 |
| Julen Lopetegui the head coach / manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers celebrates the 1-0 victory during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa at Molineux on May 6, 2023. |
Toti scored his first Wolves goal as Julen Lopetegui’s side beat European hopefuls Aston Villa at Molineux to banish any lingering fears of Premier League relegation.
The hard-fought victory lifts Lopetegui’s team to 40 points, 10 clear of 18th-placed Nottingham Forest, who have four games left to play.
Portuguese centre-back Toti gave Wolves the lead inside 10 minutes, sending a towering header beyond Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez via the underside of the crossbar.
The visitors dominated possession and went close to equalising in the first half through Emiliano Buendia and Ollie Watkins, before Ashley Young steered a low, curling shot past Jose Sa’s right-hand post early in the second half.
Tyrone Mings blazed Douglas Luiz’s delivery over the crossbar as Villa applied heavy pressure late on, but the hosts held firm to claim a fourth consecutive home league victory and a fourth successive clean sheet in front of their own fans.
Villa stay eighth but have now played three games more than seventh-placed Brighton, who are one point ahead and host struggling Everton on Monday.
