Cesar Peixoto was delighted his side were able to give the Wolves fans bragging rights in the Black Country derby and praised the heart and character of his Old Gold players.
Although Wolves dominated West Bromwich Albion throughout the 90 minutes at Molineux, Fer Lopez’s goal just after the break proved to be the difference as Peixoto’s side secured a crucial three points.
But although the head coach was happy to have guided his team to victory, he insisted the win is just another three points and urged Wolves to continue their form following the international break.
On three points in the derby
“It’s very important, but in the end it’s only three points. We know the importance this game has for our supporters and we wanted to win for them, but for ourselves as well.
“The fans were amazing today. Amazing. I think the team pushed them to support us until the end because the team did a great job.
“This win is important for the supporters, but for us it’s three more points in the pocket. The players deserved this win. They played for 90 minutes with big soul, big organisation and big quality. We created a lot of chances and could have scored more goals.
“Now we’re going into the international break, so it’s important to rest with a win and then come back to training as strong as possible.”
— Wolves (@Wolves) September 20, 2026
On winning for the fans
“It’s important. We’ve played four of our last five games away from home, so to return home for a derby, an important game for our supporters, against a good West Brom team who had more points than us before the game, makes it a very important victory.
“I’m also happy because of the way the players played. When we had to press high, we pressed high, we reacted strongly and played with quality.
“In the final minutes, when we had to suffer a little bit and close the team, we did that too. We deserved to win. We could have scored more goals, but the environment and the way the team played today makes me very happy.”
On half-time message
“I congratulated them for the first half, but told them it wasn’t enough because we still had the whole second half to play. I asked the players not to drop anything – not the way we were playing, the press, the intensity, the aggression or the quality.
“We had to maintain all of that and give even more because we deserved to score, but I have a lot of confidence in the players and they followed the plan today almost to perfection.
“The message was to go again in exactly the same way and make sure we scored because in the first half, the final touch didn’t quite go for us and their goalkeeper made some amazing saves, but eventually we scored and won because I think we deserved it.”
No mistake from Fer 🎯 pic.twitter.com/3ZpKOwvQEM
— Wolves (@Wolves) September 20, 2026
On high press coming up trumps again
“We know how to press high. We also know how to stay organised in a mid-block and, when we have to defend deeper because the opposition has the quality to push us back, we know how to stay organised there too.
“All of the players understand what they have to do. In the first half, we won the ball back a lot through our high press and at half-time, I corrected one little thing with our winger and then we scored from that situation.
“I’m happy with that because the players believed and put in a lot of effort. We played with courage and the players were brave in the duels, with the first balls and second balls. When we had to press, we pressed and when we had to close the team, we closed the team. We played with quality, but I think we could have scored more goals.”
On limiting West Brom to very little
“I think West Brom tried to play the same way they’ve played in their previous games and there was nothing particularly different.
“We analysed West Brom well, they’re a good team, they play good football and they’ve had a strong start, but today, we didn’t allow them to play the way they wanted to because we had organisation, intensity and were strong enough in the duels.
“We were brave with our press and we played with courage and we played with quality on the ball. For me, it was more about the good things we did than the things West Brom didn’t do, because they tried to play in the same way they have in their other games.”
— Wolves (@Wolves) September 20, 2026
On Krejci missing the game through injury
“He felt a little something and I didn’t want to take any risks. We played with the players who were 100 per cent ready to help the team and the club, and we fought until the end to win the game.
“For me, the most important thing, like I say all the time, is the team – not player A, B or C. We stay together, stay organised and play with quality, and of course all the players are important, but I believe in all of them.
“I don’t know exactly what will happen with him and the national team, but when we come back, I hope he’ll be fit to train and play.”
On continuing this form after the break
“It’s important to win before the international break. It’s always better to rest after a win than when you haven’t won, and in this kind of game the victory means even more. But it’s still only three points.
“We have to keep our feet on the ground and continue working hard like we did before. When we draw or lose, everything isn’t bad. When we win, like we did today, we competed well and played well, but everything isn’t suddenly perfect either. We have to keep that mental stability and work hard until the end.
“The Championship is very long and very tough. We have to keep our feet on the ground and continue working as hard as we’ve worked until now.”
