Wolverhampton Wanderers' Raul Jimenez, right, celebrates scoring against Norwich City during the English Premier League soccer match at Molineux, Wolverhampton, England, Sunday Feb. 23
Diogo Jota added two more goals to the midweek hat trick he scored in the Europa League as Wolverhampton beat last-place Norwich 3-0 in the Premier League on Sunday to keep in touch with the Champions League qualification positions.
The Portugal forward scored in the 19th and 30th minutes, then drove in a shot that struck the post before Raul Jimenez bundled home the loose ball for the third goal in the second half at Molineux.
Jota has had an injury-interrupted season but is in a rich vein of form, having netted three goals in Wolves’ 4-0 win over Espanyol in the first leg of the Europa League last 32 on Thursday.
He appeared to benefit from Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s decision to switch from his usual 3-4-3 formation to a 3-5-2 favored at the end of last season, which saw Jota playing as a central striker alongside Jimenez rather than a wide forward. That meant right winger Adama Traore, one of Wolves’ best players this season, was dropped to the bench.
Wolves are managing to juggle its domestic and European commitments impressively and moved up to eighth place in the league, just two points behind Manchester United in fifth place. That is currently a Champions League qualification place following Manchester City’s recent two-season ban from European competitions by UEFA.
It looks increasingly like Norwich will be returning to the second-tier League Championship after just one season in the top flight. Daniel Farke’s side, which has earned praise for its positive football, is seven points from safety with 11 games remaining.
One negative for Wolves was the sight of left wing back Jonny Otto coming off injured late in the game after falling awkwardly under Ben Godfrey as the Norwich defender attempted a cross.
