With two goals coming late on from substitutes Raul Jimenez and Rayan Ait-Nouri, Wolves had to bide their time to make it into the final Carabao Cup final eight, but with the draw for the next round to take place on Thursday evening, Lopetegui is not looking any further into the future than the visit to Everton on Boxing Day as he prepares for a Premier League bow.
On progressing to the quarter-finals
“It’s a happy night because our first aim is to continue in the cup, so we are happy because will continue in the competition. These kinds of matches are very difficult and dangerous. I think we deserved to pass [into the quarter-finals] because we had a lot of chances and then we scored in the second-half.
“They have this way to damage the opponent and are a team that dominate their set-pieces and they play very direct. These kinds of matches are concerning, especially in the cups, when you have to work on these difficulties.
“We have worked in a very good way, always focused in the match, very concentrated and we didn’t concede anything from them, so in the end we are happy.”
Checking in for the evening.
— Wolves (@Wolves) December 20, 2022
🐺👋 pic.twitter.com/s7AKuHvppc
On Jimenez returning with a goal
“When a striker scores, it’s very important for him, but today it was important for the team. He has the responsibility to score the penalty and he has played well with a very good mentality, despite the penalty.”
On substitutes making an impact
“It’s normal because the opponent is more tired, so there is more space and it’s – more or less – easier to dominate the opponent. It’s not easy to play these kinds of matches against a team that has nothing to lose, and they showed this.
“But the thing you can be in this match is nervous, you can try shortcuts, and we have to avoid this. I think it has been always knowing what we have to do.
“I think we have showed all our work in these weeks, but of course, the teams we are going to play against are going to be different, and we have to fine tune for the next matches.”
— Wolves (@Wolves) December 20, 2022
On dreaming of a cup final
“Step by step. The only thing we think about is Everton now. The dreams for far away don’t exist, my dreams only go as far as the next match, and we will prepare it with a good mentality and go to Everton with a good mentality and ready to compete in the match.”
On turning attention to Everton
“I think the Premier League matches are going to be different because of the opponent. The opponents are going to play in a different way and we have to be ready to have good answers. But every match is different.
“Today, the characteristics of the opponent, the situation of the cup, it made it different, and in the Premier League they are going to be different matches and different ways to play and different answers will be needed to win the matches.”
