Julen Lopetegui: Wolves still have a long, hard race ahead
A delighted Julen Lopetegui was quick to point out that there is still a “long, hard race ahead” after Wolves eased their relegation fears with an excellent win against Chelsea at Molineux.
Wolves clinched a crucial Premier League victory thanks to a superb strike from Matheus Nunes, who fired home a spectacular first goal for the club just after the half hour mark.
It was a victory which lifts Wolves into 12th place in the table, directly below Chelsea, and with a four-point cushion to the relegation zone, having played the same number of games as third-from-bottom Nottingham Forest.
But while very pleased with his team’s performance against a Chelsea squad which he believes is ‘one of the best in the world’, Lopetegui was certainly not getting carried away.
“To win a match like this, you have to be very close to perfection,” said Wolves’ Head Coach.
“And that’s in all the phases.
“We tried to do that in the defensive phase and the offensive phase, to push and be aggressive with the ball and to attack when we had the chance to.
“You have to defend very well because Chelsea have top players in all the positions and, for me, one of the best squads in the world.
“We scored a goal and didn’t suffer a goal but we have to stay focused on our jobs and our work.
“This is three points more – it’s going to be a long and hard race and we have to continue.
“We are happy for this win, but it is done – we have to start tomorrow and trying to think about trying to get the next three points against Brentford.
“They are one of the best away teams in the division, so we have to be ready.”
Lopetegui confirmed that the omissions of Raul Jimenez and Rayan Ait-Nouri from the matchday squad were purely tactical decisions, insisting he will need every player in the squad to contribute between now and the end of the season.
And while Matheus will undoubtedly capture the headlines for such a spectacular first Wolves goal, the Head Coach was keen to spread the praise around the entire team.
“The goal is always good for the team that scores it,” added Lopetegui.
“Today we are happy for Nunes, but the importance of the goal is that it got us three points, and to get the three points we needed more than just the goal.
“So we are happy for the team to highlight the form and the spirit they showed in all the match.
“It doesn’t matter to me if the goal is beautiful or not – just that we have scored it!”
