Krejčí started in his customary position as the left-sided centre-back and showed over 90 minutes why he can offer Wolves much more than simply defensive reliability. He was exceptionally active on the ball, making 118 touches, completing 83 of his 103 passes (81%) and progressing play with his carries no fewer than 19 times.
His evening did not get off to the best of starts. Before the foul from which Bristol scored, the 27-year-old made a mistake in possession and the hosts found themselves in a promising position. Krejčí responded to the error in the best possible way, though, gradually taking control at both ends of the pitch.
Through ball, header and two big chances
In the 54th minute, he released Adam Armstrong into a great position with a perfectly timed through ball, but the forward was denied by home goalkeeper Bradley Collins. In total, Krejčí produced two passes leading to shots and created two big chances.
He was also a familiar threat from set pieces. In the 65th minute, he attacked a team-mate's corner and tested the goalkeeper with a powerful header. Both of his attempts – each from the air – were on target. His finishing quality lifted the chances' xG value from 0.08 to an xGOT of 0.47.
His contribution to the equaliser was even more significant. Krejčí picked out a team-mate on the edge of the box with an accurate cross-field pass, and the ball was laid first time into an even more dangerous area. Armstrong's effort did not produce a goal, but alert substitute Sean Neave converted the follow-up.
The winning goal
The Czech international put the finishing touch to his performance by helping provide the winner. As the free-kick was delivered, he rose into the air as he so often does and brilliantly headed the ball down in front of an open goal, where Neave had the simplest of tasks. The match's two-goal hero was finishing a chance worth 0.79 xG, underlining the quality of Krejčí's work.
He also fulfilled his defensive duties alongside his attacking contribution. He won four of seven duels, made two successful defensive actions, five clearances, seven recoveries, two interceptions and one blocked shot.
After one costly error, Krejčí went on to play a match in which he had a direct hand in both of his team's goals. His rating of 8.8 and the award for player of the match were therefore thoroughly deserved.
Wolves, helped by his performance, secured their fourth win in their last five matches (4-1-0) and sit just one point behind leaders Middlesbrough in the Championship table.
"The competition is very long and we still have many matches ahead of us," Wolves manager César Peixoto said.
"Any team can beat any other, as we saw today with some of the other results. We must remain calm, stay focused, believe in our approach, believe in the players and fight until the end to try to win every match."