Hwang Hee-chan explodes with his 11th league goal…Wolverhampton wins 2-1 over Luton

National team striker Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) scored his 11th league goal and led the team to victory against Luton.

Hwang Hee-chan scored the first goal against Wolverhampton and Luton Town in the 2023-24 Premier League (EPL) round 35 home game held at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, England on the 28th (Korean time), contributing to a 2-1 victory.

Hwang Hee-chan, who started as a frontline striker, quenched his long thirst by scoring the first goal in the 39th minute of the first half. This is Hwang Hee-chan’s 11th league goal (3 assists) in about 4 months, following the game against Brentford in December last year. Despite reporting a goal on the 25th, the disappointment of having the goal canceled due to a foul by a teammate was immediately resolved.

For Hwang Hee-chan, it was significant for him to quench his long thirst for scoring since his injury, announce his revival, and break his record for the most goals in the Premier League once again.

Previously, Hwang Hee-chan was selected for the Qatar Asian Cup in January and February, and then was sidelined for a long period of time due to a hamstring injury until mid-April. He returned from injury in round 33 against Nottingham Forest on the 13th. And in his fourth game back, he finally scored a goal.

The 11 points are also Hwang Hee-chan’s highest score in an EPL season. In the 2021-22 season, his first year in the PL, he scored 5 goals, and last season he scored 3 goals. This season, he continued to score goals from the beginning of the league, reaching double digits in the first half of the season and putting his name at the top of the Premier League’s individual scoring rankings. Including one League Cup goal, Hwang Hee-chan has 12 official goals (3 assists) this season.

At the same time, Hwang Hee-chan was on par with Park Ji-sung with this score. With a total of 19 EPL goals, he reached the same heights as Park Ji-sung, who previously played in England for Manchester United and Queens Park Rangers. Park Ji-sung, who mainly played as a midfielder and side midfielder, played eight seasons in the EPL from 2005 to 2013. Hwang Hee-chan played mainly as a striker and reached the same heights in three seasons.

On this day, the home team Wolverhampton used a 4-4-2 formation, and Hwang Hee-chan appeared in the front line with Mateusz Cunha as a two-top player. Joao Gomes and Mario Lemina were in the central midfield, and Adama Traore and Rayan Ait Nouri were in the midfield on both sides. The defense consisted of Nelson Semedo, Maximilian Kilman, Totti Gomes, and Matt Doherty, and the goal was guarded by José Sa.

Wolverhampton struggled in the early part of the first half due to the unexpectedly fierce attack of the away team, Luton Town. Goalkeeper Sa blocked a powerful right-footed shot from Ross Baklika from the front of the penalty box early in the first half. In the 13th minute of the first half, Morris headed Luton Town’s Dyche’s cross, but this time it also headed directly towards the Sa goalkeeper.

Wolverhampton’s attack was led by Hwang Hee-chan. In the 21st minute of the first half, he took a shot after receiving Lemina’s through pass, but it was blocked by the opposing goalkeeper. The header attempted in the following second chance was also blocked by the opposing defense. Wolverhampton was unable to open the goal in the 38th minute of the first half as Gomez’s mid-range shot went high.

However, Hwang Hee-chan quenched the thirst for the first goal. After receiving a pass from Cunha in the 39th minute of the first half, Hwang Hee-chan broke through to the left side of the penalty box, completely bypassed opposing defender Mengi, and hit the net with a right-footed curling shot. It was a fantastic scoring scene that showed all of the confidence, outstanding individual skills, and perfect finishing ability.

Wolverhampton, who finished the first half 1-0 thanks to Hwang Hee-chan’s 11th league goal, led the way in the second half.

Four minutes into the second half, Hwang Hee-chan intercepted the ball when the opposing defender fell due to strong forward pressure. He then put up a cross, but it was blocked by the opponent. And in the corner kick opportunity that followed, Gomes finished Lemina’s cross with a diving header, widening the lead to 2-0.

Wolverhampton, who were two goals ahead, changed their tactics to focus on defense. Meanwhile, in the 25th minute of the second half, Hwang Hee-chan caught the ball from the left, cut into the center, and gave a good pass to Traore. However, Traore’s shot missed the goal and the assist could not be reported. Afterwards, Hwang Hee-chan roamed the field with active forward pressure and defensive participation.

Luton Town scored a consolation goal in the 35th minute of the second half when Carlton Morris was assisted by Reece Burke, but failed to turn the game around.

Wolverhampton maintained its one-goal lead and won after seven league games, moving up to 10th place in the league (46 points). On the other hand, Luton Town remained in the relegation zone in 18th place (25 points) and ended up in a shaky race at the end of the second half.

Man of the Match (MOTM), which is decided by fan voting at the end of the game, went to Hwang Hee-chan. Hwang Hee-chan was selected as the MOTM of the day with 59.5% of the votes.

Kim Won-ik, MK Sports reporter