By SCM SPORT WRITER AT THE MOLINEUX STADIUM
MOLINEUX STADIUM – WOLVES bared their teeth at Molineux yesterday, tearing apart League Two Shrewsbury Town 6-1 to prove there is still plenty of bite left in the Old Gold.
While the Shrews arrived dreaming of a giant-killing, they left feeling like they’d been through a meat grinder.
A ruthless Jorgen Strand Larsen ended his 13-game goal drought in spectacular fashion, bagging a clinical hat-trick to spearhead a dominant display from Rob Edwards’ men.
The gulf in class was evident from the opening whistle.
By the 11th minute, the tie already felt like a foregone conclusion. Larsen opened the floodgates with a cheeky flick from a Hwang Hee-chan pass, before Jhon Arias doubled the lead just moments later, slotting home with the composure of a man who knew he was playing against a side 66 places below him.
Shrewsbury’s John Marquis briefly threatened to spoil the party, winning and converting a 26th-minute penalty after a clumsy challenge from Arias.
For 15 minutes, the 3,000 travelling Salopians dared to dream.
But any hope of a comeback was gift-wrapped and handed back to Wolves just before the break.
A horror show from Shrews keeper Elyh Harrison saw his loose pass fall straight to Larsen, who gleefully rolled the ball into an empty net from distance.
The second half was a mere victory lap. Larsen secured the match ball in the 58th minute, finishing a slick team move to make it 4-1.
Late strikes from the returning Rodrigo Gomes and a stoppage-time tap-in from Tolu Arokodare turned a comfortable win into a total Molineux massacre.
For Rob Edwards, it was a day to savour.
”What could have been a tricky afternoon turned into an enjoyable one,” said the Wolves boss. “We’re starting to build momentum and seeing the team click.”
With four games unbeaten and a place in the FA Cup fourth round booked, the Wolves are finally starting to hunt in packs again.