Wolves cannot afford to rely solely on Matheus Cunha, said head coach Vitor Pereira after the Premier League strugglers drew 1-1 with Everton without the suspended forward.
Marshall Munetsi’s first Premier League goal cancelled out Jack Harrison’s deflected opener as Wolves fought back to earn a valuable point in their fight against relegation on Saturday.
They are now six points clear of 18th-placed Ipswich Town, who lost 1-0 at Crystal Palace earlier on Saturday, and 19th-placed Leicester City, who visit Chelsea on Sunday.
There was a sense of frustration among some fans at Molineux, however, as Wolves failed to make the most of some sustained second-half pressure without Cunha, who is suspended following his red card in last week’s FA Cup loss at Bournemouth.
Wolves had a 70.2% possession share after half-time and played 99 passes in the final third to Everton’s 44, but they only generated chances worth 0.13 expected goals (xG) to their opponents’ 0.42.
They have failed to win any of their last nine Premier League games without Cunha starting (two draws, seven defeats), scoring just one goal in their last six matches when the Brazilian has not started.
But when speaking to BBC Match of the Day after full-time, Pereira said: “I don’t believe in building a team around a player.
“One player can do special things. We have other players that can do it if they get the confidence to do it. In football, we must play as a team, fight and be organised as a team.
“Cunha is a player that can give us different things, but the team is the team, and the most important thing is the team.”
Wolves visit rock-bottom Southampton next week, while they also face both Ipswich and Leicester in their next six fixtures.
Pereira is refusing to think of next week’s match as a must-win affair, telling TNT Sports: “It is very important just because it is the next game. I don’t want to consider it a final.
“If you start to carry on your back this responsibility, it’s a problem. That is my experience. We can get points against big teams in this league and lose against the team at the bottom. This is why this league is the best in the world.”
Everton, meanwhile, are now unbeaten in eight Premier League matches, their longest such run since going nine without losing under Ronald Koeman in 2016-17.
A thank you to the Toffees from the goalscorer! @jackharrison11 pic.twitter.com/UIywgctvNV
— Everton (@Everton) March 8, 2025
“We did enough to get a point. Wolves have been doing well in recent times, and they showed that again tonight,” boss David Moyes told TNT Sports.
“It is important we stay above as many teams as we can, but we have also got eyes set on catching some of the clubs above us.
“Coming here and starting the job, the only thing that interested me was to make sure we are a Premier League club, and we haven’t got that confirmed yet.”
Everton’s next match sees Moyes’ former club West Ham visit Goodison Park in a week’s time, and the Scot says it will not be an easy occasion for him.
“It’s a horrible game because I’ve got a lot of great memories of the people there,” he said.
“I have also got close bonds with the players there. We’ve done some good things over the years. It will be difficult playing against them.”
