Hwang Hee-chan back on Wolves scoresheet post injury in 2-1 win over Luton Town

Hwang Hee-chan scored for the first time in four months in his side’s 2-1 win over Luton Town on Saturday, recording his 11th goal of the season and cutting Wolves’ seven-game winless streak.

Wolverhampton Wanderers' Hwang Hee-chan, right, celebrates scoring a goal during a 2023-24 Premier League match against Luton Town at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, England on Saturday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Hwang Hee-chan scored for the first time in four months in his side’s 2-1 win over Luton Town on Saturday, recording his 11th goal of the 2023-24 Premier League season and cutting Wolves’ seven-game winless streak.

The first 30 minutes at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, England were fairly well-matched with both sides creating multiple chances for the opening goal.

Hwang broke the deadlock in the 39th minute, beating defender Teden Mengi to take a shot that found the back of the net. That goal was Hwang’s first time getting back on the books since he scored a double against Brentford in December last year. After that double, he was out of the squad due to national team duty for the Asian Cup and was sidelined for a month from March to early April due to injury. He made his return to the pitch in a match against Nottingham Forest on April 13.

It was still the second game in a row that Hwang found the back of the net, as he scored a header against Bournemouth on Wednesday that was canceled by a VAR review that showed teammate Matheus Cunha hitting Bournemouth's Justin Kluivert in the face with his arm before the goal.

Wolves added one more with Toti Gomes diving for a header in the 50th minute. Carlton Morris put one back in the 80th minute, but that was it for Luton.

Wolverhampton Wanderers' Toti Gomes, center, scores against Luton Town during a 2023-24 Premier League match at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, England on Saturday. [AP/YONHAP]

“Channy looked good,” Wolves manager Gary O’Neil said in a post-match interview published on the team’s website. “He looked a lot more energetic, he made a lot more runs in behind and didn’t look like he had to rest for a while between each one, he was able to keep on going. The fitness staff were desperate for me to take him off, which I normally listen to, but today I completely ignored.

“It’s the importance of having a clinical, goal scoring number nine. We wouldn’t have scored that last weekend, without Channy we don’t score a goal like that. He’s a number nine, it’s movement behind, and we’ve been missing that. We haven’t had any cutting edge or anyone who looks really clinical, but Channy and Cunha add to that massively for us.”

Hwang’s goal on Saturday brings his goal count to 11 in the Premier League and 12 across the 2023-24 season, having scored a goal in the third round of the Carabao Cup, where Wolves made an exit after a 3-2 loss against Ipswich Town.

Hwang, who once sat in seventh place on the league's top scorer table during the 2023-24 campaign, is now at joint No. 12 with 11 goals in 26 fixtures. Cunha is also at joint No. 12 with the same amount of goals in 29 matches.

Saturday’s victory elevated Wolves from 12th to 10th on the 20-team table with 46 points as of press time Sunday.

Luton, on the other hand, are in the relegation zone — sitting in 18th place with 25 points. In the Premier League, the bottom three teams face relegation to the second division.

Wolves will be back in action as they face defending champions Manchester City in Manchester, England on May 4.

That fixture will be crucial for City, as a win would allow them to snatch the frontrunner position on the table from Arsenal, who have played one game more than the reigning champions.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]