Wolves recorded a huge win over Southampton to go nine points clear of the relegation zone.
Wolves won 2-1 at St. Mary’s Stadium, and all of a sudden, the picture is looking a lot better at Molineux.
The three bottom clubs all lost again, and Wolves now have breathing room.
For Alan Shearer, the relegation battle is now over, and Wolves will be in the Premier League once again next season.
Vitor Pereira was keen to downplay the gap. But internally, he must know that he is now so close in terms of achieving his main objective.
On Saturday, he had Jorgen Strand Larsen to thank a lot for the result, as the Norwegian scored a brace.
And for Emmanuel Agbadou, the quality of the Wolves number nine is clear.
Agbadou hails Jorgen Strand Larsen after Southampton brace for Wolves
Photo by Jack Thomas - WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images
Photo by Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images
Strand Larsen had come in for some criticism from some Wolves fans recently so apparent poor performances.
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But against Southampton, he was the difference, taking his tally to nine for the season.
Strand Larsen will enter an exclusive club if he scores one more Premier League goal. Previously, only five other players have managed to hit double figures in the top-flight in a single season.
Following the recent criticism and struggles with injury, January signing Agbadou has given his verdict on Strand Larsen, insisting the star has quality.
He told Wolves TV: “Jorgen is a very good striker. He has a lot of quality and everyone believes in him. Some games have been difficult for him, especially the last two games that he played.
“But the coach gave him his confidence for continuing to work, and today he scored two goals and everyone is happy for him because he helped us to take three points.”
Pereira said that Strand Larsen – who’ll sign permanently for Wolves for £23 million – fractured his hand ahead of the game with Everton recently, which has made playing difficult since. But the number nine also did come in for criticism online.
Strand Larsen has had a respectable first season at Wolves
It’s nice to hear Agbadou heaping praise on Strand Larsen, who has been the subject of unfair criticism at times this season.
It can be easy to point the finger at a striker when they don’t score.
Jorgen Strand Larsen for Wolves in 2024/25
Appearances – 30
Minutes played – 2297
Goals – 9
Assists – 3
But in a lot of Wolves games this season, he simply has not had the appropriate service. Steve Bull actually warned Strand Larsen he could lack service at times for this season.
But he’s on nine goals in the Premier League so far this season, and also has a few assists to his name.
He’s done just fine in his first campaign, and will surely improve in his second term now that he knows the league, and now that his teammates better understand how to play to his strengths.