Wolves manager Nuno Santo has told his players to win "without being so nervous" after his side nearly surrendered a three-goal lead over Preston North End on Saturday, according to the club's official website

A 44th minute goal from Ivan Cavaleiro and a second half double from Leo Bonatini put Wolves on course to beat Alex Neil's highflying side before Jordan Hugill and an own goal from Conor Coady set up a tense last 15 minutes.

Santo watched his side hang on for a 3-2 win but said: “We have to take a look and know how to control the situations better and take the three points without being so nervous where any ball can go in.

"We need to know how to manage our emotions knowing that the other team has a plan, and the plan is about controlling our game and stopping us from playing - we have to find solutions to that.

“When we have three goals at home, we cannot concede two - we have to manage the game better. In the last game here, in the derby, we saw a different situation where we played better.

"At 3-0, everyone at Molineux thought that the game was over but this is football and until the last minute, you cannot relax or concede so many opportunities. Three points is important, but what does not leave us totally pleased is our performance.

He also turned his attention to the performance of the referee, whom he felt was not strict enough when Preston got physical with his players.

He said: "In the first half, there was too much stopping, too much holding. Refereeing is difficult and it is unfair for me to judge all the situations, but what I saw was too much holding on our players. [Referee Stephen Martin] must stop this and punish them.

"But we stood up to it. I'm not complaining about the game plan of our opponents. It's our job to find solutions, but there is a referee and we cannot find solutions for holding. It's football, and holding is not part of football."

The Verdict

Wolves' attacking play must be frightening every team in the second tier right now but Santo is right to warn his players about the perils of not seeing games out because it offers opposing teams a glimmer of hope.

If teams feel they will always get a chance against this Wolves defence then Santo will find it hard to continue sweeping all before them.

There will come a point in the season when Wolves are only able to score one and they will no longer be able to afford the frailty that sees them concede two goals when the points appear to be wrapped up.

Wolves fans - what do you think? Are you concerned about your side's nervous finish yesterday or are you more focused on their attacking exploits? Let us know below...

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