Bruno Lage believes Ruben Neves can take Wolves to the next level after stunning goal against Watford

At 3-0 the win was already secure when Neves delightfully chipped Ben Foster from 20 yards with five minutes of normal time left to play.

His goal capped off a superb 4-0 victory and Lage has challenged Neves to consistently control the game like he did against the Hornets.

Lage said: "I thought he missed his time to shoot when he came inside!

"I say to my players every day that I never played football, so for me it's very easy. The only pressure I put on them is to come and do the things we do in training. After, the pressure comes from everywhere.

"Ruben knows what I want from him. He knows what I wish for his career and Ruben should be the top of the top.

"The pressure now for him is to come on Sunday against Everton and have another good performance, because that's the way he should be every time.

"In that way, he can put our team on a different level. When those kind of goals happen, we say in Portugal that it paid for the ticket.

"The way Ruben links the game with defenders, finds players between lines and side to side – that's the kind of Ruben I want every day."

Wolves made a lightning-quick start with three goals in eight first half minutes, as they easily cut through the Watford defence.

The performance was a clear reaction from the poor display against Crystal Palace and that was what pleased Lage the most.

"It was very good for the first 20 minutes," Lage added.

"The performance is so important. That gives us points and goals and that's why I was so upset the last time I was here, because we didn't do anything in the first 45 minutes against Crystal Palace.

"We work hard every day and we train the way we played tonight. My pressure on them is to come and play the way we played tonight.

"Sometimes it's easier and sometimes it's harder, but we need to try. If you don't win or perform or do what we do in training, we have nothing.

"It's not about the result, it's about the way we play and I believe in that. The way we play gives us good performances, goals and points."

Jonny Castro Otto and Willy Boly both made their first league starts of the season in the win over Watford and put in sterling displays.

Lage said: "I am very happy. Jonny did a good performance and Boly also, he had an amazing game.

"This is the best I have seen since Boly since the first day. We protected him a little bit and didn't play him earlier, because I don't want him to keep coming back from the medical department, but to have solid work.

"Today he deserved it. He was ready and had a strong performance, I am very happy.

"But in the same way we need to continue to work and Jonny, Boly, Pedro and Yerson need time to understand better the way we play."

But Boly's inclusion meant Max Kilman – who has struggled in recent weeks after an excellent season – dropped to the bench.

When asked how tough that decision was, Lage said: "Sometimes it's a moment for a player to recover a little bit. I trust a lot in Max.

"I like, sometimes, to change some players and he's played more than 30 games in a row, so sometimes you need to step back, recover and relax the pressure on your shoulders. He'll return to the team for sure.

"To do that (make changes) we have to have more players and today Boly had a good performance."