Wolves entered the international break with a spring in their step following a draw against Everton and a victory over Southampton.
Jorgen Strand Larsen’s brace delivered three points for Wolves at St Mary’s on Saturday, lifting them nine points clear of the relegation zone.
Wolves survival chances have now been boosted massively, with Leicester City and Ipswich Town both struggling to earn a single point, nevermind the wins needed to close the gap.
It puts Vitor Pereira’s men in a healthy position during the break, as he watches several of his Wolves stars go on duty with their nations.
Pereira will be hoping all of his players return to Molineux without injuries ahead of the crucial run-in as he witnesses his stars flourishing on the international stage.
Matt Doherty scored a header for Republic of Ireland against Bulgaria
Only days into the break, some Wolves players have made a name for themselves on international duty, in what was an action-packed Thursday.
Hwang Hee-chan scored for South Korea against Oman while Marshall Munetsi found the net for Zimbabwe.
To complete a hat-trick, Matt Doherty scored the winner for the Republic of Ireland against Bulgaria, which was only his second-ever goal for the nation.
Doherty has been used as a centre-back for Pereira but in the prime of his career, he was a marauding wing-back, whose athleticism and attacking instincts stood out.
🗣️ 'The running is the easy part. Josh did the hard part and put it on my head!'
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) March 21, 2025
Matt Doherty talks through his 'instinctive' goal, as he reflects on Ireland's 2-1 victory over Bulgaria with @nathanmurf. | 🇮🇪
Off The Ball Football w/ @WilliamHillIre. pic.twitter.com/N4XyKzVPqP
In the Nations League win over Bulgaria, the 33-year-old rolled back the years as a full-back, scoring a headed goal after getting on the end of a Josh Cullen cross.
Unsurprisingly, this was his first headed goal of the campaign in all competitions, with the only two strikes for his club coming in defeats against West Ham and Chelsea.
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Heimir Hallgrimsson singles out Doherty for praise
Doherty didn’t just score the match-winner, he impressed with his all-round display, as demonstrated by his statistics from the game.
- 1 goal
- 3 clearances
- 2 interceptions
- 3 aerial duels won
- 41/50 accurate passes (82%)
- 5 accurate long balls
As a result, manager Heimir Hallgrimsson singled out the Wolves man for praise, claiming he had a ‘really good game’.
“I would say Matt Doherty had a really good game, also scored and it was a fantastic run from deep and a brave, brave header,” Hallgrimsson said.
“He had a big part in the first goal as well, quick thinking, a quick diagonal ball to Robbie Brady for the delivery and the cross.”
Doherty will now be looking to make another positive impression when they host Bulgaria in the second-leg of their Nations League tie on Sunday.