An hour into the Black Country derby at Molineux on Sunday, West Bromwich Albion striker left the pitch with a bandage around his head. He had a minor cut, the last evidence of a long lunchtime in the company of Toti Gomes.
Toti started a Championship match for the first time since Wolverhampton Wanderers played West Ham United at the start of September. One of a handful of players involved who had previous experience of the Black Country derby, the Wolves captain was outstanding in a 1-0 win.
The former Portugal international slotted in alongside Nasser Djiga at centre-back and put in that rare kind of display that gets defenders noticed.
Toti saved his best performance for the biggest day of the season
Toti made more defensive contributions than any other Wolves player, including six interceptions and six headed clearances. He won eight of his ten aerial duels; Heggebo, Albion's striker, ended the game having won none of his six.
That wasn't a coincidence. Toti was imperious. He put his head on the line time and again, almost single-handedly snuffing out the modest threat offered by the visitors.
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The 27-year-old has more than 100 Premier League appearances and a couple of senior internationals under his belt, and every one of them showed at Molineux on Sunday.
He joined Wolves from Portuguese second tier side Estoril in 2020 and played 50 league matches on loan with Grasshoppers in Switzerland, helping them win promotion back to the top flight.
Wolves manager Cesar Peixoto singled Toti out for praise in his post-match interview but later told reporters that his team's ability to stop West Brom playing was the key to a win in his first derby.
Peixoto said that Albion didn't try to do anything that surprised his team, that Wolves were informed and organised and ready to slam the door in the faces of their neighbours.
The away team have started the season in positive form but they were prevented from playing by a combination of themselves and their opponents. With sharper finishing and a lesser goalkeeper, it would have been as emphatic on the scoresheet as Toti's superiority.
For all the chances Wolves crafted, the only goal of the game was a gift. Albion passed themselves into trouble at the back and Nat Phillips misplaced a ball to goalkeeper Max O'Leary.
Fer Lopez nipped in to score, earning Wolves their first home win against their rivals since May 2011. Steven Fletcher scored twice for Mick McCarthy's team in that Premier League derby.
But while Lopez and Peixoto deserve their share of the credit for turning Old Gold to euphoria – Andre ran the midfield too, in the heart of a fine team performance – Toti was the star of the show.
Peixoto was notably cagey when asked about Ladislav Krejci, the player whose spot the skipper took over due to a reported calf complaint that his manager seemed unconvinced will keep him out of international action in the coming weeks.
Krejci has been a danger at attacking set pieces and is a more polished passer, but there aren't many Championship defenders who'll act as a brick wall one minute and run through one the next.
Toti isn't always spotless; this was head and shoulders above every other game he's played this season, and what a time to come up big.
Wolves leapfrogged West Brom thanks to their superior goal difference and ended derby day in fourth place in the Championship. As the international break begins, they're three points behind leaders Swansea City and have a game in hand on everyone above them.
The 2026/27 season is still young but Wolves have put themselves right in the mix as the extended international break begins.
After the turmoil of the last couple of years, Peixoto's Wolves feel more assured than most teams relegated from the Premier League.
A sturdy base, few tactical special moves and the experience of veteran players brought in to anchor the squad and boost the fans – those are the kind of characteristics that can deliver good form over a season.
Individual performances of this standard from the likes of Toti in games where goals are at a premium? They can be the difference between good days and great ones.
