There was pandemonium in the away end at St Mary’s as Wolves took a giant step to securing Premier League survival.
A Jorgen Strand Larsen brace saw Wolves clinch a 2-1 win over Southampton, lifting them nine points clear of the bottom three after Ipswich Town lost 4-2 against Nottingham Forest.
Wolves fans raved over the performance of Strand Larsen, who has now tallied nine goals in his debut top-flight campaign, and other stars such as Andre, Emmanuel Agbadou and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde flourished on the South Coast.
Vitor Pereira’s men have now created a huge nine point buffer on 18th place Ipswich, and even if Leicester secure a shock win over Manchester United on Sunday, they will still be six points clear.
Wolves fans think survival is secured after full-time, chanting ‘we are staying up’ in the away end, and they also loved what Pereira confessed.
Wolves fans in love with Vitor Pereira after Southampton
While Southampton boss Ivan Juric was left red-faced after what he said about Wolves pre-match, Pereira was delighted with his sides professionalism and the performance of Strand Larsen.
The Portuguese boss has created a strong bond with the supporters since replacing Gary O’Neil, showing how much he cares for them and understands what the club means.
Speaking after the win at St Mary’s, as per Nathan Judah, Pereira admitted that he wants to go and drink a pint with fans, which suggests he’s just a normal guy.
Reacting to the above comments on X, formerly Twitter, Wolves fans shared their admiration towards the 56-year-old.
“My kind of manager,” one fan wrote while another responded: “Give him a lifetime contract now,” perhaps urging Fosun to give him an improved deal.
“Love that he’s just like one of us,” a third simply wrote, adoring the fact that Pereira acts like he’s a fan which is refreshing.
“I like how he keeps himself authentic and close to the fans,” a fifth replied while another person said: “Turning into a very likeable character, hope he sticks around for the foreseeable.”
One fan even kindly offered to buy Pereira a drink: “Where do ya drink lad I’ll buy ya a pint.”
Vitor Pereira shares survival verdict after Southampton
Pereira is gaining huge admiration from a Wolves fanbase who have experienced difficult times under the Fosun ownership.
The win over Southampton is one of their biggest of the season, as it piles further pressure on Leicester and Ipswich to collect even more points.
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But despite moving nine clear of the relegation zone, Pereira isn’t resting on his laurels, claiming Wolves ‘cannot feel safe’ till their top-flight status is mathematically secure.
“In this league, we cannot feel safe,” Pereira told BBC Match of the Day. “The first mistake is to lose points. Now we have the [international] break and it’s important to rest a bit, but the next match is very important for us. We must control our games because we cannot control the opponents’ games.
“They are out of our control. We need to do our work to do well for our supporters, who were fantastic again. We cannot sleep.”
Wolves will hope to build on their three points against the Saints when they clash with West Ham after the international break.