Late goal can be a lesson, says Nuno

After netting numerous late goals in the Premier League this season, Wolves were denied at the death themselves at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, and Nuno Espirito Santo wants his side to learn from their lesson.

Eden Hazard’s injury time strike robbed Wolves of a famous victory over Chelsea, after Raul Jimenez had put them in front, so Nuno returned to a disappointed dressing room at full-time. The head coach has called for more focus late in games, but knows his team can use this experience to their advantage in the future.

On late drama

“The result could be another thing, but we’ve had late goals also, so as a team we have to react and know it can happen to us – be focused in the last minute. Sometimes you make late goals, sometimes you concede late goals. This is the game.

“We always try to be well organised. We have to be in the right positions and something was missing. Players should be better positioned to avoid the situation. The late goal was a lack of focus, which is normal after what the team did.

“Goals always come from situations where you’re not so effective. We’ll take a look, but I’m very proud.”

On the successful game plan

“First-half we were well organised, not allowing many things to Chelsea, who are a very good team and had possession of the ball, but we were closing the gaps and staying compact. We tried to take our chances when we got them.

“I’m happy with the performance of my team. It’s a tough team to defend against, it requires a lot of work, and the boys were very good today.

“It wasn’t only the defence, it was the whole team. Distances between players, it’s about recovering and throwing your body in front of the ball, protecting your team mates.

“The second-half, we started very well, the goal came and then we stayed in shape until the last moment when it was individual quality from a Chelsea player, which allowed them to score.”

On Wolves’ goal

“It’s different now. They (Jota and Jimenez) have less support, less players in the movement, but Diogo and Raul were able to do a fantastic combination and score a very beautiful goal.”

On the post-match reaction

“They are sad because they know they did a fantastic job. They had it, but this is a growing process and we have to bounce back, putting the game of today behind our back and prepare for Saturday’s game, another big fight.

“It’s what we wanted, a good performance at a tough stadium, against a very good team. We must be fair to the game and realise we did very well. There were a lot of positives. We were very organised, always in shape, no space between us, being close to each other.

“We had to work very hard and our boys did that. Now we prepare for the next game, it’s about preparing to compete, we don’t think of anything else.”

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