Matheus Cunha has told Wolves he wishes to fire them to Premier League safety before considering his next move, Vitor Pereira said after Saturday's 2-0 win over Aston Villa. 

Cunha scored the clinching goal deep into second-half stoppage time as Wolves upset West Midlands rivals Villa at Molineux, with Jean-Ricner Bellegarde also on target.

The Brazilian capitalised on a wayward header from Ezri Konsa before bursting into the box, then showed tremendous skill to turn the England defender before firing home.

It was his 25th Premier League goal for Wolves, making him just the second player to reach that milestone for the club after Raul Jimenez (40).

Cunha has been linked with several clubs in recent weeks, most notably Arsenal, and his body language was called into question by head coach Pereira after a recent defeat at Chelsea.

But after scoring on Saturday, Cunha kissed the Wolves badge before making a hand gesture that seemed to reference the fact Wolves expect him to sign a new contract, with reports later that day suggesting the Brazilian had agreed a new four-and-a-half-year deal with the club.

Asked about Cunha's future by Sky Sports, Pereira said he wants to stay at Molineux for the remainder of 2024-25, before considering his options at the end of the campaign.

"When we put Cunha as a striker, man to man, on the last line, we know he can receive the ball against two players and create a goal from nothing," Pereira said.

"He's a special player, someone that gives us a lot of things. In the last conversation we had, he told me, 'I will help the team to be in the Premier League this season, then at the end of the season, we will see'.

"He is very committed to his team-mates and very committed to the club. He knows in the future he can play for the best teams in England, but he's committed with us.

"It will be a long way and a tough way, but with this quality, I'm sure that we'll be in the Premier League next season."

The victory took Wolves two points clear of the relegation zone following defeats for Ipswich Town and Leicester City earlier on Saturday.

They have kept three clean sheets in eight Premier League games under Pereira, with each of those shutouts coming in victories (also 3-0 versus Leicester and 2-0 versus Manchester United). 

That is more than they managed in their final 33 games under Pereira's predecessor, Gary O'Neil (two).

"We knew how important this was after four losses in a row. The teams around us lost today. We knew Villa had a lot of players missing. We knew it was a big opportunity, and we took it," defender Matt Doherty said.

"If you do the basics right, the results will come. We did what the manager told us – we know we're good enough to get points. Today was a good performance.

"It's the best league in the world, the hardest league in the world. You have to be switched on for the whole game.

"We know we're good enough to beat anyone on our day. This is the type of win that can rally the whole club."