Julen Lopetegui makes stunning Champions League claim as Wolves hit 40 points in Premier League

Julen Lopetegui believes guiding Wolverhampton Wanderers to the 40-point mark in the Premier League has been his most challenging career achievement to date. Although not mathematically safe from relegation just yet, a narrow 1-0 win in the local derby against Aston Villa on Saturday has all but secured Wanderers’ top-flight status.

Toti Gomes’ bullet header in the ninth minute was enough to split the two sides at Molineux as Wolves dug in to hang on for a vital victory. Now 10 points clear of the drop, survival from relegation could be confirmed as soon as the end of the bank holiday weekend depending on results elsewhere. As you’d expect, Lopetegui is delighted.

“[These are three] very important points for us. To arrive at 40 points, not there mathematically [for survival] but we are very close to our aim,” Lopetegui said in the post-match press conference. “I am very happy for the club, for the fans and for the players. It has been a very hard year for a lot of reasons.

“We arrived here in November/December with 10 points at the bottom with four points the difference with the next team after 16 matches. It was a very bad situation. A lot of people called me crazy and said why did I go there [to Molineux], but it’s because I believed in Wolves.

“It has been, in my opinion, much more difficult than the Europa League [win with Sevilla in 2019-20]. It was also more difficult than putting Sevilla two times consecutively in the Champions League for the first time in history,” Lopetegui admitted.

It certainly hasn’t been a smooth ride out of danger - especially with matches on the road - but Wanderers have managed to grind out the results needed to stay up. The home form of late has been crucial, as Wolves have earned four consecutive wins to nil with plenty of hard graft and determination.

So many points have been picked up at Molineux that - and not often this would be the case - the 6-0 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion will now be well and truly put in the rear-view mirror. Wolves can now look forward to the rest of their fixtures to try and end the season on a high, starting with a tough trip to Manchester United next Saturday.