Liam Keen analysis: Fans deserve a night to enjoy after torrid Wolves season

It handed Wolves just their second Premier League win of the season, moved them above Derby's record low points tally and saw them avoid the tag of becoming the worst ever Premier League team, and also gives them a boost ahead of some more big fixtures. Local bragging rights are always nice too, of course.

But it was special because Wolves fans have had to endure a torrid campaign. It has been miserable - a slow trudge towards inevitable relegation - but for one night Molineux was alive again.

The fans were excellent from start to finish and the players performed well enough to remain committed and competitive throughout the 90 minutes.

So, to have that ending at Molineux with a counter-attack, a 98th minute goal to secure the three points, and the scenes of Rob Edwards charging down the touchline in celebration with the supporters, was the right tonic to a desperate season.

Rockin' All Over The World by Status Quo was blasted through the speakers at full-time and Molineux was as loud as it has ever been. Every single fan enjoyed every single moment, and deservedly so.

"He's a brilliant guy, a brilliant young man who works incredibly hard," Edwards said of substitute goalscorer R.Gomes.

"He's always smiling, he's infectious with his energy. He was just the right person at that right moment to come on, help Jackson with the defending side.

"You know he's like a fizzy bottle of pop, he's going to be there in a transition, and I'm really pleased for him."

Villa were certainly not at their best, while Wolves lacked quality at times, but the hosts played at a full throttle speed and that was shown most evidently by Joao Gomes' performance. 

The Brazilian has always played with his heart on his sleeve and with an unwavering commitment to Wolves. He has always had hunger, been aggressive and led by example.

He was dropped for the two games before Villa and against Crystal Palace, his mistake played a part in their late winner, while his body language came under deserved scrutiny.

Speaking before Friday's win over Villa, Edwards said: "I don't think he's not been happy, he's been frustrated with the situation.

"He is a very passionate guy and doesn't want to hide his emotions. I would never ask him to do that.

"But you can never question his commitment. 

"He'll be not happy with the situation and that's understandable.

"I wouldn't question Joao's commitment or running or anything like that. We can all make mistakes and all just switch off for half a second. In the Premier League, if you switch off for half a second, you can get taken advantage of."

The best way to answer the critics? Put in that performance against Villa.

J.Gomes was everywhere, he was a constant thorn in a Villa side who were missing several midfield stars, and he showed the player that Wolves fans fell in love with in 2023.

He started the move that led to his goal with some intelligent midfield play, and after Adam Armstrong's bad touch set him up, J.Gomes' thunderous finish off the underside of the crossbar saw Molineux erupt.

As evidenced by Edwards' previous quotes, he was keen to protect his player, but after the game he also proved he was unimpressed by the midfielder's form and challenged him to do better.

Edwards said: "I put a little bit of pressure on him before the game when I spoke to him at the training ground pre-match and said, 'I want you to be man of the match, I want more from you'. 

"He really stepped up, I thought he was excellent."

Everything came together for Wolves on a memorable night that offers much-needed respite from a challenging season.

Wolves are now unbeaten in their last five Premier League home matches against Villa, winning four of them, and all five of them have come under different managers.

Bruno Lage won in 2022, Julen Lopetegui did the same in 2023, Gary O'Neil got a draw later that year, Vitor Pereira won in 2025 and now Edwards has made it five.

That statistic is excellent reading for Wolves fans wanting to get one over on Villa, but the bigger picture shows a club that has been in managed decline, chopping and changing managers in a spell that was always going to end in relegation.

Edwards' challenge will be to buck the trend of the managerial merry-go-round. He has to lay down firm foundations this season, that translate to the summer and next season, in order to mount Wolves' revival.

If he is unable to do that, we may once again be talking about a new Wolves manager when the next West Midlands derby comes around.