Fer Lopez scores twice in Wolves win

Fer Lopez bagged a brace as Wolves secured their first victory of the Championship season with a convincing 3-1 success over Preston at Deepdale. <p>The Spaniard put Wanderers ahead with an eighth-minute rocket and substitute Adam Armstrong tucked home a 71st-minute second, just four minutes after stepping on to the pitch.</p><p>Lopez put a cherry on top of the cake with a poacher's finish in the 82nd minute as Cesar Peixoto's men really flexed their muscles, but substitute Jordan Thompson managed to bag a 25-yard consolation in the first minute of stoppage time to give the home faithful something to cheer.</p><p>It was a much-needed victory for the relegated Premier League side but Preston are now without a win in their opening two Championship matches.</p><widget id="7"></widget><ul><li><a href="https://qrcode.skysports.com/skysports/ChampHLsarticles"><strong>Watch FREE Championship highlights</strong></a> | <a href="https://qrcode.skysports.com/skysports/EFLblogreports"><strong>Latest EFL news and rumours</strong></a></li><li><strong>Not got Sky? <a href="https://www.sky.com/tv/sports?dcmp=Ilc_skysports_nc_articlelink">Latest Sky Sports deals</a> or <a href="https://www.nowtv.com/membership/watch-sky-sports/football/efl?DCMP=ilc_skysports_nc_articlelink">stream EFL games with no contract</a>\ud83d\udcfa</strong></li></ul><p>A packed-out away end were on their feet from the off as Lopez ran in from the flank, virtually unchallenged from halfway having left Andrew Hughes for dead, before slamming past goalkeeper Daniel Iversen at his near post.</p><p>Wolves nearly doubled down on their rapid start twice in the opening 15 minutes as Marshall Munetsi dragged wide from a central position from just inside the box before Raul Jimenez back-flicked Jackson Tchatchoua's low delivery agonisingly wide of the far post.</p><p>Despite the setback, Ali McCann nearly rewarded a buoyant and lively home support with a shot from the edge of the box that deflected narrowly wide just shy of the half-hour and, from the resulting corner, Toti Gomes had to head Callum Lang's header off the line.</p><p>Preston did well to weather the early storm but needed Iversen to tip Rodrigo Gomes' low drive away as the Portuguese star wriggled into some space in first-half stoppage time.</p><p>Wolves began the second half how they started and indeed finished the first, with Iversen making a tremendous save to keep out Mateus Mane's first-time effort as he combined with Gomes.</p><p>Peixoto sent on Championship-proven goal-getter Armstrong in the 67th minute and the 29-year-old made his mark shortly afterwards as he coolly slotted beyond Iversen having played a one-two with Jimenez.</p><p>That seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back as Lopez prodded in his second of the game following good work from Mane, whose teasing cross was flicked on by Tommy Doyle and turned in at the back post.</p><p>While Wolves were cruising to victory, there was still time for a moment of ingenuity as Thompson caught out Jose Sa with a well-placed shot from outside the box having been teed-up by Delano Burgzorg.</p><h3>The managers</h3><p><em>Preston's Paul Heckingbottom:</em></p><p>"We knew we'd have to get everything 100 per cent right to beat them. The quality is undoubted.</p><p>"We can see that but we've played against teams before that have had the quality without the intensity and the hunger and I thought they had that and that makes it a tough day.</p><p>"We were going to make changes just before they scored [their second] but the quality they're bringing on and the depth they've got [compared] to us is different at the minute.</p><p>"They're mistakes. We have to be flat out. Liam [Lindsay] overcommits, genuine error, wants to win the ball.</p><p>"Jordan [Storey] could come over a bit earlier and stop the shot but we have to try and play that way or we're just sitting in our box and allowing them to have the ball all the time.</p><p>"The second goal's done at the top of the pitch but then it's sort of fortunate how they get the ball. Sometimes that goes against you, being opened up by a risky pass, and they've got the quality."</p><p><em>Wolves' Ceisar Peixoto:</em></p><p>"[It was an] amazing performance but he needs the team to work with him to put the balls between the lines for him, for him to attack the space.</p><p>"He does a great job. He has a lot of quality. I think Fer's challenge is to put this kind of quality during the 90 minutes and feel comfortable with the idea of the game.</p><p>"I am happy with the performance. In the first half it was a little more difficult because we had the better chances but we only scored one goal.</p><p>"In the second half we managed the pressure of the opponent well and we played like I wanted with the ball, tracked the team, exploiting the space, and changing the rhythm of the game.</p><p>"We scored two goals in the second half but I think we could have scored more."</p><h3>What the result means and next fixtures...</h3> <widget id="4"></widget><ul><li><a href="https://qrcode.skysports.com/Champscoresarticles"><strong>Championship fixtures</strong></a></li></ul> <widget id="1"></widget>