'Part of the family' - Wolves' remarkable turnaround under Pereira

As a now famous flag flown by Wolves fans suggests, Vitor Pereira will be in celebratory mood following his side's latest win.

Wolves' 4-2 defeat of Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday moved Pereira's side 14 points clear of the relegation zone with just six games left to play.

When he replaced Gary O'Neil as manager in December, such a comfortable end to the season was unthinkable.

"Every time," Pereira said post-match when asked if - as the 'first the points, then the pints' flag at Molineux suggests - he would toast Wolves' fourth consecutive Premier League victory with an alcoholic drink.

"Work is work, but after the work we need to celebrate together. I need to feel the energy of these people and be part of the family."

The final word of that answer is arguably the most important - the way Pereira has instilled a sense of pride and togetherness at the club in such a short space of time is remarkable.

Pereira has had a transformative impact at Molineux since he was appointed in December.

Wolves were 19th in the Premier League table when the Portuguese coach arrived, having won only two of their opening 16 Premier League games.

The West Midlands club have won eight and drawn two of their 16 league matches since, taking 26 points.

In the same period, Southampton, Leicester and Ipswich have won 18 points combined.

The defeat of Spurs on Sunday earned Wolves a fourth straight Premier League win for the very first time - not since 1972 had they put together a winning run of that length in the top flight.

Pereira was pleasantly surprised by that record as he praised the new-found consistency of his team.

"Now we know very well the moments of the game and how to deal with them," he told BBC Match of the Day.

"Sometimes we need to wait and sometimes be compact and play on the counter-attack. Sometimes we have space to play with the ball, sometimes play fast and sometimes slow down. In this moment we have the tactical maturity [to adapt and switch between approaches]."

Wolves have won 50% of their Premier League games under Vitor Pereira

Sunday's win was the first time since March 2022 that Wolves have scored four or more goals in a league game at Molineux, so it was fitting that Matheus Cunha scored the final goal on his return to the side.

The Brazil striker came off the bench to make his return from a four-game suspension, and in the 86th minute dispossessed Lucas Bergvall before slotting past Guglielmo Vicario to wrap up the win.

Cunha has been Wolves' best player this season, though in truth he hasn't been missed.

Pereira's side took 10 points from the four league games they were without him, scoring six goals along the way.

Yet the way the 25-year-old raises both his team-mates and the supporters is undeniable.

He annoyed some Wolves fans this week with a social media post - since deleted - that hinted at a summer exit.

"I will follow my dreams, not yours. So stay cool," it read.

Cunha appeared to apologise to supporters when celebrating his goal, making a praying gesture before pointing to his heart.

"He knows his quality, he knows the team was playing good games and winning [without him]," Pereira said.

"In the right moment that we need him he said 'yes I am here to help the team'."

Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen - who scored four league goals in Cunha's absence and added a fifth in four games on Sunday - hailed Cunha as "probably the best player I've ever seen", adding: "He's such a good man too.

"If he can do the right thing outside of football it's better for him. Coming back meant a lot for him. He's been our best player this season so I'm very happy for him."

Strand Larsen also shed light on the impact Pereira has had at the club.

"Since Vitor came in we have changed some small things a bit," he said.

"It's not about doing something huge. With time we have built on that. We are not afraid of anyone now. We hope to build on this to do better next season.

"It was a great atmosphere, the last three games have been massive for us. Spurs haven't had a great season but they are still a good team with amazing players. So it was amazing to build on that and win again.

"Confidence in football is the most important thing. In a relegation battle it's hard to find confidence, especially for strikers, we don't get many chances."

Rayan Ait-Nouri, who opened the scoring, told Sky Sports: "He's [Pereira] done a good job, he's a very good coach. He is focused and we work very hard in training during the week."

Wolves are now up to 16th in the Premier League table with 35 points. Up next is a trip to Manchester United, three points above them, who on Sunday were soundly beaten 4-1 by Newcastle.