Wolves captain Mario Lemina took the limelight away from manager Gary O’Neil after their defeat to West Ham on Monday night.
Wolves were beaten 2-1 by West Ham at the London Stadium as Hammers talisman Jarrod Bowen fired in a stunning winner shortly after Matt Doherty equalised.
As a result, the under-pressure Gary O’Neil was expected to be sacked but instead, O’Neil remarkably retains the full support of Fosun.
In what was their third defeat in a row, the 41-year-old’s future wasn’t the only talking point after the game as Mario Lemina was involved in a brawl at full-time.
Lemina not only got physical with Jarrod Bowen following a petty exchange but he also took out his anger on his own teammates, sparking ugly scenes in East London.
Toti Gomes and Nelson Semedo were two Wolves stars who attempted to calm him down but his anger increased, ending in the captain squaring up to first-team coach Shaun Derry.
Now, in the aftermath of their defeat, Lemina has owned up to his actions and responded on social media.
Wolverhampton Wanderers' English head coach Gary O'Neil (C) separates West Ham United's French defender #25 Jean-Clair Todibo (L) and Wolverhampton...
Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images
Mario Lemina issues apology to Wolves fans after West Ham bust-up
Writing a heartfelt message on Instagram, Lemina apologised to everyone associated with Wolves, including the fans, players and managerial staff after letting them down on Monday night.
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The Gabon international also explained why he retaliated, claiming he went to shake the player’s hand, but he was grabbed by the shirt and thrown to the ground by Bowen.
It could take a while for supporters to forgive the 31-year-old, as Wolves fans called for Lemina to be stripped of his captaincy.
Journalists Nathan Judah and Liam Keen were also left stunned by Lemina’s petulance after the full-time whistle, and this perhaps explains why the Old Gold are in the position they’re in.
Lemina’s stats vs West Ham
Lemina set an awful example for the younger players off the pitch and he wasn’t much better on it as the midfielder lacked quality in the final third.
The former Juventus star allowed some of his passes to go astray, resulting in a 77% completion, while he made just one key pass and skewed two attempts wide of the target.
To the midfielder’s credit, he did put himself about physically, taking the battle to the West Ham midfield alongside Andre and Joao Gomes.
Lemina’s defensive stats vs West Ham
7 ground duels won
3 aerial duels won
4 clearances
6 tackles
A combative presence in the middle of the park, Lemina was relentless out of possession but his lack of composure on the ball was one thing that cost his side.
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