It comes after a slow start – where Wolves only won their first league game in late September – and they have now played 24 times this term after starting in the Europa League in July.

Jimenez said: "It's very important for us to be up there. We've had a bit of a slow beginning, a lot of drawn matches, but now we're playing good football.

"We're making important things on the pitch and in the last couple of matches we have done very, very well.

"Now we have a break, but we need to continue like this when we return to the team as we know that we have to keep doing the same to be fighting in the league."

Ruben Neves' stunning strike – his first goal since August – put Wolves ahead in the first half.

Trezeguet pulled a goal back for Villa in injury time after Jimenez's 84th-minute effort.

Mexico international Jimenez added on the club's official website: "We want to play, we want to be in the Europa League, we want to be fighting in the Premier League, so this is how big teams and big players do it, and we have chances to be like that."

Defeat was Villa's third-straight loss in the top flight to leave them 17th going into the international break.

Boss Dean Smith said: "Before their second goal, I felt that we were the more likely team to score.

"They tried to slow everything down, which you would do at 1-0 up, but they were always a constant threat on the counter.

"It's a game that we'll look back on with a lot of regrets because we didn't turn up."