Wolves move nine points clear of relegation, need more points to stay afloat
Posted : 26 April 2023
Even if Wolves' victory over Crystal Palace at Molineux was a significant step toward guaranteeing their place in the Premier League for the upcoming season, Julen
Lopetegui says his team still needs "more points" to remain in the division.
In a game with few clear-cut opportunities, Wolves took the lead after three minutes when a corner from Ruben Neves rebounded off Palace center-back Joachim Andersen's leg and in off the crossbar.
Neves' stoppage-time penalty ultimately decided a messy and contentious game as Wolves, who were at the bottom of the standings when Lopetegui took over in November, climbed nine points clear of the danger zone.
"They are important points for us but they are not definitive," the Wolves boss told BBC Sport. "We have to get more points. It's an important win for us."
Before halftime, Albert Sambi Lokonga came the closest to giving Palace the equalizer, but Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa stopped his snap shot from eight yards out.
Eberechi Eze's dipping left-footed shot from a distance that Sa turned over was the closest Palace came to scoring despite controlling play for the whole of the second half.
"Maybe they dominated us in the second half but I don't remember them having clear chances," Lopetegui added.
"Maybe when you score so quickly sometimes you think a lot to defend this goal and sometimes you forget to do different things. We needed to have more of the ball. Palace are a good team. It's a very difficult victory for us. We had to work hard. We're happy."
In the last 30 minutes, Wolves made virtually no forward progress, but they managed to hold on until Pedro Neto was taken down by Palace goalkeeper Sam Johnstone as he attempted to make up for his own careless touch.
Wolves are now tied for the most points with Palace in 12th place after Neves' flawless penalty kick goal.
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