First Goal Gave Us Control

Ruben Neves believes the first goal was crucial against Brentford on Tuesday night as it allowed Wolves to "take control" of the game.

The midfielder’s stunning free-kick broke Brentford’s resistance on 57 minutes at Molineux and set the hosts on course for a 3-0 win.

Barry Douglas and Diogo Jota added further goals as Wolves began 2018 by stretching their lead at the top of the Championship.

“After the first goal it was easier for us because we took control of the game,” Neves explained. “It was good for us because they had to take more risks so we had more possession.

“I’m happy to help the team and I hope I can do it in other games too. Playing my position, I don’t score goals inside the box because I play most of the time outside it.”

The Bees gave Nuno Espirito Santo’s men a tough test prior to Neves’ piece of magic and the Portugal international was impressed by Wolves’ patience.

“It was a very good win. We knew Brentford is a very good team, they play very good football.

“It was a very tough game for us but we were compact in defence and in the second-half were better on the attack and scored three goals.

“We knew they’d have a lot of possession in the game, so we had to be patient.”

The victory opened up a 12-point lead on Derby County in second place but Neves insists Wolves are still taking it game by game in the Championship.

“We have to keep our focus on our games, we have to continue the hard work and I hope we’ll be top of the league at the end of the Championship,” he added.

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