‘He knows how I feel’ - Gary O’Neil furious with one Wolves player after ‘disappointing’ mistake

Gary O’Neil didn’t waste any time in giving Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Matheus Nunes a talking to after the midfielder saw red in the 4-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.

Handed a second yellow card in the 94th minute for shoving Seagulls defenders Adam Webster and Pervis Estupiñan, the Portugal international let out his frustration in a regrettable manner.

Wolves were down and out result-wise as soon as Brighton scored three quickfire goals at the start of the second half, but that didn’t stop the Old Gold from putting up a fight for the remaining minutes.

Said fight went a little too far at the end of the game, though, as Nunes was reprimanded by referee Andy Madley. The 24-year-old will now miss the Premier League trip to Everton next weekend.

The first yellow card was received in a very similar fashion as Nunes was aggressive in a first-half scuffle with Albion midfielder Billy Gilmour. The hostility certainly wasn’t subtle.

“I’ve spoken to Matheus very clearly on my thoughts,” O’Neil said sternly in the post-match press conference. “He’s a great kid, works his socks off, but we need him on the pitch.

“He knows how I feel about it. He was obviously disappointed as he wants to help the team and he’s going to miss the next game now. He worked hard though, he’s a good kid,” O’Neil continued.

Although Nunes’ red didn’t impact the result at Molineux, it was clumsy and his suspension could hurt. He was one of the best players against Manchester United last week and always carries a presence.

After starting the 2023/24 season with two successive defeats, Wolves are bottom of the Premier League. Another week under the new boss awaits, though. As does a chance for redemption.