Wolverhampton Wanderers ended a 16-year wait for a win at Turf Moor with a vital 2-1 Championship victory over Burnley on Friday night. Goals from Fer López and substitute Tawanda Chirewa overturned an early Jamie Vardy strike to give César Peixoto's side a key three points on the road. This result, a 2-1 win on Friday 16 October, extends their current winning run to two matches.
"Wolves crucially got back to winning ways with their first victory over Burnley at Turf Moor in 16 years on Friday night," the club said. The result marks a second consecutive win, improving their recent form to two victories from their last five matches after a run of three straight defeats. Their form over that period reads two wins and three losses, a sequence that followed the 1-0 victory over West Brom on 20 September and the 1-0 defeat at Everton on 16 September.
Peixoto's changes pay off
Peixoto made six changes to the side that lost at home to Bolton Wanderers in midweek. That defeat, a 1-3 loss on Tuesday 13 October, saw Jean-Ricner Bellegarde score a consolation goal. Adam Armstrong missed out with a back spasm, with Sean Neave coming into the attack. Jackson Tchatchoua, Toti Gomes, Ghislain Konan, Marshall Munetsi and Rafiki Said Ahamada all started as Kieran Trippier, Ladislav Krejčí, Hugo Bueno, Jordan James and Mateus Mane dropped to the bench.
The reshuffled side fell behind after 20 minutes when Jamie Vardy converted a cross from Jacob Bruun Larsen. Wolves responded before half-time, with López firing home from inside the area in the 39th minute after being set up by Neave. That goal was López's fifth of the season in ten appearances, confirming his status as the team's top scorer.
Chirewa's decisive contribution
The game remained finely balanced until the 72nd minute. Substitute Mateus Mane, who had replaced Jean-Ricner Bellegarde just after the hour, delivered a precise pass for fellow substitute Tawanda Chirewa. The forward, who had entered the action moments earlier, found the net to score his first goal for the club and secure the win.
Burnley pushed for an equaliser but Wolves, backed by 2,000 travelling fans, held firm. The hosts finished with ten men after Kyle Walker was shown a yellow card in stoppage time. Statistically, Wolves edged the contest, registering eight shots on target to Burnley's four and creating chances worth an expected goals total of 1.85.
Peixoto's men now turn their attention to a quick turnaround at Molineux. With momentum restored, the focus shifts to building a consistent run in the Championship. Their next opportunity comes quickly, at home against Portsmouth on Tuesday 20 October.
