Raúl Jiménez parks himself in Wolves’ history books
Wolves won their third match in their last four Premier League outings under new manager Bruno Lage today, edging out Steve Bruce’s foundering Newcastle 2-1 at the Molineux.
A brace from summer loan signing Hee-chan Hwang from RB Leipzig sealed all three points for the Portuguese manager, and the result saw Wolves climb into the top-half of the table subject to results for Arsenal, Tottenham, and Leicester City.
But the day belonged to 30-year-old Mexican international Raúl Jiménez, who has come back strong in the current Premier League season after suffering a devastating injury last term when his skull was fractured against Arsenal. Jiménez went on to miss 227-days for Wolves but has featured in every single minute of action this term.
Raúl Jiménez’s game by numbers vs. Newcastle:
54 touches
8 duels won
5 take-ons
3 chances created
2 assistsHe’s back. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/OaohqGC9Y2
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) October 2, 2021
His brace of assists today in front of the home support cemented his name in Wolves’ history books when he became the first player for the club to be directly involved in 50-goals in the Premier League.
Raul Jimenez is the first player to be directly involved in 50 Premier League goals for Wolves:
⚽️ 35 goals
🅰️ 15 assistsA half-century for the Mexican pic.twitter.com/FG5Ax8J1PC
— William Hill (@WilliamHill) October 2, 2021
Though his former partner in crime Diogo Jota is no longer plying his trade in the West Midlands, Jiménez remains an incredibly influential figure in the team despite being under new management.
An injury nightmare to forget
“Unfortunately, my first thought was that he had died. I didn’t see him react on the screen, normally when players fall and get hurt, you see a reaction, that’s when you know if they’re pretending or not.
But I didn’t see anything, I couldn’t see anything, I couldn’t see his eyes, it was one of the most horrible feelings in life.” – Daniela Basso; partner of Raúl Jiménez in quotes courtesy of Marca.
For a moment, there are many that thought the worst when Raúl Jiménez clashed heads with David Luiz 15-minutes into proceedings at the Emirates last season.
WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 04: Raul Jimenez of Wolverhampton Wanderers during the FA Cup Third Round match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United at Molineux on January 4, 2020 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
Jiménez, who suffered a fractured skull that resulted in bleeding in the brain, was told by doctors that he was lucky to be alive let alone back playing the game that he loves.
“Since the beginning, they were really supportive with me. The skull fracture took a little bit longer than we all expected to heal and it really is a miracle for me to be here with you.
I never thought about finishing my career or stopping playing. There was a chance of that, but I was always confident I was going to return.” – Raúl Jiménez; quotes courtesy of SkySports.
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Liverpool FC | 6 | 11 | 14 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 6 | 11 | 13 |
| 3 | Chelsea FC | 6 | 10 | 13 |
| 4 | Manchester United | 6 | 8 | 13 |
| 5 | Everton FC | 6 | 5 | 13 |
| 6 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 6 | 3 | 13 |
| 7 | West Ham United | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| 8 | Aston Villa | 6 | 2 | 10 |
| 9 | Brentford FC | 6 | 3 | 9 |
| 10 | Arsenal FC | 6 | -5 | 9 |
| 11 | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 | -5 | 9 |
| 12 | Watford FC | 6 | -2 | 7 |
| 13 | Leicester City | 6 | -3 | 7 |
| 14 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 6 | -2 | 6 |
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 6 | -3 | 6 |
| 16 | Southampton FC | 6 | -3 | 4 |
| 17 | Newcastle United | 6 | -7 | 3 |
| 18 | Leeds United | 6 | -8 | 3 |
| 19 | Burnley FC | 6 | -6 | 2 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 6 | -14 | 0 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 5 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 5 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 4 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 4 |
| Sarr, Ismaila | Watford FC | 4 |
| Townsend, Andros | Everton FC | 3 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 3 |
| Gray, Demarai | Everton FC | 3 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 3 |
| Lukaku, Romelu | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 3 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 3 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Hwang, Hee-chan | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 3 |
| Greenwood, Mason | Manchester United | 3 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 2 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 2 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 4 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 0 | 3 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 3 |
| Cooper, Liam | Leeds United | 0 | 3 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 3 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 3 |
| Etebo, Oghenekaro | Watford FC | 0 | 3 |
| Skipp, Oliver | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 3 |
| Djenepo, Moussa | Southampton FC | 0 | 3 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 0 | 1 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 2 |
| Jimenez, Raul | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 2 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 0 | 2 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 2 |
| Alonso, Marcos | Chelsea FC | 0 | 2 |
| Ward Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 1 | 1 |
| Manquillo, Javi | Newcastle United | 0 | 2 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 0 | 2 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Ritchie, Matt | Newcastle United | 0 | 2 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 7 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 4 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 3 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 3 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 3 |
| Kovacic, Mateo | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Townsend, Andros | Everton FC | 2 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 2 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 2 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 2 |
| Jimenez, Raul | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 2 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 2 |
| Azpilicueta, Cesar | Chelsea FC | 2 |
| Gross, Pascal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2 |
| King, Joshua | Watford FC | 2 |
| Pereira, Ricardo | Leicester City | 2 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 2 |
