Wolves progressed into the fourth round of the FA Cup with a victory over Bristol City, and now former player Dave Edwards has praised Vitor Pereira.
The FA Cup fixture was a welcomed distraction from the league after Vitor Pereira’s men were beaten 3-0 by Nottingham Forest eight days ago.
Wolves clinched a 2-1 win over Bristol City, as the Championship side struggled to live with the quality of Pereira’s side in the final third.
Rodrigo Gomes caused chaos against Bristol City, netting his second goal for the club, while Emmanuel Agbadou was solid on his Wolves debut.
It was a fine away performance overall, with Wolves earning a fourth-round tie against Blackburn, and now Dave Edwards has praised one aspect of Pereira’s team selection.
Dave Edwards happy Vitor Pereira went strong vs Bristol City
Wolves are in a precarious situation at the bottom of the Premier League table, with only goal difference separating them from a place in the relegation zone.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 17 |  WolvesWolves | 20 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 31 | 45 | -14 | 16 |
Pereira could have easily played youngsters in the FA Cup, perhaps resting some of his first-team stars and prioritising the league.
Instead, the Portuguese boss went strong with his lineup, including regular starters Joao Gomes, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Jorgen Strand Larsen, and Hwang Hee-chan.
Edwards has now offered plaudits to Pereira for taking the competition seriously and going strong in the match instead of playing a weakened side.
“Everyone thought it might be one of the upsets, but from about two or three minutes in, it was obvious that Wolves were up for it,” Edwards wrote in his column for E&S.
“A lot of that goes down to the team selection from Vitor Pereira. I was really happy that he went as strong as possible.
“I know they haven’t got the luxury to make a lot of changes, but he still could have changed a few more things. Instead, he named his strongest team.
“It was a strong performance and some of the attacking play was fabulous.”
An FA Cup run keeps the Wolves squad happy
In the grand scheme of things, league form takes precedence over any cup competition, as it’s vital Wolves remain in the division.
However, progressing into the FA Cup fourth round only brings positives to the entire squad dynamic, allowing Pereira to rotate some of his first-team stars and use the full depth of the players available.
Up next is another trip to a Championship opponent in the shape of Blackburn, who will pose a similar threat to Bristol City.
There is perhaps hope that while surviving in the Premier League is most important, supporters enjoyed a long run in the FA Cup last term, with Wolves reaching the quarter-finals.
Now, they’ll be hoping their side can progress to at least that stage, or even reach the semi-finals this time around.