Wolves took a leap forward in the race for Premier League survival with their win over Southampton.
The results of match day 29 made for perfect reading for Vitor Pereira, as Wolves extended the gap between themselves and the bottom three.
Wolves beat Southampton 1-0 at St Mary’s while Ipswich Town lost to Nottingham Forest and Leicester City were dismantled by Manchester United.
There are now nine points between the Old Gold and the bottom three, with Wolves fans already feeling confident about survival.
Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Ruud van Nistelrooy gives defeated verdict after Leicester
Southampton, Ipswich and Leicester face an uphill battle if they are to beat the Old Gold to safety.
So much so that the chances of Wolves being relegated have slipped to one per cent, seeing Pereira turn things around resoundingly at Molineux.
Southampton manager Ivan Juric has not sugarcoated that his squad will get relegated, with the same feeling starting to set in for those at the King Power.
Speaking after Leicester’s loss to Man United, Ruud van Nistelrooy presented himself as a defeated figure in front of the media.
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“We had a few opportunities where we could have scored; should have scored, but the momentum that we’re in now, it’s not falling our way,” the Foxes manager admitted.
Van Nistelrooy went on to put his side in the same bracket as relegation candidates Ipswich and Southampton, identifying his team’s struggles.
“The players are trying, they are doing everything that they can and investing in the training sessions, working hard, but results are not there and that’s hard week in, week out.
“We’re in a similar situation to Ipswich and Southampton. The three promoted sides don’t have a lot of results.”
The bottom three are understandably feeling dejected after week 29 but, such only emphasises how crucial Wolves’ win over Southampton was.
Wolves can relegate Leicester City on match day 34
After the win at St Mary’s, Alan Shearer talked up Wolves’ chance of survival, insisting that the fight against relegation is already ‘done’.
It appears that the Leicester dressing room felt the same after their defeat to Man United, as Van Nistelrooy revealed the mood amongst his players.
“The gap is big, it’s nine points, we know that, and the players were very disappointed in the dressing room, but we can’t give up. That is clear too.”
From a Wolves point of view, it’s all rosy as Pereira has all but confirmed that the Old Gold will remain in the Premier League and now, the West Midlands club can rub salt in the wounds.
If the gap between Wolves and Leicester remains the same by the time the two clubs meet on match day 34, Pereira’s squad could relegate the Foxes with a win.
The victory at St Mary’s was not pretty but the importance of three points was paramount, with Leicester feeling conquered with nine games to go.