Mike Taylor, BBC Radio WM
Come Monday night, Wolves will have gone 16 days between Premier League games, which is a long time to stay grinning after the astounding finish to the one against Tottenham.
It was a plot twist not only in that match, but perhaps also to Pablo Sarabia’s whole Wolves career, which until then felt like it might be drifting to an early close, perhaps even in January.
For a player of his ability, with significant achievements on his CV, his time with Wolves has so far seemed unfulfilling. His performances were not bad, just inconsequential, and for such a senior player it was surprisingly hard to think of a match in which he had played a significant role.
Until Spurs, that is, when Sarabia seized the moment – and it really was only a few moments.
Gary O’Neil introduced him with only four minutes left, but the coach deflected the credit for the substitution: “I put him on the pitch because of what he’s shown me in training. That’s no masterstroke from me… the fact that he was able to impact it is because of how he’s worked, and the condition he’s in at this moment – mentally and physically.”
“It’s important to take confidence, because it’s not easy to adapt here,” said Sarabia, acknowledging the difficulties of the past year.
But O’Neil’s comments in public, as well as whatever he has said to him privately, should build that confidence.
The boss added: “Our squad has huge quality, but if you wanted the ball at someone’s feet in both of those moments, in this group, it would be Pablo’s.
“We have some talent in the group. It’s on me to find the right way to use it.”
O’Neil will need all of his squad in the busy midwinter, but perhaps he will turn to Sarabia more readily now.
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Hear live commentary of Fulham v Wolves on BBC Radio WM (all frequencies except online), Monday 20:00 GMT