The Independent
·13 April 2025
Vitor Pereira reveals lofty ambitions for Wolves after victory over Tottenham

In partnership with
Yahoo sportsThe Independent
·13 April 2025
Email*
SIGN UP
I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice
Wolves boss Vitor Pereira insisted he did not come to England just to avoid relegation after overseeing a fourth straight Premier League win on Sunday at the expense of Tottenham.
Spurs made six changes, with Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final second leg at Eintracht Frankfurt on the horizon, and found themselves behind after 85 seconds through Rayan Ait-Nouri’s opener and two down before half-time following Djed Spence’s own goal.
Mathys Tel halved the deficit with half an hour to go but Jorgen Strand Larsen swiftly restored the hosts’ two-goal cushion, and then Richarlison marked his return with a goal to again give Spurs hope but again it was quickly quashed as substitute Matheus Cunha made it 4-2.
Asked whether Wolves were safe from the drop, Pereira said: “If I start to speak about being safe, I don’t show my ambition.
“I didn’t come to England to work just to avoid relegation, I’m not this kind of coach.
“Mentally we are strong. We feel that we can win and compete with the other teams.
“Football is not only about tactics or technical. Football is about to connect the people. We need to tactically be consistent but what we try is to connect everyone and we are connected.”
Cunha, who said recently that he had been misconstrued after seemingly hinting in an interview that he needed to move to take “the next step”, climbed off the bench in the 70th minute for his first appearance since being sent off against Bournemouth at the start of March and notched his 14th goal of the season four minutes from time.
Pereira said: “Cunha is a fantastic player and proved it today. He came to the pitch to help the team and committed with the team, staff and everybody.
“He is a special player but like everybody, like me, he needs the energy of love and to feel he is important and people recognise the work to help the team.
“I feel that he went to the pitch not to think about him but think about the team. He is part of our family.”
Tottenham suffered their 17th league loss of the season and dropped to 15th in the table, with head coach Ange Postecoglou blaming “unusual” individual errors for the defeat.
“Funny game because for the most part it was decent, considering the changes we made,” the Australian said. “I thought we controlled large parts and were a bit of a threat going forward, but then we’ve conceded some poor goals.
“We made some individual errors, which is unusual for us, but they all happened in one game. It’s not like they are doing it on purpose.
“I thought the goals we conceded weren’t lapses, they were individual errors and unusual to give goals away like that but that’s what happens and we got punished today.
“It might happen once in a season but it happens multiple times in a game… but I don’t think it’s a lack of focus from the players.”