Liam Keen comment: Wolves wing-backs the unsung heroes in magnificent win

A number of players have been rightly praised for their impact on Saturday – Craig Dawson, Pedro Neto and Hwang Hee-chan in particular – but two other players played a big part in Wolves’ 5-2-3 system.

Wing-backs Rayan Ait-Nouri and Nelson Semedo were both outstanding and both, in their own ways, contributed heavily to the victory.

On the left flank, Ait-Nouri has come from a summer outcast destined to depart the club under Julen Lopetegui, to a consistent starter under O’Neil.

He was defensively solid against City and carried the ball out from defence with purpose – making just one big error that Toti Gomes mopped up for him.

But going forward was where he excelled. With the ball his close control, class dribbling and speed caused lots of problems, and without the ball his movement meant Kyle Walker was being tested to his limit with Ait-Nouri and Hwang to contend with. On the right, Semedo was a bit more conservative in his approach and made sure to track Jeremy Doku. He was only caught out once when he fell asleep with his positioning, but was otherwise impressive.

Then, when he did make an intelligent and quick dart forward, he was found by a brilliant Max Kilman pass and his cross eventually resulted in the winning goal.

The pair were excellent and excelled in the wing-back position.

With Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolves side having so much success with a back five, Saturday’s performance offered a real sense of nostalgia for fans.

O’Neil may choose to switch to a back four in the coming weeks, but with Wolves’ personnel across the pitch, the argument remains that Wolves look much more natural when they play wing-backs.

Consistency from Ait-Nouri and Semedo will be crucial, with Hugo Bueno and Matt Doherty breathing down their necks for a place in the team, but with this switch in formation, O’Neil may just have found the formula he has been searching for.