Julen Lopetegui
Boss Julen Lopetegui hailed Diego Costa as Wolves took a giant leap to safety. Striker Costa scored his first Premier League goal for six years to help inspire the hosts to a 2-0 win over Brentford. Hwang Hee-Chan also netted to leave Wolves seven points clear of the relegation zone with seven games left, having won successive top flight games for just the second time this season. Former Chelsea hitman Costa joined Wolves on a free transfer in September, under former manager Bruno Lage, as an emergency signing following Sasa Kalajdzic’s season-ending knee injury. Costa had not played for nine months before moving to Molineux and Lopetegui praised his character.
Julen Lopetegui said: “He has a big heart. He is a very competitive player, in the bad moments he continued working because he has his spirit. You can’t buy this spirit. That’s why he’s made the career he’s had. We are happy for him, he has to continue working. He has made a very good match and when he came here, he came with the intention to help the team, the club and the coach. He deserves that goal, he is working hard to have his chance. He came here in a bad moment (for Wolves) and he has always put in his best. I hope he is going to continue. We are in the middle of the river (in terms of survival). We have a lot of crocodiles around us. You achieve your aim when you’ve achieved it. We have a lot of points in front of us. It’s not enough yet.”
