Cesar Peixoto happy as Wolves use their heads to provide the finishing touch
All three goals in the home win over Cardiff were headers.
Wolves head coach Cesar Peixoto praised his side’s clinical finishing after they beat Cardiff 3-0 in the Sky Bet Championship at Molineux.
Headed goals from Fer Lopez, Adam Armstrong and Ladislav Krejci helped Wolves make it back-to-back home wins without conceding, lifting them up to third place in the table.
Wolves are now four matches unbeaten as they ended the Bluebirds’ three-match undefeated run.
Peixoto said: “It was important for us. I talked with the players before the game because in the last home game we created a lot of chances in the first half and didn’t score, so we wanted to be more clinical inside the box.
“We worked during the week on this and scored two goals in the first half and played very well.
“In the first five minutes of the second half, the game was more balanced but after that we changed a little thing with regard to the high press and we scored the third goal.
“It was a very important win for us – three goals and another clean sheet.
Peixoto said he was not bothered about scoring with three headers but was delighted that training ground work paid off with goals.
The Portuguese added: “To score the goals that we worked on during the week happen in the game is the best feeling for a coach.
“We worked on a set-piece to set (Ladislav) Krejci free to try to score. (Kieran) Trippier put the ball in the right place to Krejci.
“And we work with the wingers on trying to cross to the second post and Adam to wait a little more.
“It’s important for the players to see that what we work on during the week happens during the game.
“But it’s also important to score. The last game we only scored one goal after creating a lot of chances to score more so the feeling isn’t the same.”
Cardiff head coach Brian Barry-Murphy said: “It was a tough day for us.
“We came to win but the first half didn’t go the way we wanted it to go.
“Normally we’re a very good team in possession but we gave the ball away in areas which gave the opponent real momentum at what they’re good at.
“We gave away some very soft goals, from our point of view.
“I didn’t feel we were at our best in the first half. We were clear in our idea to try to win.
“We knew who we were up against and our intention was to go for it from the start.
“We had to do certain things to get our creative players on the ball. We didn’t do that enough and when we did we turned the ball over, which caused us a lot of problems.
“It’s something that we will learn from and improve.”
Wolves took a 10th-minute lead when Lopez met Hugo Bueno’s clever chip over the defence with a diving header.
Five minutes later it was 2-0 when the unmarked Armstrong nodded home Rafiki Said’s cross.
Cardiff had their chances but Jack Moylan, Ollie Tanner and Joel Colwill fired straight at Jose Sa, before Wolves put the game beyond Cardiff in the 58th minute.
Krejci sent a towering glancing header into the far corner of the net from Trippier’s corner.
Wolves had more chances but Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and substitute Rodrigo Gomes (twice) fired off target.