Wolves continued their fine form with a 2-0 victory at Tottenham last Sunday — leaving many to suggest they are genuine top-four contenders.

While teams around them falter, Bruno Lage’s men have defied expectations during the Portuguese manager’s first season in charge at Molineux and it has them dreaming an unlikely Champions League berth.

Six points behind Manchester United in fourth but with two games in hand, the Midlands outfit look as well placed as any team currently in the hunt.

Ahead of their clash with Leicester on Sunday, we ponder whether Champions League football next season is a realistic possibility.

Lage’s tight ship

Wolves do not score lots of goals but they do not concede many either and that watertight defence is providing the base for success.

Their 21 strikes this season is the Premier League’s third lowest but they have let just 17 past them — a record bettered only by leaders Manchester City.

Accumulating 37 points from that limited goalscoring output is a remarkably efficient showing, with eight of their 11 victories this term decided by a one-goal margin.

While not usually an approach you associate with teams battling in the higher reaches of the division, Lage’s men are proving again and again why it is a formula that works for them.

Tough trio

That robustness is made possible by the colossal central defensive trio of Max Kilman, Conor Coady and Roman Saiss.

Other than Saiss’ two-game absence while away with Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations, the three have started all of Wolves’ games together this season and that familiarity is clearly working wonders.

That is certainly the opinion of captain Coady, who has not stopped short in his praise for his fellow defenders.

He said earlier this season: "I know what they can do, I’ve played with those two boys for plenty of years now.

"Both of them have been outstanding. When you play with players over and over again, as much as we have this season, you start to feel and understand what they want to do."

The newest — but perhaps most impressive — member of that back line is Kilman, who has barely missed a minute so far in the Premier League this term.

An England futsal international before joining Wolves in 2018, the domineering defender is proving to be well up for the physical battle of the Premier League — ranking second in the Wolves squad for headed clearances (54) and aerial duels won (49).

As a much sought-after left-footed centre-back, it may not be long before the 24-year-old is donning a Three Lions shirt once again — this time for the regular men’s team.

Mexican menace

While that defence always gives them a chance, it is goals which are ultimately needed to secure victories.

With striker Raul Jimenez taking time to get back up to speed following his serious head injury last season, they have been in short supply.

A narrow 1-0 defeat to Arsenal last Thursday left many wondering whether Wolves had the cutting edge to sustain a challenge for the top four.

Just days later though, it was there for all to see at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with an all-star display from Jimenez, whose well-taken finish sent Wolves on their way to securing all three points.

And former Wolves midfielder David Edwards thinks a fit and firing Jimenez — who hit 27 goals during the 2019-20 campaign — gives Lage's side a chance of scoring in every game.

The Welsh international said: "Thursday had me questioning where Wolves were going to go, but in typical style they bounced back and proved me wrong straight away. 

"Raul Jimenez found that aggression against Spurs which we all know he has but has been missing for a couple of months.

"It was probably one of his best performances of the season. When he plays well, Wolves play well, it is as simple as that."

With that goal — his fifth of the campaign — making him Wolves' top scorer this term, a hot streak for the Mexican could make a crucial difference during the run-in.

Champions League dreams

So could Lage really lead Wolves into the Champions League for the first time?

With the likes of West Ham, Manchester United, Arsenal and Spurs all dropping points of late, a place looks to be up for grabs if Wolves can sustain their strong run of form.

That defeat against Arsenal was their only loss in their last seven games — a sequence which includes victories over United and Spurs.

Consecutive fixtures against Arsenal and West Ham later this month look set to be a crucial test of their ability to stay in the hunt. 

Victories in those two would set them up nicely for a run of winnable games against mid-table sides.

On their unlikely charge, Jimenez said after the Spurs win: "We know what we can do.

"We are in a good time and we can keep improving and go higher in the table. We are dreaming big."

As a club with just one campaign of European football in the last 30 years, Wolves are undoubtedly still outsiders to achieve a place in Europe’s elite competition.

But flying under the radar as underdogs may just work in their favour as they continue to disrupt the big boys in the race.