Wolves send early warning to the Championship with come-from-behind win over Stoke

Wolverhampton Wanderers came from behind to beat Stoke City 4-1 at Molineux, extending their unbeaten start to the season and sending them top of the Championship table. Under new head coach Cesar Peixoto, this is starting to look like a team building real momentum.

Sam Gallagher's stunning strike inside the opening two minutes gave Stoke a dream start, but Wolves responded emphatically, with Rodrigo Gomes scoring twice in the space of three minutes before half-time to turn the game on its head. It capped a productive week for Peixoto's side, who claimed a third win in eight days.

How Wolves turned the game around against Stoke

Gallagher's early goal, a rifled effort from 30 yards that gave goalkeeper Sam Johnstone no chance, looked like it might set up a difficult afternoon for the hosts. Instead, Wolves responded almost immediately, with 18-year-old Mateus Mane driving the response by beating two defenders before setting up Gomes for the equaliser, and the same combination producing a near-identical second goal just three minutes later. Raul Jimenez then converted a penalty after being fouled at the far post from a corner, before substitute Jordan James marked his home debut with a composed finish six minutes from time to complete the scoring and send Molineux into raptures.

Rodrigo Gomes and Wolves' attacking options this season

Gomes' double was the headline act, but the performance also underlined the strength in depth Peixoto now has to call upon in attacking areas heading into a long Championship campaign.

• Rodrigo Gomes: Scored twice inside four minutes, both created by teenage winger Mateus Mane's direct running.
• Raul Jimenez: Converted his penalty confidently, adding his second goal of the season from the spot.
• Jordan James: Scored on his home debut after coming off the bench, an immediate impact that will give Peixoto a selection headache.
• Mateus Mane: At just 18, he created two goals and went close to a third himself, curling an effort that was tipped wide.

What the result means for Wolves' season so far

This was Wolves' third win in eight days, a run that has pushed them to the top of the Championship table following the lunchtime fixtures. Peixoto's side have now shown they can respond to going behind, a quality that matters over the course of a 46-game season where not every afternoon will go to plan. The strength of their attacking options, with senior figures like Jimenez complemented by emerging talents such as Mane and James, gives the club considerable flexibility regardless of fixture congestion or injuries as the season develops. For a squad many assumed would need time to adjust to life in the Championship, this is a considerably stronger start than most predicted.

Can Wolves sustain their early-season form?

It's still early in the campaign, and topping the table in August counts for little by May, but the manner of this win, coming from behind against a well-organised Stoke side, will give Peixoto's players real belief heading into the coming weeks. If Wolves can maintain this level of attacking output while tightening up defensively, they'll be firmly in the promotion conversation long after the November international break, and today's performance offered plenty of evidence that this squad has the quality to back that ambition up.