Wolverhampton Wanderers progressed to the fifth round of the FA Cup after defeating archrivals West Brom 2-0 in the Black Country derby, although not without some traumatic scenes that saw fans in the crowd fighting each other.
It saw the game suspended while police and stewards intervened but thankfully the tie was able to get underway again as Wolves extended their unbeaten run to seven matches.
Molineux Stadium will subsequently be the venue for the fifth-round tie, where they will face a Brighton side who beat Sheffield United 4-2 on Saturday.
The headlines should be all about the Old Gold winning their first game at the Hawthorns in 28 years, but it is sadly difficult to look past the crowd trouble that rather ruined the occasion.
How West Brom v Wolves played out
In truth, the game saw very little quality throughout, with both teams displaying complacency on the ball and a lack of intent to commit players forward.
The first half saw Wolves dominate the ball but rarely threaten in the final third, with the Baggies registering seven attempts. However, the quality of Pedro Neto gave Gary O’Neil’s side the advantage just before the break, springing on the counter from a West Brom corner and scoring with an emphatic finish.
After the interval, it was West Brom’s turn to enjoy the majority of the ball, but they were unable to break down the stubborn Wolves backline. Matheus Cunha then secured the win ten minutes from time, which sparked the issue in the stands.
Matheus Cunha’s game v West Brom by numbers
Wolves’ number 12 put in yet another impressive performance, which continued his run of red-hot form.
The Brazilian has now either scored or assisted in nine of his last 13 matches across all competitions, and his goal earlier on came at the perfect time.
Cunha had the most shots for Wolves, four, and provided their biggest threat all afternoon, stepping up in the absence of Hwang Hee-chan who is at the Asia Cup.
However, the Brazilian's work rate off the ball is what made his performance impressive, as he made three tackles and chased down the opposition continuously, not allowing the baggies to have time on the ball in midfield.
Max Kilman’s stats v West Brom
The Wolves captain put in a huge performance in arguably his side's biggest game of the season.
Max Kilman was unfazed by the occasion, and he went about his business with class and dominance, just like he usually does.
A last-ditch piece of defending to prevent an easy tap-in from Brandon Thomas-Asante was the highlight of his game, as a goal could have seen the tie switch from a relatively comfortable afternoon to a complete disaster.
Goals conceded
0
Clearances
9
Interceptions
4
Touches
80
Pass accuracy %
87%
Duels won
4/6
Assists
1
The 26-year-old was a rock throughout and was always one step ahead of the game, as displayed by his whopping nine clearances, 4/6 duels won, and four interceptions. He was comfortable on the ball and rarely gave it away unless attempting a long ball, which allowed Wolves to maintain control, particularly in the first half.
Therefore, it was hardly a surprise that he was awarded an 8/10 match rating by Birmingham World's Charlie Haffenden for his performance.
Picking up a rather fortunate assist for Cunha’s goal and claiming a consecutive clean sheet was just the cherry on top for the dynamic defender who bossed the game from the first whistle to the last.
