Wolverhampton Wanderers fans flooded joyously away from Molineux after their FA Cup quarter-final victory over Manchester United, their raucous celebrations fitting given the significance of this landmark win.
The recent rise of Wolves has been speedy under their charismatic Portuguese manager Nuno Espirito Santo, with a stylish promotion to the Premier League followed by a highly impressive first season back among the elite. Wolves’ owners, the Chinese Fosun group, have high ambitions, while the close involvement of super agent Jorge Mendes – frowned upon by some rivals – has brought players of the highest quality to the club. What Wolves needed, however, was a statement win to add the final gloss of self-belief to the club and its supporters, and to to demonstrate that one of the old powerhouses of English football is back and is not going away any time soon. If evidence was needed, this magnificent display on an atmospheric night at a rocking Molineux provided it.
It was not lost on Nuno that fans old and young revelled in the triumph as they poured out onto the streets high on the emotion of a thunderous night. “As I was coming down the stands there are people saying they have been coming since the 1950s and 60s and they are still coming and we are giving them back this joy, the smiles – with a lot of beer of course,” he said. “We did it together and we are doing it together. The FA Cup is a huge competition. We played well and we achieved this with our amazing support.”
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