Vitor Pereira watched his squad take a leap away from the relegation zone as Wolves beat Southampton.
A win was essential against the struggling Saints and three points is exactly what the Old Gold walked away with.
Wolves beat Southampton 2-1 at St Mary’s to move nine points clear of the relegation zone, leaving Ivan Juric’s side hopeless at the bottom of the table.
On a joyous, but far from pretty, outing for Pereria’s squad, one player stood out above the rest to win the game on the South Coast.
Wolves praised for supporting Jorgen Strand Larsen
Jorgen Strand Larsen was Wolves’ match-winner against Southampton, scoring twice to ensure three points returned to the West Midlands.
The Norweigan netted his eighth and ninth goals of his debut Premier League campaign, edging closer to double figures despite a trialling start to life in England.
Wolves fans loved what they saw from Strand Larsen as the number nine silenced his critics in the best way possible, scoring a brace to end his non-scoring streak.
While nothing can be taken away from the striker’s performance, a lot of credit had to go to the summer signing’s teammates, who played to his strengths.
Express and Star reporters Liam Keen and Nathan Judah commented on such after the game, applauding Wolves for doing something rarely seen this term to help their target man.
“The cross to a goal, that’s what we haven’t seen this season. That is what Vitor Pereira, depending on what they do in the summer, needs to see more of,” Judah said when analysing Strand Larsen’s goals.
“Quality crosses in because he [Strand Larsen] can finish, he knows where the back of the net is, he knows his angles well.”
Keen responded by emphasising the importance of the squad helping the 25-year-old by playing to his strengths.
“Exactly, you’ve got to play to the player’s strengths and Larsen took the goals nicely.”
Strand Larsen leading the way in the Premier League
Wolves’ number nine was the talk of the town against Southampton but, it’s not always been that way for the Norway international.
Strand Larsen has been criticised throughout the campaign for the isolated positions he finds himself in, which was far from the case at St Mary’s.
While the forward frustrates supporters at times for his style of play, his importance to the squad can’t be denied, as the numbers prove.
No player in the Premier League has a higher percentage of shots on target per 90 than Strand Larsen, as per FBref, emphasising how the striker makes his efforts count when given the chance.
Wolves worked with Strand Larsen perfectly against Southampton, something that must continue to consistently get the best out of the summer acquisition.