LEEDS boss Thomas Christiansen has no doubt that Wolves will be promoted after losing 4-1 at Molineux.

Yet he felt his side would have given the Championship leaders more of a game in the midweek clash had Ronaldo Vieira not been dismissed.

First-half goals from Barry Douglas and Ivan Cavaleiro set up a seventh win in Wolves' last eight matches.

Ezgjan Alioski raised hopes of a Leeds comeback at the start of the second half but the dismissal of Vieira after 60 minutes for a second booking halted their revival.

Wolves added further goals from Diogo Jota and Helder Costa to run out emphatic winners

Christiansen reflected: "They were a better side and no doubt they are the first team in this league.

"We tried to stop them in the first half and we managed that until the first goal and after it was 2-0 it was complicated.

"The second goal we should have stopped. We should have made a tactical foul higher up the pitch.

"The response came in the second half and the players were motivated to fight back but the red card cost us.

"I believe that Wolves are a very strong team and that they will be promoted directly."

Christiansen now has to lift his side for a Yorkshire derby against Barnsley this weekend, before games against Aston Villa and QPR.

He said: "We are a good team and we will keep on fighting. Our target is to get six points from this run of three games and this is our mission."

Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo refused to get carried away after his side opened up a four-point lead at the top of the table.

He insists there is plenty of work still to be done and said: "It doesn't mean anything. I keep repeating myself. It is the feeling of the boys that they still have a long way to go.

"Now we have to start preparing for Saturday against Bolton and fight again for what we want.

"It is important that we don't get carried away. The best is yet to come. It is always in the future. We have to work hard every day because perfection does not exist.

"I think against Leeds it was a good performance in the first half but the result does not say how hard it was.

"It was hard because Leeds are a good team. They came off a good result.

"But knowing and respecting your opponent makes you better in the game and we did that. We were able to control and then show our quality.

"The sending-off was the turning point off the game. We took control after that."