Vitor Pereira was proud of Wolves' efforts despite their six-match winning run ending with a narrow 1-0 defeat at Manchester City, saying they had earned a post-match beer.

Kevin De Bruyne scored on his penultimate appearance at the Etihad Stadium as City earned a crucial three points on Friday, boosting their hopes of a top-five Premier League finish.

But Pep Guardiola's team had to ride their luck for long periods, with Wolves missing two golden chances at 0-0.

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde overhit a simple pass for Marshall Munetsi, who was waiting for a tap-in, while Rayan Ait-Nouri struck the post then saw a follow-up attempt cleared off the line by Josko Gvardiol.

Though Wolves tired in the second half, they again went close when Matheus Cunha rattled the post from the edge of the box in the 56th minute.

Wolves only hit the target with one of their six shots in a game of few clear-cut chances, though they limited City to just two shots on target and 0.65 expected goals (xG).

Only Manchester United (in a 0-0 draw last month) and Liverpool (in a 2-0 win in February) have limited City to a lower xG figure in a Premier League game this season.

Asked if Wolves were made to rue their missed chances, Pereira told Sky Sports: "Yes, but in the end, this is football. I am still proud of my team. 

"I told them that we can lose a game, but we cannot lose our identity, our courage, our ambition, our commitment, our team spirit.

"Today, I saw everything in my team, everything except the result. 

"We are a team that wants to press high when we have the chance, a team that knows how to defend lower, that wants to have the ball and create chances, to accelerate the game.

"Okay, today we didn't score, but I am very happy. Next season, I want to see the same spirit, trying to compete. That's why I said this is about us, not about the other team.

"We showed we have the quality to compete with them, and in the end we are proud of ourselves and proud of our supporters."

Going into Friday's match, Pereira had overseen a return of 32 points from 18 Premier League games at the helm.

No manager has ever taken charge of a team inside the relegation zone at least 10 games into a season and collected more points through their first 18 matches.

Pereira has been pictured celebrating Wolves' recent wins by drinking with supporters in local pubs, and despite Friday's defeat, he still believes they have something to toast.

"Maybe I will drink my beer! I think we deserve it," he said. "When I am not proud of myself and my work, when I am not proud of the players, then I won't go."

Wolves' final three games of the season see them face Brighton, Crystal Palace and Brentford, three of the four teams directly above them in the table.