Pierre Pellegri: The Pink Panther

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The latter stages of the season were fast-approaching for Wolverhampton Wanderers and Pierre Pellegri. Th club was still chasing glory in the FA Cup and UEFA Europa League bu their league form continued to suffer from a split focus. Could Wolves arrest the slide or would they continue to drop down the table? It was their penultimate month to do so.

Wolves confirmed the future transfer of Sergiño Dest from Dutch giants Ajax. The teenage wing back, born in Almere, joined Ajax's academy back in 2012 and played 17 times for Jong Ajax last season. He has been a regular for the senior side this system and was capped by the United States for the first time this season, by virtue of his father being American.

Dest will cost Wolves an initial fee of £10.5M and, if he plays 50 league games for the club, an additional £1M. Pellegri considered the fee to be a bargain for the wonderkid wing back who was in high demand. With Matt Doherty expected to leave the club in the summer, and Adama Traoré also drawing in plenty of interest, Dest could find himself playing plenty of football in orange and black next season.

Premier League:
Wolves' Premier League struggles continued against Arsenal. The Gunners were in superior form at the Emirates and walked away as 2-1 winners. The result reinvigorated Wolves who won their first league game since 8th February as they recorded a 2-0 win over Norwich. This was followed up with a thrilling, yet frustrating, 3-3 draw against Brighton before finishing the month of Premier League football with a truly dominant 6-1 win over Aston Villa, with Jota scoring a hat trick.

FA Cup:
There was just one FA Cup game for Wolves in April, but it was a big one. Pellegri's players played out a semi final at Wembley against Burnley. Wolves were superior and a brace from Jota inspired the midlands club to a 3-1 win and a place in the final where they will face Manchester City.

UEFA Europa League:
Despite Wolves' resurgent league form and a successful FA Cup semi final clash, it was the UEFA Europa League which captured the attention of their fans. Borussia Mönchengladbach were familiar opponents for Wolves, but Wolves came out on top of the quarter final clash. Wolves won the first leg at the Molineux by a rampant 4-0 scoreline. Gladbach hit back with a 3-1 win in the second leg but it wasn't enough to deny Wolves a semi final place.

Pellegri got his dream opponent in the semi final - Olympique Lyonnais. Pellegri's 218 goals as a player for Lyon made him the top scorer in the club's history, and the semi final offered an opportunity to compete against his boyhood club. However, a trip to France would have to wait until May as Wolves hosted the first leg at the end of April. Jonny stole the show with a marvelous brace and Jota also got in on the act as Wolves recorded a surprise 3-0 win, putting them in the ascendancy. The club knew an away goal in the second leg would all but guarantee them a place in the final.

Wolves' return to form saw them climb back to 11th in the league. However, with just four games to go, Wolves knew that anything above 10th place was almost certainly out of their reach. While the club would aim as high as possible, they were resigned to a mid-table finish - an improvement from where they were six months ago.

Jota's form in front of goal was given plenty of credit and he picked up the Premier League Player of the Month award - the first time a Wolves player won such an award this season. He was Wolves' star player and much of their hopes for FA Cup and Europa League success rested on his young shoulders.

Premier League:
Wolves' final four league games of the season were to be tough. Trips to Newcastle United and Leicester City were on either side of their final home game of the season against Watford. Their final Premier League fixture of the season was away to Tottenham Hotspur. If Wolves were to claim a top half finish, they would need to overcome some tough opponents.

FA Cup:
The big one. Wolves had played incredibly well under Pierre Pellegri to earn a place in this season's FA Cup final. It was fitting that Manchester City and Pep Guardiola, in particular, would be their opponents. Who would come out on top - the giants of English football or a team known for finding something special on the big occasion under Pellegri?

UEFA Europa League:
Wolves were in control of their Europa League semi final tie against Lyon. A 3-0 home win in the first leg meant they had plenty to hold on to in the second leg. The second leg was set to be an emotional game for Pellegri, who would compete against his beloved childhood club in his home country. There was plenty on the line, with a place in the final (against either Arsenal or Atalanta) up for grabs.

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Wolverhampton Wanderers booked their place in this season's UEFA Europa League final despite a second leg defeat. Lyon won the game in France 2-1 but Wolves progressed to the final with a 4-2 aggregate scoreline, courtesy of an emphatic first leg victory. Wolves will play in a European final for just the second time in their history, having earned a runners-up position in the UEFA Cup back in 1972.

Wolves manager Pierre Pellegri received a hero's welcome at the Groupama Stadium from the home support. His 218 goals in the white of Lyon was enough to make him the club's greatest ever goal scorer and he was greeted by a standing ovation upon his entry to the field. It was Pellegri's first time at the Groupama Stadium, which was constructed as recently as 2016, having played his football for Lyon at the Stade de Gerland previously.

Wolves' intentions to park the bus were clear from the start as they lined up in an unorthodox 5-2-3 system, with Raúl Jiménez playing as a lone striker. Wolves' defence was faced up against an attacking quartet of Bertrand Traoré, Houssem Aouar, Memphis Depay and Moussa Dembélé. It was set to be an exciting game.

Despite Lyon's best attempts, they could not beat Rui Patrício in the first half. The veteran Portuguese shot stopper was on form as he made a total of nine saves throughout the game, with Lyon's season-high shot count of 22 showing their attacking intentions. But Wolves held strong throughout the opening stages of the game, with Daniele Rugani and club captain Conor Coady on form.

Lyon needed at least three goals to advance, but they had to wait until the 78th minute to break the deadlock. It was a mistake from Willy Boly that allowed the hosts to score as the Wolves defender was caught napping on the ball in his own box, allowing Jeff Reine-Adélaïde to steal the ball before sliding a shot beyond the reach of Patrício. With twelve minutes remaining, Lyon had hope.

However, all hope was wiped out as Morgan Gibbs-White scored for Wolves with six minutes to go. Adama Traoré made a trademark break down the right wing with pace before picking out Kalvin Phillips on the edge of Lyon's area. The January signing teed up Gibbs-White on the penalty spot who rifled a low shot into the bottom corner to kill off the tie. Wolves' players and fans celebrated profusely as Lyon required four more goals to win the tie.

To Lyon's credit, they continued to fight for more goals, and scored another with a minute to go. Rui Patrício fumbled a header from Jeff Reine-Adélaïde, and the young French midfielder reacted quickly to pounce on the rebound and claim his, and Lyon's, second goal of the game. It was nothing more than a compensation goal, however, as the curtains soon closed on the semi final with Wolves proceeding to the final.

As the referee blew the final whistle, the travelling Wolves support burst into celebration. Wolves' players and staff fell to their knees in joy, except for an unusually calm Pierre Pellegri. In a show of true class, Pellegri kept his cool as he exchanged pleasantries with the Lyon staff and players, before lapping the pitch to thank the Lyon fans for their greetings. It was only after Pellegri acknowledged the Lyon faithful that he began to celebrate with his players, staff and Wolves fans. It was a moment of pure class from a man known for his extraordinary reactions.

The result meant Wolves had booked a place in the UEFA Europa League final to be played later in the month. Wolves' opposition in the final will be Italian side Atalanta, who knocked out Arsenal in the other semi final round. The final, to be hosted at Poland's Stadion Energa Gdańsk, will be played on the 27th May, just three days after Wolves face Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

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