The Joe Edwards debrief – Bournemouth 1 Wolves 2

And that is the longest run without a loss for the club in 35 years.

That first half

Wolves were majestic in the first period. It was the best 45 minutes of football they have come up with for a long time – and that is saying something.

Joao Moutinho – hours after his new deal was announced – came up with a masterclass in the middle of the park and his free-kick to open the scoring was utterly sublime.

The Portuguese picked his spot from an acute angle and found it with razor-sharp precision. And he was not done there.

Stepping up to take another set-piece – this one too far to shoot from – he did not do the predictable thing of curling the ball into the box.

Instead, he expertly spotted Adama Traore in space on the right flank and found him with a perfectly-weighted pass, with the Spaniard then able to drill the ball across for Raul Jimenez to finish in a typically calm fashion.

Not many midfielders have such amazing vision. It was a clear example of a top-class operator at work.

Bournemouth were flummoxed, scratching their heads. They blinked, and the ball was in the net.

Traore, meanwhile, relentlessly raced past Diego Rico, who was given a torrid time despite apparently being one of the Cherries' better performers this campaign.

The first-half display was truly stunning. The Wolves fans who made the trip to Dorset chanted 'are you Walsall in disguise?', and they had a point, as the teams did look leagues apart.

It was a little disappointing not to see Wolves carry on in the same vein after the break, and the finish should have not been as anxious as it was.

It was a reverse of the trend during the past few months – playing better in second halves then the first. Ultimately, though, they got the win. A fine day's work.

Moutinho's sticking around

The day only got better, too, as it was announced Moutinho is staying with the club until 2022.

It is the news we all wanted, Christmas come early, if Carlsberg did Saturdays – you get the drift.

Seriously, though, Moutinho extending his stay at Molineux is massive.

Of course, £5million is not a small amount of cash, but with how crazy the transfer market is these days, surely there has not been such a shrewd move in world football over the past couple of years?

The term 'money well spent' does not do it justice.

Moutinho is a player of the highest calibre. He may be 33, but he does not look it in the slightest.

His passing is outrageous, his work off the ball is remarkable, and he has the silverware – not least a Euro 2016 winners medal – to back it up.

And the best part is that Wolves fans are set to see him work his magic for another two-and-a-half seasons.

You often hear about players being a joy to watch – and that rings ever so true with Moutinho.

But, with him, you have to pinch yourself as well. Yes, Moutinho really is a Wolves player. He is going to be for a while yet as well.

In fact, he could even end his illustrious career at Molineux. Wonderful.

Jota's getting there

Moutinho's compatriot Jota did not get on the scoresheet at the Vitality Stadium, making it five games without a goal in the league.

However, he put in a very sharp showing and actually did have the ball in the net, but was flagged for offside – it was splitting hairs, but that is all it takes with VAR ruling the roost these days – and also had a fierce strike saved by Aaron Ramsdale.

This was an encouraging display from the attacker. Nuno said last week he is confident the forward will soon be back to his best, and this display proved he is growing in confidence.

While Jimenez cannot stop scoring, Jota has endured a frustrating time in front of goal.

But unlike the draw at Arsenal when you could have said he did not get his shots off quickly enough, Jota's shooting at Bournemouth was good.

He will be back amongst the goals soon enough.

Traore, meanwhile, who was on the other side of the front three and sporting a new hair-do, furthered his case of being Wolves' best player of the season so far.

The Cherries had no clue how to deal with him, apart from to kick him to the ground on the few occasions they were able to keep up with him.

Eddie Howe's men, it must be said, were quite dirty, even though they tried their utmost to hide it.

All over the pitch, they were quite happy to make cynical fouls before throwing their arms in the air and pretending they had not meant to touch Wolves' players.

Traore was the main victim of this, but he did not complain once and added another assist to his tally – making it nine for the season. He was excellent.

Dendoncker the defender

And the last bit of individual praise must go to Leander Dendoncker, who put in another rock-solid performance on the right side of the back three.

The Belgian has spent most of his time at Molineux in midfield, but he was initially signed from Anderlecht to play in defence.

And having moved there recently because of injuries, he really looks at home.

Dendoncker played a vital role as Wolves held onto the three points by making a number of impressive interceptions in the second half.

His ability to bring the ball out in such an assured manner is lovely to see too.

Ryan Bennett has not been involved all that much as of late because of a groin problem, but when he does return to full fitness, he is going to struggle to unseat Dendoncker.

Maybe bringing in a defender in the January window is not such an urgent matter, after all.