Wolves crashed to yet another defeat in the Premier League on Saturday, with concerns about the club’s fate increasing further.
Wolves had a decent chance to finally get off the mark in the competition with a first victory.
Wanderers had been showing signs of improvement in the past few weeks.
But rather than build on the displays against Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton, Wolves turned in one of their worst performances of the season.
Nordi Mukiele put Sunderland 1-0 up after just 16 minutes and then a late own goal from Ladislav Krejci ensured all three points for the hosts.
Vitor Pereira questioned the way his players played in the closing stages, but some fans believe the performance is on the manager.
The situation is deeply concerning for Wolves, who look by far and away the worst team in the Premier League.
And for Alan Shearer, Wolves simply have to do one thing next.
Alan Shearer says Wolves must now beat Burnley after losing to Sunderland
Wolves now face a massive game against Burnley next weekend.
The two games against Sunderland and Burnley were seen as golden opportunities to get points on the board.
But the fact Wolves have lost the first of those two games now puts huge pressure on the team against Burnley.
The atmosphere at Molineux is likely to be uncomfortable, and losing that game as well is unthinkable.
Last night on Match of the Day, most of the focus was on Sunderland and how good they were at the Stadium of Light.
But Alan Shearer did have a final word on Wolves, saying: “Same as what happened last season. They didn’t win any of their first eight last season.
“I think their next home game is Burnley. They have to win that.”
Pereira could be sacked if Wolves lost to Burnley
Wolves are in huge trouble, make no mistake about it.
As well as Sunderland have done this season, this was still a big opportunity to get three points on the board, with Wolves having improved in recent weeks.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 15 |  LeedsLeeds | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 13 | -6 | 8 |
| 16 |  BrentfordBrentford | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 12 | -3 | 7 |
| 17 |  BurnleyBurnley | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 15 | -6 | 7 |
| 18 |  Nottingham ForestNottingham Forest | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 15 | -10 | 5 |
| 19 |  West HamWest Ham | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 16 | -10 | 4 |
| 20 |  WolvesWolves | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 16 | -11 | 2 |
But Wanderers did not come close to winning yesterday, and this Burnley game has now become huge for Vitor Pereira.
A home defeat to the Clarets could genuinely spell the end for him, despite his recent new contract.
The game sort of has a feel of Gary O’Neil heading into the match with Ipswich Town at Molineux last season. And we all know what happened then.
Pereira himself feels Burnley has become ‘must-win’, and it remains to be seen if any other result will lead to his removal as manager.