Wolves fall apart AGAIN as Rayan Ait-Nouri is held back and Matheus Cunha shoves hand in official’s face following late defeat to Ipswich… just days after Mario Lemina was stripped of captaincy due to Jarrod Bowen clash
Chaos erupted at Molineux as Rayan Ait-Nouri was held back while Matheus Cunha shoved his hand in an official’s face after their 2-1 defeat by Ipswich.
Ipswich star Wes Burns had his hand on Ait-Nouri’s neck after the match, with the pair having clashed during the game.
Craig Dawson restrained Ait-Nouri, who was red carded, and lifted him off the ground to escort him away from the tumult before the wing-back was forced down the tunnel. Wolves team-mate Matheus Cunha also had to be held back as a large crowd of players and staff gathered at one edge of the pitch.
Ait-Nouri had already been suspended for Wolves’ upcoming match against Leicester after picking up a fifth yellow card of the season. He was then given a second yellow after full time due to his involvement in the tempestuous scenes.
Asked about it at full time, manager Gary O’Neil said: ‘I haven’t seen it (Ait-Nouri’s outburst). I have just been told he received a second yellow. I spoke to him during the game.
‘We are under a lot of pressure. We are trying to push the group beyond our level and you can’t get yourself in trouble. We are stretched as it is. We need Rayan and now we don’t have him. I will deal with that internally. I understand the players being emotional but we have to keep control better.’
Ipswich’s Wes Burns had his hand on Rayan Ait-Nouri’s neck after Wolves’ 2-1 defeat at home
Matheus Cunha pawed a member of Ipswich’s security staff in the face amid the scuffle
Jack Taylor had headed in a 94th-minute winner for the visitors after Matheus Cunha’s goal had cancelled out Matt Doherty’s early own goal.
The fracas marks another high-profile incident for Wolves, who saw Mario Lemina scrap with Jarrod Bowen after their 2-1 defeat at West Ham on Monday night. Bowen, the fiance of Danny Dyer’s Love Island daughter Dani, had scored the winner in the match.
Wolves are 19th in the Premier League table and remain four points from safety, with the pressure growing on O’Neil.
O’Neil stripped Lemina of the captaincy coming into this crucial relegation clash against Ipswich.
Nelson Semedo took the armband although Lemina still started the match against the Tractor Boys.
The midfielder had wrestled opposite number Bowen to the ground when the pair went to shake hands as tempers boiled over after West Ham’s victory at the London Stadium.
Lemina apologised earlier in the week but boss O’Neil revealed Semedo would take the armband going forward.
O’Neil said at his pre-match press conference: ‘The discussions with Mario were good. We get on very, very well.
Craig Dawson carried away Ait-Nouri as tempers flared between the sides at full time
Multiple players and members of staff were seen getting involved in the fracas at Molineux
Ait-Nouri had been given a red card and will miss Wolves’ next match against Leicester City
Mario Lemina was stripped of the captaincy after he barged over Jarrod Bowen on Monday
The incident appears to have been sparked by a coming together shortly after the whistle
‘He’s been a big part of what we’ve been able to do here and we have a large amount of respect for each other. Sometimes you can come out of these discussions in a really good spot and I think that we have.
‘I have a lot of respect for Mario and what he’s still going to be able to do for us.
‘When we get the best out of him on the pitch, his level is so high and he’s still going to play a big part for us which he’s extremely keen to do.
‘He’ll still be around the senior group that leads the team, but at this moment we feel it’s best for Nelson to lead the group.
‘The most important thing is us getting the best out of everybody – getting the best out of Mario Lemina week in, week out, the same for Nelson and the rest of the group.
‘We dealt with it earlier in the week and the focus since has been purely on Ipswich, Mario’s ready, Nelson’s ready and the rest of the players are ready.’
The defeat by Ipswich piles more pressure on O’Neil, who was kept in charge after the loss to West Ham despite that encounter being dubbed ‘El Sackico’ due to his and Julen Lopetegui’s precarious situations.
Mail Sport revealed that Wolves held tentative talks with former Chelsea boss Graham Potter as far back as November, though these did not progress.
Gary O’Neil held his face in his hands as he watched his side slip to yet another defeat
The manager said he had not seen the outburst a second time and would deal with it internally
Potter was not the only candidate Wolves considered, with former boss David Moyes also believed to have been in their thoughts. But – for now at last – O’Neil continues in post and has the immediate support of the Molineux hierarchy.
The club are aiming to invest in January to improve the squad, particularly in defence as Wolves have conceded a league-high 40 goals.
Commenting on his future earlier this month, O’Neil said: ‘I am not concerned about my future one bit, only the club’s future. I knew the size of the task when I took over and since then it’s got even more difficult with players we’ve lost.’
Wolves have now lost four matches on the trot to dampen what had been a spell of decent form, which saw them go unebaten in the four matches prior and thrash Fulham 4-1.
As for Ipswich, a first win in five games means they are only a point off 17th-placed Crystal Palace.
Kieran McKenna saw his side pick up a precious second win of the season at Molineux, their only other three-point haul coming against Tottenham in early November.
