Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Leicester City. Premier League.
MolineuxAttendance31,518.
Wolverhampton Wanderers 3
- M Cunha (33rd minute)
- J Larsen (56th minute)
- R Martins Gomes (85th minute)
Leicester City 0
Wolves 3-0 Leicester: Matheus Cunha stars as Vitor Pereira's side make it six wins in a row to go 13th in the table
Report and free match highlights as goals from Matheus Cunha, Jorgen Strand Larsen and Rodrigo Gomes lift Wolves up to 13th with a 3-0 win over already relegated Leicester at Molineux; it is sixth consecutive Premier League win under Vitor Pereira
Saturday 26 April 2025 18:44, UK
Wolves beat Leicester 3-0 at Molineux for a sixth consecutive win that moves them up to 13th in the Premier League table.
Matheus Cunha scored the opener before half-time and set up Jorgen Strand Larsen for the second just before the hour mark. Jamie Vardy missed the chance to pull one back from the spot and Rodrigo Gomes came off the bench to seal the victory late on.
Vitor Pereira's transformation of Wolves continues, this now equalling their six-game run from 1970 in the top division. For Vardy, who announced his Foxes departure in the week, it was a miserable afternoon that rather summed up Leicester's dismal season.
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How Wolves added to Leicester woe
With Leicester already relegated and Wolves in form, it was no surprise to see the home side take control early on with Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri to the fore. The latter had an attempt cleared from near the line by Wout Faes but the Foxes were undone soon after.
Ait-Nouri's low cross was side-footed in by Cunha from close range. The Brazilian has now scored 15 Premier League goals this season and in a week in which he was linked with Manchester United, the Wolves fans let him know that might not be the best move.
Cunha was just getting started though, one of a number of Wolves players clearly enjoying the freedom they can now play with after a nervy campaign. It was a delightful pass by Cunha that put Strand Larsen through to double the advantage.
The Norwegian had missed an easier chance just before and Leicester did have a glimmer when Jose Sa was adjudged to have brought Vardy down - the veteran striker, who announced his summer departure this week, had seemed to motion towards Sa.
It did not matter because Sa saved the spot-kick low to his right and any hope of an unlikely Leicester comeback was extinguished. Rodrigo emerged from the bench and made it three from another Cunha assist to better reflect Wolves' superiority.
Player of the match: Matheus Cunha
There were plenty of candidates for the award with Andre imperious in midfield and Ait-Nouri oozing class from the left, while Strand Larsen continues to plunder in this much improved side but it is impossible to look past Cunha with one goal and two assists.
That £64m release clause is starting to look a bargain for the clubs chasing him in the summer but until then Wolves will cherish the magic moments he is bringing to Molineux. A season that threatened to implode in December has turned into a stroll.
"High quality," said Pereira afterwards. "He is a special player. He is committed with the team-mates, he is committed with the club to help us to do the best we can until the end of the season."
Asked if Wolves will be able to replace him, he added: "This is a crystal ball looking for the future. I don't have this crystal ball."
Pereira happy with energy at Wolves
Wolves head coach Vitor Pereira speaking in the press conference:
"Happiness. Good football, happiness in the supporters, in the players, everything that I can ask for. Because the energy is good in the stadium, between the supporters and the team, between the players, between the players and the staff, between the staff and the supporters. And this is what we can do in football.
"Today I didn't lose a lot of energy. The game was controlled. The last game, I lose energy when I don't like my team playing in the way that I'm seeing. But today, I think we played a good game. We showed ambition, character.
"When you come to watch a match, you see a team trying to play, fighting together, tactical organisation, and the spirit and the energy between the players and the supporters. This is my job, trying to create this energy."
Van Nistelrooy on 'big blow' for Vardy
Leicester head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy speaking in the press conference:
"Confidence is obviously a big thing at the moment. I think the players go into the game and they want to build on these performances, on reconnection with the away supporters at Brighton and some moments in the Liverpool game at home.
"Of course, the players want our captain to be in the best place possible in his final games for the football club but little moments there, the game changes and confidence levels drop. And that is difficult, two moments after the break, where we were too open and they counter-attacked us.
"Other than that, we could have got ourselves back into the game with Bilal [El Khannouss'] shot opportunity and, of course, Jamie's penalty to get us back in the game and get another goal for the football club. That was also, of course, a big blow for him and for everyone."
Asked about the decision to make a triple substitution at half-time, having already removed Bobby De Cordova-Reid in the first half, Van Nistelrooy explained:
"Yes, one was a concussion of Facundo [Buonanotte], he's thrown up in half-time. Ricky [Pereira] had another injury, a muscle injury, so two massive blows for the team. Bobby came off with a muscle injury before the break.
"We are conceding blow after blow in results, but also in losing personnel. The other substitution was Oliver Skipp for Bouba [Soumare]."
