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Wolves forward Matheus Cunha has been handed a two-game ban and fined £80,000 following the incident after full-time in the game against Ipswich.
Cunha was involved in an altercation with a member of the Ipswich staff following the end of the Premier League fixture on December 14 and the FA went on to charge the Brazil international for acting in an “improper manner”.
The incident came after Jack Taylor scored a late winner for Ipswich, who are also fighting for survival in the Premier League, in Gary O’Neil’s final game before being relieved of his role as Wolves boss.
Wolves have won four of their 19 matches and are 17th in the Premier League.
Analysis: Cunha ban is a big blow for Wolves
Cunha has been the shining light for Wolves this season so it is almost impossible to overstate how damaging his absence could be to the club’s hopes of Premier League survival. His eight goals tell only part of the tale.
It was Cunha’s dramatic late equaliser at Brighton that ended a run of five straight defeats. It was Cunha’s long-distance strike that secured their first win of the campaign against Southampton, having already provided the assist for the game’s opening goal.
And it was Cunha’s two glorious goals away to Fulham that helped Wolves to what remains their only other Premier League win this season. His team have had problems at the other end of the pitch but are actually the eighth highest scorers thanks to Cunha.
O’Neil liked to talk of the tactical work that went into making Cunha a better player but the truth is that the Brazilian remains an off-the-cuff performer, a maverick capable of moments of magic that come from his own imagination not the training ground.
“I am Brazilian and a very emotional guy,” he told Sky Sports in the summer. Now, that emotion has got the better of him and will keep him out of some key matches for his club. Wolves struggled with Cunha. Without him, their task looks more daunting.
There are options for new boss Vitor Pereira. Goncalo Guedes has hinted at the ability to have a bigger role, while Hee-Chan Hwang is still hoping to rediscover his form of last season. But there is nobody capable of what Cunha is capable of. At Wolves or beyond.
Adam Bate
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