Vitor Pereira makes relegation call after Wolves spring 'surprise' at Leicester City

The new Wolverhampton Wanderers manager was taking charge of his first game since replacing the sacked Gary O'Neil

Wolves boss Vitor Pereira admitted even he was surprised by his team’s display after his first game at the helm ended in a 3-0 triumph at fellow strugglers Leicester.

Goncalo Guedes, Rodrigo Gomes and Matheus Cunha were all on target in the first half to get Pereira, who arrived from Al Shabab on Thursday to replace the sacked Gary O’Neil, off to the perfect start.

“For a short time of work, what the team did in the game was a surprise for me,” said the Portuguese, whose 18th-placed team moved within two points of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Foxes. “We showed true spirit, the confidence and tactically I think we were intelligent.

“Fantastic feeling. I told the players at the end of the game we need to be proud of what we did on the pitch and we need to make our supporters proud because this connection is important.

“Before I came, I studied the players and in my opinion I think with the quality we have here we can get results and another position (up) the table.

“I believe with the quality we have and confidence we have in our work, we can do it (avoid relegation).”

Pereira was particularly pleased to see his team keep their second clean sheet of the season, with Wolves having conceded 40 Premier League goals this season – the highest amount of any team.

“It’s very important because we need to get confidence again in how we defend and trying to improve game by game and training by training,” he said.

“I’m proud of our work, proud of my players. This is what I want from them, to make our supporters proud.”