Vitor Pereira told he wasn’t a ‘great’ appointment by Wolves, now he’s done something ‘extraordinary’

It’s been a whirlwind four months in charge of Wolves for Vitor Pereira, who has completed the mission he was set while exceeding expectations.

On Sunday, Wolves’ 1-0 victory over Manchester United saw Pereira create more history, as the Wanderers won five Premier League games in a row for the first time.

That win, thanks to Pablo Sarabia’s stunning free-kick, moved the Old Gold up to 15th and mathematically secured their Premier League status for another campaign.

Ruben Amorim praised Pereira before the showdown at Old Trafford, highlighting the ‘amazing’ job he’s done at Molineux.

Remarkably, when he replaced Gary O’Neil as manager in December, some had reservations over the appointment, with one journalist admitting he was wrong.

• READ MORE: ‘Incredible’… Alan Shearer wowed by one key change Vitor Pereira has made at Wolves

Vitor Pereira proves critics wrong after impressive run of form

Before taking the job at Wolves, the longest Pereira had stayed at a club was three years during his spell at Shanghai SIPG from 2017 to 2020.

Considering the Portuguese boss has managed 13 teams across his career, including Wolves, some questioned whether he would be suited for the Old Gold in the long term.

The 56-year-old had never managed in the Premier League, and although Everton once approached Pereira in 2019, he still had a point to prove.

Luckily, his arrival at Molineux has proven to be a masterstroke, with Daily Mail journalist Ian Ladyman happy to admit he was proven wrong.

Speaking on the It’s All Kicking Off! podcast, Ladyman said: “That’s a double that Wolves have done over Manchester United this season. Congratulations, by the way, to Vitor Pereira, the Wolves coach. I was not of the opinion that he was a great appointment when Gary O’Neil was sacked back in the winter.

“I thought Pereira’s lack of experience in the Premier League and the fact that he had been a rather itinerant coach previously would work against him. I’ve been proved wrong.”

“If the league had started the day that Pereira was appointed, Wolves would currently be fifth, which is extraordinary.”

The Premier League table since Pereira took charge

When Pereira was appointed manager in December, Wolves were four points adrift of safety and in danger of being relegated under O’Neil.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
12	Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace	33	11	11	11	41	45	-4	44
13	EvertonEverton	33	8	14	11	34	40	-6	38
14	Man UtdManchester United	33	10	8	15	38	46	-8	38
15	WolvesWolves	33	11	5	17	48	61	-13	38
16	TottenhamTottenham	32	11	4	17	60	49	11	37
17	West HamWest Ham	33	9	9	15	37	55	-18	36

Now, they’re rocketing up the Premier League table, currently six points behind 12th-place Crystal Palace and 17 points above the bottom three.

More impressively, Wolves have won 29 points since Pereira took charge, which places them among some of the best sides in the division.

As shown by the above table, Wolves are joint-fifth with Aston Villa for points won, which demonstrates the incredible job he’s done.