Wolves boss impressed by midfielder's display

With Joao Gomes suspended and Mario Lemina's future at the club uncertain, Pereira picked Bellegarde over Tommy Doyle to play next to Andre in midfield.

Bellegarde has previously played centrally but has often played out wide since arriving at Wolves in 2023, where he has struggled to impact the Premier League.

But the Frenchman impressed against Villa with a battling display, where he scored the first goal in the 2-0 win, and the head coach was delighted.

"For me, it was a fantastic surprise," Pereira said.

"Bellegarde is working in a different position and I asked him to play in a different role, and he played a fantastic game.

"In my opinion, we played a very good game tactically.

"We did what we should do, with the true spirit and in the end we deserved the three points."

Pablo Sarabia also put in a starring display, notching the assist for Bellegarde's goal and helping create several big chances.

The Spaniard has recently won his starting XI spot back under Pereira and put in his best performance of the season at the weekend.

"He's intelligent, technical and a tactical player who understands the moments of the game," Pereira added.

"He's committed and I like players that are committed to the team.

"Everybody was committed with the team, their team-mates, the club, the staff - with everybody."

The win against Villa lifted Wolves out of the relegation zone and gave them a major boost in their fight to stay in the Premier League.

Although Pereira warned that Wolves still have a 'long way' to go to secure survival, he believes the win over Villa proved his players have the 'spirit' to avoid relegation and with the help of the supporters they can achieve it.

"It's a long way and a tough fight but with this spirit I believe," he said.

"I really believe that with the energy of the supporters, the energy I felt, the spirit of the team I saw and the tactical organisation, that we will do it.

"We felt the energy of the supporters, it's the extra energy we need to do special things and win against Aston Villa.

"They are a very tough team, a Champions League team, but the team and the supporters deserved to win."