It is correct to begin by hailing the victors, particularly when they are as good as this. For anyone seeking a snapshot of Wolves’ identity under Nuno Espírito Santo, this match would be a fair case study. They had not been at their best in the previous week, looking sluggish enough to suggest their top-six credentials were at severe risk, but after a slow start they pulled clear and should have won by more.
Solid, methodical, supremely drilled and allowed to spark into life around the final third: the now-familiar notes were all hit and there remains, for now at least, the hope that next season’s
Champions League will dance to their tune.