Derby County boss Steve McClaren hailed the "special" moment produced by Will Hughes against Bournemouth – but urged him to produce them more often.
Having endured a frustrating evening on Tuesday against the Cherries, England Under-21 midfielder Hughes sent the iPro Stadium crowd wild as he broke the deadlock with nine minutes remaining.
A further strike from Chris Martin in the dying seconds ensured a 2-0 win for the Rams, moving them up to fourth in the Championship – but former England manager McClaren was quick to praise the impact of his midfield gem.
"It took something special, which we knew it always would, and Will provided it"
Steve McClaren
"They were frustrating us, they were very compact, very defensive and they made it difficult," he told Rams Player.
"It was just a case of being patient and hoping that, in the end, we got our rewards. It’s important to keep a clean sheet and we felt we could do that."
Bournemouth had goalkeeper Lee Camp sent off on 70 minutes – but McClaren says he knew it would take something "special" to breach the south coast side’s defence even without their shot-stopper.
"It calmed down after the decision, we could have done with the free kick going in and making it a little easier, but we kept our patience, we got the goal and it took something special, which we knew it always would and Will provided it.
"We had good combinations around the box. Chris Martin was brilliant, he could have squared, but he crossed it back and Will finished it very well."
Steve McClaren urges Will Hughes to keep developing
For a 19-year-old, Hughes has everything according to his manager, but McClaren says he needs to continue improving to maintain his development.
"Will keeps the ball for us and his movement is good, he’s got energy and he can score and assist.
"That’s what we need; we need more of that from him to develop as a player."
Watch Will Hughes in action as England Under-21s play Croatia at Molineux in their UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification play-off at 5.45pm on Friday 10 October.
Tickets are on sale now, priced at just £10 and £5 via the Wolves Ticketline on 0871 222 1877 or online here.
