Wolves reached the crucial 40-point milestone and dealt a huge blow to Aston Villa’s hopes of European
Football with a 1-0 win at Molineux. Julen Lopetegui’s side were looking to provide the right response in front of the home crowd after last week’s 6-0 defeat at Brighton, while Villa hoped to bounce back from their loss to
Manchester United. However, it was Wolves who struck early as Toti met Ruben Neves’ corner to give the team the lead inside 10 minutes. Villa responded by largely taking control of proceedings in the first half, with Emi Buendia often a thorn in the side of the Wolves backline, though the hosts maintained a threat in the counter-attack. Wolves successfully held on to their advantage at the interval and their resolute defending continued to frustrate Villa’s forwards after the break. READ MORE: Julen Lopetegui makes 'perfection' claim ahead of Wolves vs Aston Villa clash READ MORE: Wolves 'preparing' transfer bid for £25m striker Despite both sides fashioning decent chances to alter the scoreline, Wolves ultimately held on to their early lead to earn another important win that puts Lopetegui’s side 10 points above the drop zone, while Villa fell further behind their rivals in the race for a European place. Villa are now eighth, one pint behind Brighton who have played three fewer games. Here’s how Wolves fans reacted on
Social Media after a vital home win that damaged Villa’s ambitions and essentially sees the club safe from relegation with three games to play: @MrsGriffMusic: TEN POINTS CLEAR LADS @ChrisMM__: And breathe...What a resounding victory for us at Molineux. Not only does that strengthen our position mid-table and further away from the drop, but we could have also handed a massive dent to Villa's European hopes. @SamuelPower68: Huge win that!! Safety all but secured now surely. @JamesMcGirr07: Let’s gooooooooooo! WE are the Pride of the Midlands @MikeKing14_: Best club in the midlands don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise @Josh_franklin14: Home form has been massive, derby day win and safety secured @MarkoC88: What a fortress Lopetegui has turned it into READ NEXT: Tributes pour in from Wolves faithful after 'one in a million' Vicky Wright dies aged 63 Wolves star issues Molineux plea ahead of Aston Villa Is Wolves vs Aston Villa on TV? Kick-off time, live stream details and how to watch Wolves' Ruben Neves warns Aston Villa after Brighton thrashing Man United sent 'crazy' transfer warning amid links with Wolves star Matheus Nunes