Liam Keen comment: Wolves making improvements in both boxes

The job is not done yet, and Julen Lopetegui will be the first to say it, but the victories over both Chelsea and Brentford have given Wolves a huge opportunity to secure their Premier League survival.

That win on Saturday offered plenty of positives, too, as they look to get over the line.

Goals and clean sheets

Improvement in both boxes has been a key area for Wolves since Lopetegui arrived.

The team has not turned into a prolific goal-scoring machine overnight, but the signs are promising.

Against Thomas Frank’s side at the weekend, it was the performance of Diego Costa above all that took Wolves to victory.

His goal was slightly fortunate but well-deserved, after the veteran striker put in a vintage display.

He gave Wolves a focal point, held the ball up extremely well and showed the intelligent movement and sleek touches that he was known for in his pomp.

Off the field he has been very important to this Wolves team, while on it he has largely struggled. His last two performances, however, have been very good and he deserves credit for that.

Defensively, Wolves have improved with each passing week. Craig Dawson and Max Kilman, in particular, were superb against Brentford, while Toti Gomes and Nelson Semedo are putting in consistently strong performances.

This improvement in both boxes has put Wolves on the cusp of securing safety at the perfect time.

They now have a chance to build on that and put it beyond doubt.

Game management

For all of that improvement, Wolves also showed an impressive level of maturity against Brentford.

The timing of both goals from Costa and Hwang Hee-chan was incredibly important, but Wolves managed the game superbly well after going 2-0 up.

Lopetegui’s substitutions were spot on, too, and in particular the changes to bring on Joao Moutinho and Adama Traore.

Joao Gomes was excellent again, but had been booked, meaning him coming off for Moutinho – who slowed the game down and looked after the ball – was the right call.

The introduction of Adama also gave Brentford another threat to be concerned about, as Wolves saw out the game and took all three points.

That maturity and intelligence is certainly a good sign for Wolves. They will need more of that attitude and application as they navigate the final weeks of the season.

Squad options

Although the players on the field are the bigger story after a crucial win, the players not involved still hang like a cloud over the club.

Rayan Ait-Nouri has not been in a squad for a number of weeks now, while Raul Jimenez has also been left out for the last two games.

Ruben Neves and Jonny Castro Otto will both be back from suspension this weekend, too, giving Lopetegui even more headaches on his squad selection.

It is absolutely clear that Lopetegui has not yet been impressed by Ait-Nouri, while Jimenez now seems to have joined the same club.

It is likely they will get some sort of chance between now and the end of the season, and that opportunity could be their final moment to save their Wolves careers. Do not write them off yet. Lopetegui has a big squad and unfortunately has to leave players out, but they are certainly at a crossroads.