Wolverhampton Wanderers progressed to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup with a 2-0 win against Gillingham on Tuesday night, but journalist Liam Keen was left disappointed with the performance of Diego Costa.
The Lowdown: Wolves progress
Julen Lopetegui started with a win in his first game in charge as Wolves manager, but while the 2-0 scoreline looks fairly comfortable on paper, his side left it late against the League Two outfit.
With a little less than 15 minutes to go, the Old Gold opened the scoring courtesy of a Raul Jimenez penalty, following a foul on Hwang Hee-Chan, before Rayan Ait Nouri added a second in stoppage time.
The Latest: Costa criticised
Taking to Twitter prior to Jimenez being brought on as a substitute, Keen criticised Costa for his all-round game, with the striker failing to have any impact on the match:
“Raul Jimenez getting ready to come on. Really need him, Costa has offered nothing.”
The Verdict: Another poor display
The Spaniard is yet to score a goal for Wolves, having now made seven appearances in all competitions this season, and his performance against a side three divisions lower in the pyramid will have caused particular concern.
In a very poor showing, the forward managed just 32 touches of the ball before being substituted with a little less than ten minutes to spare, the lowest amount amassed by any outfield player who started the match for Wolves. He also completed just 19 passes and didn’t win a single ground duel.
Although he is now 34, and not expected to be at the same level he was at Chelsea, the £62k-per-week earner’s latest poor display was particularly subpar, missing one big chance and giving the ball away on five occasions.
If Lopetegui chooses to start Costa away at Everton on Boxing Day, there is no doubt that he will need to put in a much improved performance.
