter Grainger

Stadium | Molineux

Second half goals from Daniel Munoz and Yeremy Pino secured a fully merited win at Molineux, lifting the Eagles to fourth in the table.

Oliver Glasner’s team were on a different level throughout, leaving bottom placed Wolves facing an increasingly grim fight for survival despite Edwards’ recent arrival from Middlesbrough.

Edwards, a former Wolves defender, has succeeded Vitor Pereira, but the team remain without a league win this season and have not tasted victory in the top flight since April.

Palace players celebrate 

How does Edwards keep Wolves up?

The new head coach has faith in his approach, but with a 12th match passing without a win and a nine point gap to fourth bottom West Ham, the outlook for his side is increasingly stark.

Edwards spoke with assurance during his first press conference on Friday and the players showed commitment to his plan, yet the quality required was nowhere near evident.

Arias’ late miss, as the hosts pushed for a route back into the contest, captured Wolves’ current state, full of effort but lacking composure and incisiveness.

There was a flicker of optimism from the stands early on, a marked change from the anger and frustration that had surrounded the ground in recent weeks.

By full time the mood had shifted again, the scale of the challenge laid bare for Edwards, as if it needed further underlining.

Midlands derbies against Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest now await, and there is little indication of where their much needed first league win might be found.