Wolves earned three points against Southampton to take a considerable leap away from the relegation zone.
Vitor Pereira and his squad are one step closer to Premier League survival after Wolves secured a 2-1 win over Southampton at St Mary’s.
Nine points now separate the Old Gold from the bottom three but, the performance on the South Coast was far from admirable.
Most importantly, Wolves got the job done with a vital three points, but after 90 minutes, there was a lot left to be desired.
Photo by Matt Watson/Southampton FC via Getty Images
Photo by Matt Watson/Southampton FC via Getty Images
Paul Onuachu makes Wolves admission after Southampton victory
The win saw Pereira serenaded by the jubilant away end at full-time as the manager continued to prove to Wolves that he was the right hire.
While the boss will relish what the victory means for Wolves, there will be a lot to dissect after the match.
Jorgen Strand Larsen earned the highest praise against Southampton with a match-winning brace, with the striker’s first goal of the afternoon coming against the run of play.
It took the visitors some time to get going before the deadlock was broken in the 19th minute, something that Southampton forward Paul Onuachu noted post-match.
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For all of the Saints’ frailties, Onuachu admitted that he believed the hosts would ‘beat Wolves’ due to their early control of the game, via Southampton’s official website.
“We had a good start in the first 20 minutes but it’s difficult to explain this loss because we’re playing on our home ground and we had the feeling we were going to beat Wolves.
“You could see we were the better team, even though we lost. It’s just not good enough.”
The timing of Strand Larsen’s opener was a gift for Wolves, who were at risk of allowing Southampton to grow in confidence early on.
Feedback for Vitor Pereira
Pereira will be overjoyed by the win but, has some work to do with his players after seeing how the game played out at St Mary’s.
Onuachu’s admission revealed how the Saints felt they could get the better of Wolves, which coming from a club sitting rock bottom with just nine points, is rather alarming.
That being said, the Old Gold were far from at their best against Southampton, with some not coming out of second gear to truly test the hosts.
For now, Pereira will dissect the fixture with a favourable cushion to take into the international break ahead of the run-in to the end of the season.