Wolves finally remembered that they can win away from Molineux. César Peixoto’s side produced an impressive display at Deepdale to beat Preston North End 3-1, securing their first league away victory in 489 days. Yes, 489 days. You could have grown a small tree in that time.
Fer López was the star of the show, scoring twice on either side of Adam Armstrong’s goal to give Wolves a comfortable victory, with Jordan Thompson’s stoppage-time consolation doing little to spoil the afternoon. Here are our Wolves player ratings.
José Sa – 7.5/10
A relatively quiet afternoon for the Wolves goalkeeper, although he had to be alert when Preston applied some pressure. The biggest compliment you can give Sá is that he didn’t have to do anything particularly ridiculous, which is always nice. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do much about Thompson’s excellent late strike.
Jackson Tchatchoua – 7/10
A solid performance from Tchatchoua, who offered plenty of energy down the right and helped Wolves maintain control of the game. Not the most glamorous afternoon, but he did his job and didn’t give Preston much joy. Which, frankly, is exactly what you want from a full-back.
Nasser Djiga – 7/10
Comfortable for large parts of the afternoon and helped keep Preston’s attack relatively quiet. There were a few moments when Preston threatened, but overall Djiga looked composed and dealt with what came his way. A professional afternoon. How boringly sensible.
Toti Gomes – 7/10
Toti was another member of a Wolves defence that largely kept Preston at arm’s length. He helped Wolves build from the back and was rarely troubled during a first half in which Preston struggled to get going. The clean sheet would have been nice, but we are Wolverhampton Wanderers; we don’t do that here.
Hugo Bueno – 7/10
A tidy afternoon from Bueno. He offered an outlet on the left and helped Wolves maintain their shape as Preston struggled to break through. Nothing spectacular, but sometimes being a solid left-back for 90 minutes is enough.
Marshall Munetsi – 8/10
A very good performance from Munetsi in midfield. He provided the physicality Wolves needed and also made an important defensive intervention when he headed Callum Lang’s effort off the line during a spell of Preston pressure. That’s the sort of thing that doesn’t make the highlight reel quite as much as a 30-yard screamer, but it matters.
André – 8/10
André was excellent in the middle of the pitch and played a key role in the opening goal, providing the assist for López. He helped Wolves control the game and gave the visitors a platform to attack from. Another player who looked considerably more comfortable than Wolves supporters have been accustomed to seeing in recent times. Progress. What a strange feeling.
Rodrigo Gomes – 7/10
A lively performance from Gomes, who was a constant threat going forward. He nearly doubled Wolves’ advantage just before half-time with a low effort from the edge of the box, only for Daniel Iversen to produce a good save. Not quite his day in front of goal, but plenty to like.
Fer López – 10/10
Who else? López was absolutely outstanding. The Spaniard opened the scoring after just eight minutes with a brilliant individual goal, picking up possession in his own half before driving forward and leaving Liam Lindsay wondering whether a traffic cone had accidentally replaced him. He then completed his brace late on with another quality finish from the edge of the box. After struggling for consistency last season and getting loaned out, López now has two goals in two Championship games.
Suddenly that £19m price tag is looking slightly less terrifying. Give him the ball and let him cook.
Mateus Mané – 7.5/10
Mané was another bright attacking outlet for Wolves and played his part in a front four that caused Preston plenty of problems. His movement helped create space for others, while his willingness to take defenders on gave Wolves another dimension going forward. Needs to be told when to pass the ball, though; plenty of wasted chances while teammates were open.
Still plenty of development to come, but the talent is very obvious.
Raúl Jiménez – 8/10
The returning Mexican didn’t get his name on the scoresheet, but he was heavily involved. Jiménez almost scored with a clever flick early on before playing a key role in the second goal, combining with Armstrong to release the substitute inside the Preston box. And yes, it was lovely to see his name on the starting 11.
Substitutions
Adam Armstrong – 8/10
Came off the bench and immediately made an impact. Armstrong doubled Wolves’ lead in the 71st minute after a clever one-two with Jiménez, calmly finishing inside the area. Exactly what you want from a substitute: come on, score, make everyone wonder why you weren’t starting and then walk off looking smug.
Job done.
Boubacar Traoré – 7/10
Introduced during the second half as Wolves looked to protect their advantage. He helped Wolves retain control of midfield and saw out the closing stages without too much drama. Which, considering Wolves’ recent history, is practically an elite performance.
Tommy Doyle – 8/10
Another second-half introduction as Peixoto rotated his midfield. Doyle helped Wolves see the game out and keep possession during the final stages. He also provided the assist for López’ second goal.
David Møller Wolfe – 6/10
Another late substitute who helped Wolves get over the line. With the game effectively won, his main job was to avoid doing anything stupid. Thankfully, mission accomplished.
Jordan James – 7/10
Came on for Raúl Jiménez in the 79th minute and helped Wolves see the game out. Didn’t have enough time to make a huge impact, but did his job and helped keep Preston at arm’s length.
This was exactly the sort of performance we Wolves fans have been waiting for. A convincing away win, three goals, impressive attacking football and a standout individual performance from Fer López. The defence was solid, the midfield controlled the game, and the substitutes made a genuine impact, with Armstrong scoring and Doyle providing the assist for López’s second.
The late Preston goal was annoying, but after waiting 489 days for a league away victory, nobody is going to spend too long complaining.
Wolves are finally off the mark in the Championship. And, for once, an away day didn’t end in emotional damage.
