Wolves verdict: Players back-up Cesar Peixoto's promise to lift Molineux mood

A week after getting booed at Molineux, the Wolves head coach watched his team beat Cardiff 3-0 to record their biggest win in more than two months and lift the mood.

It wasn’t perfect. Not all of those who voiced their discontent seven days previously will have been won over.

Yet in the head coach’s battle to win the heart, mind and trust of the fanbase, this was undoubtedly a step in the right direction.

More importantly, it lifted Wolves up to third in the Championship, still just two points adrift of the automatic promotion places which represent this season’s ultimate goal.

It could be better but it could also be a whole lot worse. In a division various players referred to on Saturday evening as “crazy” and “mental” Wolves are currently among the saner and more solid citizens, taking 10 points from a possible 12 since the low point of last month’s home defeat to Bolton.

They were no doubt helped on Saturday by a Cardiff side willing to show significantly more adventure than the two most recent visitors, Portsmouth and Watford.

Against this Wolves team, that is a risky tactic, particularly when the excellent Fer Lopez is around.

The 22-year-old, back in the side after missing the previous weekend’s win over Watford with a calf niggle, stamped his authority on proceedings twice inside the opening 15 minutes.

First, he opened the scoring with what he later claimed as his first-ever headed goal, bravely beating goalkeeper Nathan Trott to Hugo Bueno’s clever pass - albeit from what looked a clearly offside position.

He then had a big hand in Wolves’ second with a perfectly placed lofted left-footed pass from the centre circle out to winger Rafiki Said, whose subsequent cross was equally well guided on to the head of Adam Armstrong for one of the most aesthetically pleasing goals of the season so far.

Having failed to push on after taking the lead against Portsmouth and Watford, the speed with which Wolves got the second was important. Already they had scored more goals than in six of their previous seven matches and when Ladislav Krejci grabbed the third - completing a team hat-trick of headers - just before the hour mark, it really was game over.

Lopez looked refreshed and so did Wolves as a team. Peixoto had raised expectations - if that were possible - just that bit more by emphasising the importance of a week free to prepare for just one match.

An improved display was demanded and that was exactly what you got. The first half-hour was the most cohesive Wolves had been since September’s derby win over Albion.

Admittedly, they seemed to lose their way a little after the loss of Jordan James to injury and amid the encouragement, there were still areas for concern.

Aside from the goals, Wolves’ only other attempt on target of the afternoon came when Bluebirds keeper Trott passed the ball straight to Said on the edge of the box. The winger, perhaps unable to quite believe his fortune, fired it straight back into the keeper’s midriff.

Cardiff, meanwhile, finished the afternoon having recorded twice as many efforts on target.

This was a good day for Wolves keeper Jose Sa, who made several saves and displayed much better command of the box on route to recording his fourth clean sheet of the season.

Yet it is also true the home side were fortunate their opponents directed so many attempts straight at their No.1. An early Chris Willock curler and a Yousef Salach header were the only occasions Sa was at anything approaching full stretch.

Cardiff’s afternoon was rather summed up by the fact that, after a combination of the keeper and post had denied Salach, Joel Colwill somehow put the loose ball wide from barely a yard out.

There remains a suspicion this Wolves defence would be punished by better opposition. Peixoto is still searching for the right formula at the back and it will be interesting to see whether Yerson Mosquera keeps his place, should Nasser Djiga be recovered in time to face either Bristol City or Wrexham later this week.

The bigger picture looks promising. For a team almost everyone would agree are yet to locate anywhere close to top gear, Wolves aren’t doing too badly at all.

Come next Saturday night the season will have reached one-third distance and for all Peixoto still might have work to do to win you over, there can be no denying his side are building some pretty decent foundations for a promotion push.

Like anything around Wolves right now, it remains fragile. Stumble in Bristol on Wednesday night and the critics will be back to the fore. For Peixoto, Saturday at least provided momentary peace.