Lopez Shines with Two Goals in Wolves' Convincing Win
Lopez did not glide into this season. Last year he stumbled, lost his place, and ended up back on loan at his former club. Now he looks like a man intent on rewriting the script.
Already off the mark in old gold in the League Cup earlier this month, he underlined that resurgence here with a performance full of pace and conviction.
The breakthrough came in ruthless fashion. Lopez isolated Preston defender Liam Lindsay, knocked the ball past him and simply burned away, leaving Lindsay trailing in his wake. He drove all the way into the box, never breaking stride, before thundering a finish beyond Daniel Iversen. One chance, one statement.
Wolves almost had a second almost immediately, and it was another familiar face threatening to twist the knife. Raul Jimenez, back for a second spell at the club, darted to the near post and flicked goalwards from close range, only to watch the ball skid agonisingly wide of the upright.
That miss kept Preston alive and they finally stirred. A spell of home pressure forced Wolves back and seemed certain to bring an equaliser when Callum Lang’s effort beat the goalkeeper. Marshall Munetsi had read it, though, and dropped back to nod the ball off the line, a perfectly timed intervention that preserved the lead.
Wolves still carried the sharper edge. Just before half-time, Rodrigo Gomes almost stretched the advantage, stepping onto a loose ball at the edge of the area and drilling low towards the far corner. Iversen flung himself full length and managed to claw it away, a strong right hand preventing a second goal and keeping the contest on a knife edge at the interval.
The game felt finely balanced as both managers turned to their benches after the break. It could have gone either way. It didn’t.
The visitors seized control, and the pressure finally told on 71 minutes. Armstrong, introduced from the bench, found space inside the box after a neat one-two with Jimenez sliced open the Preston defence. Released clear, he kept his composure and tucked his finish away to double the lead and tilt the afternoon decisively in Wolves’ favour.
Preston wobbled. Wolves smelled blood.
Lopez, already brimming with confidence, then delivered again. Another crisp move worked the ball to him on the edge of the area with eight minutes left. One touch to set himself, one swing of the boot, and the ball flew into the corner. His second of the game, and the kind of strike that announces a player who has finally found his rhythm.
There was still time for a response from the hosts. Thompson produced a tidy finish of his own to pull it back to 3-1, a reminder of Preston’s fight but not enough to alter the outcome.
Lopez left the pitch with two goals, Wolves left with a convincing win, and a player once sent away on loan now looks central to the club’s plans rather than on the fringes of them.
