Wolves 4-1 Stoke City: Rodrigo Gomes double drives emphatic Molineux comeback

Wolves turned an early scare into a commanding 4-1 victory over Stoke City at Molineux, with Rodrigo Gomes scoring twice in three first-half minutes as César Peixoto’s side completed a ruthless comeback.

Stoke produced the perfect start when Sam Gallagher struck after only two minutes, collecting possession around 30 yards from goal before driving an exceptional effort into the top corner.

The visitors then had a chance to double their lead after José Sá spilled another Gallagher attempt, but Sorba Thomas fired wide.

That miss proved costly.

Wolves gradually took control through Fer López and their pressure was rewarded in the 19th minute. López forced a mistake high up the pitch, Raúl Jiménez’s effort was parried by Viktor Johansson and Gomes reacted quickest to score from the rebound.

Three minutes later, the turnaround was complete.

Mateus Mané drove down the left and delivered a low ball that Johansson could only push into Gomes’ path, allowing the Portuguese winger to convert again and put Wolves 2-1 ahead before the interval.

Peixoto’s side increased the tempo after the break and created the opportunity for a third when Jiménez was clipped while attempting to control a corner.

The Mexican striker took responsibility from the penalty spot and converted in the 55th minute, giving Wolves the control their second-half performance deserved.

From there, the game became increasingly one-sided.

López and Mané both went close as Wolves continued to play with greater intensity and cleaner combinations in the final third, while Stoke struggled to reproduce the threat they had shown during the opening stages.

The fourth goal arrived in the 84th minute and provided another positive note for the hosts.

Jordan James, making his Molineux debut, started the move with a progressive pass into López, continued his run into the box and met the return ball before finishing confidently into the bottom corner.

The victory gave Wolves a third win in eight days and underlined the shift in momentum after a difficult opening phase to the campaign.

More significant than the scoreline was the manner of the response.

Wolves went behind almost immediately, survived a moment in which Stoke could have taken a two-goal advantage, and then imposed themselves through greater pressing intensity, quicker circulation and sharper reactions around the penalty area.

For Peixoto, that second-half control may be the most encouraging element of the afternoon. Wolves did not merely recover from Gallagher’s early strike; they progressively removed Stoke from the contest.

Rodrigo Gomes was the decisive figure, but the performance also carried contributions across the attacking structure, with López, Mané, Jiménez and substitute James all influencing the final result.

Wolves now leave Molineux with another win and a performance that suggests their early Championship rhythm is beginning to settle.