Gary O’Neil thinks that in addition to his “unbelievable” innate skill, Wolves’ hat-trick hero Matheus Cunha has added additional levels of tactical acumen.
Chelsea was caught off guard by Cunha’s first Premier League triple when Wolves upset them 4-2 at home to win at Stamford Bridge for the first time since 1979.
To move into the top half of the standings for the first time this season, Wolves defeated the Blues in the league for the first time in 49 years.
Cole Palmer’s first goal came in the 20th minute, but Cunha equalized it in just two minutes, adding two more goals in the second half to complete his hat-trick.
Just beyond the hour, Pedro Neto, who was similarly magnificent, provided his second assist of the afternoon to set Cunha up to apply a sophisticated finish to his brace.
Malo Gusto, a defender for Chelsea, then awkwardly brought Cunha down inside the area, but Cunha calmly converted the penalty to complete his first hat-trick for any team since joining FC Sion in 2018.
Concurrently, the Brazilian international increased his season total to 11 goals—the highest in a single campaign of his career.
O’Neil has credited his will to strive and grow as well as his humility for being major contributors to his exceptional performance.
Amazing. We’ve talked a lot about his potential and extreme humility,” the Wolves manager stated.
Being a wonderful man, he came to see me on Friday morning quite early after the Manchester United game to talk about a few topics related to the game, his game, and the team’s position. He aspires to understanding and improvement.
“All that we’ve really accomplished is transform an incredibly gifted football player into one who now understands tactically what the team needs from him and how significant small details can be.”
“The roles he fills can lead to issues for teams. He is very deserving of praise. A hat-trick in the Premier League, especially at Stamford Bridge is one to remember. I am sure he enjoyed it.”
