With the old gold looking to create a bit of breathing space between themselves and the bottom three – including basement club Saints – heading into the match, their quest looked much harder when Mario Lemina was dismissed for a second yellow moments after Wolves went behind, but Neves felt the belief in the squad, as well as the added quality that was brought in during the January transfer window, was key to turning the game around.
On comeback win at St Mary’s
“It was massive and a really important three points for us. It’s a fantastic win and fantastic character of the team. Every single player was involved and the players outside were always shouting to us and giving us confidence, and that was a team believing.
“It was fantastic for us and since December we’ve been speaking that every game would be a final for us and I think we are playing as a final in every single one. Today, we started the game on a really hard pitch to come, two teams who are fighting for their lives in the Premier League so we knew it would be a really good fight and a really good Premier League game.
“Fortunately, things turned around against us from the first half, with their goal and the red card that I still don’t know why it happened.”
On turning the game around
“It's never easy. It was a big match for us, a big match for Southampton too, and they are fighting hard for their lives, and it’s not easy, especially when you are losing at half-time. It was a really good atmosphere in here as well against you, and 1-0 down, one man less, it was really hard.
“We felt after the red card that we could still play our game and we were still getting the ball and getting chances, so that’s what we said at half-time. We could still play our game so let’s believe on that, let’s be compact when defending and let’s be a team in every single aspect of the game. We believed a lot and I think we did a fantastic second-half.”
On having belief in the team
“We knew if we could score a goal, anything could happen. Since the first minutes of the second-half, we felt like we wanted to go for the game. We had a few crosses and few chances, a few corners in the beginning of the second-half and we really wanted to push the game towards us and that’s our main target.
“We were one man less, losing 1-0, but at 1-0 anything can be done. We truly believed we could change the game and we did it.”
On Joao Gomes’ debut strike
“What a finish. He’s a fantastic player and a fantastic guy as well, I’m really happy for him and really proud of him as well, but I think everyone is proud of everyone in the club at the moment, Everyone is fighting for the club and that’s the main thing.
“Every single player that came in this window has been massive. They are all really important for us and as soon as they arrived, we felt the change in the changing room and the training sessions. It was more intense, more competitive between us and that’s all about the team, it’s all about the pack. Everyone is ready to play, and you saw that today.
“He didn’t get on the pitch last week, but he got on the pitch today and he was gave his maximum. He helped us a lot in the game and Adama again, getting involved as well and doing a really good job, so it is really good to feel everyone is happy, everyone is motivated, and everyone is hungry to play and hungry to help the team.”
GET IN THERE, @GomesOficial08! 💛 pic.twitter.com/3iLwhOd9OX
— Wolves (@Wolves) February 11, 2023
On why Lemina was sent off
“You really want to know what he [the referee] said to me? He said that there were already two players running to him and because Mario was the third one, he gave him a yellow card, so now we need to change to rules if that wasn’t in them.
“[Lemina] didn’t say anything. He said that he felt too much ‘threat’ because there were three players running to him. But if he wants to give a player a yellow card, he could give it to Joao or to me, because we were the first ones running to him, but I feel like he chose who he wanted to show it to.
“That’s what he told me, but I didn’t know if that’s a rule that can explain that – I don’t know, but that’s what he told me.”
