Nuno insists Wolves are still improving after top-four near miss

Nuno Espirito Santo says Wolverhampton Wanderers must continue to improve after their hopes of Champions League qualification through the Premier League effectively came to an end this week.

The 1-1 draw at Burnley on Wednesday, in which Wolves conceded a controversial injury-time penalty, together with wins for Leicester City and Manchester United 24 hours later, means the top four is realistically out of reach. They are six points adrift with two matches left and have a vastly inferior goal difference.

A route into the Champions

League is still available to Nuno’s side if they win the Europa League when that competition resumes next month.

Asked about the results on Thursday night, the Portuguese said: “It’s nothing to do with us, we have to focus on ourselves. We can’t control it.

“I think we are improving and always trying to become better, knowing it is a difficult season of ups and downs. But I think we will always be able to react to the notso-good performances and bounce back and play well after those games.

“It is always the same and has been this way since three seasons ago. I think it is a long process of building and improving and we are still on the way.

“We have to play Monday against Crystal Palace and then Sunday [at Chelsea] and still have the draw against Olympiacos, so we still have a lot of things ahead of us to focus on.

“We go game by game and we have [too many] things to focus on each day to get distracted by other things. To play good football, always to play well, and improve. It is a process.”

Wolves, who are sixth in the table, are on course to improve on last season’s seventh-placed finish and need two more points from their remaining games to surpass their points total of a year ago.

The first of those matches is against Palace at Molineux and Nuno said: “It is important to improve but it will be tough, because it is a good team with good players, quality players, and we expect a really tough game.

“We will focus on the team of Crystal Palace and try to be organised. I think it is the best way to approach it.”