Vitor Pereira found himself at the center of a tense confrontation with fans as he anxiously awaits the decision on whether the loss to Burnley marks his final appearance as manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Lyle Foster’s goal in stoppage time left Wolves without a win and stranded at the bottom of the Premier League table, having secured only two points from their opening nine matches. The team has now suffered defeats at the hands of all three newly-promoted sides this season.

The match, however, is likely to be remembered for the dramatic post-game scenes at Molineux’s South Bank. After the final whistle, Pereira and several players approached the disappointed fans, with video footage showing Pereira visibly upset and seemingly shouting in the direction of the supporters.

Reflecting on the situation, Pereira remarked, “Just two months ago, fans were chanting my name due to the success of last season when we comfortably stayed up after my mid-season arrival. Now, they might be calling for my dismissal, but that’s football for you.”

Despite being awarded a three-year contract extension in September, Pereira’s position is now precarious. Sources indicate that the compensation terms of his new deal mirror those of his previous agreement, which could make his dismissal financially feasible for the club.

Wolves manager Vitor Pereira lost his rag with his own fans after slumping to another loss on Sunday

Fans chanted ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’ after a late defeat left them bottom 

Jorgen Strand Larsen, who was close to leaving the club in the summer, was also at the forefront of the chaos

However, parting ways with Pereira might damage the club’s reputation. He was appointed last December to succeed Gary O’Neil, who had also been given a four-year contract earlier that season. While some fans have expressed frustration with Pereira, there is growing discontent towards the club’s owners, Fosun, and executive chairman Jeff Shi.

Really, though, it no longer really matters whether Wolves sack Pereira or stick with him. Nor does it matter that they were desperately unlucky not to claim at least a point from this match, as Burnley struck in stoppage time after being pinned back for most of the second half.

Until the Wolves ownership show their supporters that they are prepared to change, they will not regain their backing or trust. ‘We want Fosun out’ bellowed the South Bank, and while the Chinese conglomerate cannot simply click their fingers and sell the club, they should probably think carefully about whether to keep executive chairman Jeff Shi in place.

Shi has been in charge for some of the greatest days in Wolves’ modern history but those are long gone. Now he oversees a regime that gave Pereira a new deal in September and signed off a transfer policy that would make even the worst Football Manager player blush.

It might not stop Wolves hurtling into the Championship but if nothing else, the removal of Shi would at least buy back a little goodwill from those in Old Gold.

Not even a minute was on the clock when fans were targeting him with their chants and throughout the match, they made their feelings known about Fosun – as they have for much of this season and before.

Burnley rode their luck here. After Zian Flemming’s double put them two clear, late first-half goals from Strand Larsen (from the penalty spot) and Marshall Munetsi brought Wolves level. 

After the break, Jhon Arias hit the bar with a free-kick and Burnley goalkeeper Martin Dubravka made excellent saves from Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Santi Bueno. Seconds before Bueno’s effort, substitute Lyle Foster had rolled in Burnley’s winner.

Ziam Flemming scored an early double to send Burnley on their way to victory 

Wolves got themselves back level thanks to Jorgen Strand Larsen and Marshall Munetsi (pictured), but threw it away at the end

Unlike Wolves, Burnley look like a club with a plan. It might not be enough to keep them up as they will not always be as fortunate as they were here. Signing players like Kyle Walker is a pretty good start, though. Having a man like that in the changing room shows the squad the standards required to compete at this level. Who plays that role for Wolves?

Recruitment at Molineux has been baffling. When key men Matheus Cunha, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Nelson Semedo departed, they lost a huge amount of Premier League experience and quality, and replacing them with players who had never worked in England felt an unnecessary risk. 

Wolves were effectively asking players to learn on the job in a weakened team and it is no wonder they have struggled. Daily Mail Sport understands Wolves were offered the chance to sign David Brooks from Bournemouth, while other solid Premier League options like Harry Wilson and Kyle Walker-Peters were also available. Transfer policy cannot be dictated only by re-sale value, because few things damage a player’s worth more than relegation.

There was nobody on the pitch who understands the Premier League like Kyle Walker. For many seasons Walker was regarded as one of the best right-backs in the world until he started to struggle for Manchester City and then had a fruitless loan spell at AC Milan.

Kyle Walker was influential and looks well up for the relegation battle aged 35

Despite winning 17 trophies including the Champions League, Walker still decided to embrace a likely relegation battle with Burnley and he played well here. The highlight was a fabulous dash across from right-back to stop Marshall Munetsi setting up Rodrigo Gomes for a clear shot at goal, proving that at 35, Walker has lost none of the hunger that kept him among the elite for so long.

No wonder Walker roared with delight and pumped his fists after making that intervention.

At this stage, the only thing that could make Wolves supporters celebrate like that would be if Shi were to call it a day.