Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui hails special Molineux support

In the final home game of the season, the supporters showed their appreciation to Lopetegui and his squad for their successful fight against relegation – despite conceding a last minute equaliser against Everton.

In what could have been the final Molineux fixture for several members of the first team, the fans responded by creating a superb atmosphere and Lopetegui was delighted with the reception his side got.

“I don’t have the words. It is a very important part of football, the respect between the fans and players after the match,” he said.

“It is one of the things that makes the Premier League special.

“Look at the five months before, it was a big success to finish in this position.

“It was very difficult. We were at the bottom on Boxing Day when we played against Everton.

“That’s why it’s a big miracle for Wolves for the players above all to be here.

“But we have to be ready for next season because this year, despite making a big investment, we have had big problems so you have to do your homework in the summer if you want to compete in the Premier League because that’s what other teams are going to do.

“We will see what happens but for sure we need to improve our squad to be able to compete better.”

Dan Bentley, who came in for his first Wolves and Premier League game against Manchester United the week before, kept his place for his home debut against Everton.

He felt the full support of the home fans on his first Molineux outing and has thanked them for their backing.

Bentley said: “They’ve been incredible with me over the last two games.

“I saw it sitting on the bench for the last couple of months as well and you can see it, you can take in the atmosphere a little bit more, and they’ve been magnificent.

“You heard the noise, even after what was a disappointment in the end with the result, they stayed in their numbers, and it’s only right that we showed the appreciation that we have for them, which is huge.”

Mario Lemina added: “They are incredible, honestly. Every game that I’ve been here at home was amazing. They really support us, they push us really, really hard every game. I’m so thankful we had these supporters, I swear, they’re amazing.

“It’s been amazing. We pushed really hard, we’ve been working so hard, and they’ve (the fans) been doing their work so hard also. I’m really happy to be here and I hope the next year is going to be amazing.”