Matt Doherty feels Wolves’ Premier League future is still not secure despite Saturday’s victory over Southampton giving the team a nine-point cushion over the sides in the bottom three.
The Irishman was again at the heat of the Old Gold’s defence as Wolves took a big step in ensuring they will play in the top flight for an eighth consecutive season with three points over a relegation rival thanks to Jorgen Strand Larsen’s brace against the Saints, but Doherty believes there is still work to be done for Wolves to be mathematically safe.
On feeling Premier League safety is secured
“No, not yet. But we know how big a day this is for us. It’s kind of the results have gone our way again, and Leicester have a tough game tomorrow.
“But we know that if we won today, it would be a big dent in their hopes of staying up. It’s not done yet, but we know how big a day that was.”
On Southampton playing without a striker
“To be honest, I was a bit surprised because they got into a lot of crossing positions in the first half, they got down the sides behind the full backs, but they just didn't put the ball in the box.
“We knew second half was going to get tougher and they were going to put balls in the box, and you could see that. When they had a striker, he made a bit of a difference, and he made them look offensively a bit better.
“But I guess we don't really care who they play, as long as we come out with the win.”
On Strand Larsen’s match-winning double
“The contribution is that he's scored two goals today that wins us the game. It was a great header on the first one and second was a great finish also – especially just after half time.
“We know he's a very good striker and he cost a lot of money for us, and he's not the only one who is playing through the pain barrier, I think there's a lot of us doing that.
“But now some of the lads have got a nice little break and a few of us will go away on internationals and try to come back fresh.”
Another step in the right direction 💪
— Wolves (@Wolves) March 15, 2025
Thank you to everybody who made the trip to @SouthamptonFC today, and to all of those supporting from home 💛 pic.twitter.com/VauxKEGxzv
On Pereira’s impact on the team
“He’s had a great impact on us. We obviously weren't in a great spot when he arrived, and I know we’re still fourth from bottom, but we've obviously managed to make the gap a lot bigger.
“He’s obviously getting on very well with a lot of us, and we're enjoying each other’s company at the moment, so hopefully that continues for the rest of the season.”
