Liam Manning has defended Vitor Pereira’s decision to field a full-strength Wolves team in the FA Cup clash at Ashton Gate.

The Bristol City boss watched as his side was beaten 2-1 and suffered their first defeat in five games – a run that had included three wins.

Rayan Ait-Nouri and Rodrigo Gomes rewarded a strong Wolves opening by scoring in the opening quarter to effectively settle the tie. Scott Twine produced a brilliant free-kick on the stroke of half-time for the Robins, but Wolves managed the game well to take their place in the fourth-round draw.

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New Wolves boss Pereira said he picked a strong team, including handing a debut to new signing Emmanuel Agbadou, in an effort to build cohesion and confidence. And Manning insisted it was an enjoyable encounter.

"The first 25 to 30 minutes was a really good lesson in terms of the lads’ intent to press and the desire of the set up at times was good.

"But if you’re half a yard off, you get picked off. We were a bit disappointing with the ball, but we got back into it which speaks volumes for the resilience of the lads."

"In the second half I thought we gave a really good account of ourselves.

On facing Pereira’s strong side Manning added: "That’s what you want to see. Everyone’s aspiring to get to the Premier League, so you want to test yourself against that level.

"It was good for us to see where we’re at and what we need to do to get better. It’s definitely something to take confidence from."