Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Rob Edwards insisted his team took a significant step forward despite suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat against local rivals Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday.
Controversial Moment Mars Competitive Clash
The match at Villa Park was decided by a single moment of quality from Boubacar Kamara, though Edwards believes the goal should never have stood. The Wolves boss pointed to a potential foul on Joao Gomes in the Villa half moments before the decisive strike.
Wolves were effectively playing with ten men for approximately thirty seconds as Gomes remained on the turf, leaving them exposed defensively before Kamara's intervention.
"It's a brilliant finish from Kamara but maybe it could have been different if we'd been putting a free kick in the box rather than defending at the other end," Edwards told reporters during his post-match press conference.
World-Class Quality Proves Decisive
Edwards described Kamara's winner as a "world-class finish from a brilliant footballer," acknowledging the quality required to secure three points for the home side. Despite the result, there were clear signs of improvement from the visitors.
Wolves started brightly and thought they had taken an early lead when Jorgen Strand Larsen found the net, only for the effort to be disallowed for offside. The decision came after Jhon Arias was adjudged to be standing in goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez's line of vision.
Villa dominated much of the subsequent play, but it required several excellent saves from Martinez to preserve his clean sheet against a determined Wolves side.
Building Blocks for Survival Fight
With just two points from their opening thirteen matches, Wolves remain rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table and face a nine-point gap to safety. However, Edwards detected meaningful progress following last week's performance against Crystal Palace.
"I know I said last week there wasn't loads in the game," Edwards continued. "Today it felt like we looked slicker, I felt we looked more organised, I felt there were more connections, and I do think again there wasn't a lot in the game at all."
The new head coach emphasised that positive results would only come through continued hard work rather than simply hoping for a change in fortune.
"So we can take a lot from it, and maybe our luck will turn, but it'll only turn if we keep working that way, playing with that intensity, playing with the bravery that we did and being organised and defending well when we have to," Edwards stated.
He highlighted the value of a productive week's training and the players' commitment to improvement, suggesting that the performance level had shown "a big difference" from the previous match.
