Wolves 0 Nottingham Forest 1 (Jesus 72)
Wolves were narrowly beaten by Nottingham Forest on Wednesday evening, despite a competitive performance at Molineux.
Igor Jesus thought he put his side ahead just shy of half-time, but to Wolves’ relief, a lengthy VAR review ruled out the goal.
A fast start to the second half offered encouragement for Wolves, yet Jesus would not be denied again, as his second-half header proved enough for the visitors to leave Molineux with all three points.
After a much-improved display at Villa Park the previous Sunday, Rob Edwards and Wolves returned to Molineux determined to secure their first three points of the season.
Forest, though, threatened first, and early pressure resulted in a series of set-pieces for the visitors. The latest corner ended in an Omari Hutchinson effort skying the crossbar.
The hosts gradually grew into the game with longer spells of possession, allowing them to progress through the thirds. However, the final ball lacked conviction throughout the opening 20 minutes.
Following a quiet period of the contest, Forest came close to breaking the deadlock. Elliot Anderson’s strike from inside the area was blocked by Jackson Tchatchoua, before the resulting corner saw Dan Ndoye unmarked - but he failed to make proper contact with Hutchinson’s delivery.
Chances remained scarce for Wolves in the opening 45, with much of their possession restricted to their own half. Jean-Ricner Bellegarde registered the hosts’ first and only attempt of the first half just after the half-hour mark, but his effort was blocked along the way.
Jesus thought he had opened the scoring, heading in from a corner in the 38th minute, but after a lengthy VAR review, the goal was chalked off for Ndoye impeding Johnstone’s line of sight from an offside position.
The overturned decision offered a glimmer of momentum for the hosts, but a late first-half rally never arrived - seeing Wolves head into the break at 0-0 for the fourth consecutive game.
Half-time | Wolves 0-0 Forest
Wolves were first to threaten in the second half, with Andre leading Wolves’ brightest move of the match so far. He shifted play out wide to Tchatchoua, whose whipped delivery was met by Jhon Arias who did well to connect under pressure, but the Colombian failed to keep his header on target.
Despite that start, Wolves were almost caught out moments later. Johnstone was to thank, superbly turning Neco Williams’ fierce free-kick round the post before punching clear the resulting corner.
As the hour mark approached, the game began to lose rhythm - needless fouls, loose balls and lengthy VAR reviews disrupted play.
That lack of control eventually tilted in Forest’s favour with just under 20 minutes to play. Hutchinson’s delivery teased Johnstone off his line, but Jesus rose first and headed into an unguarded net.
A triple substitution including Ki-Jana Hoever, Tolu Arokodare and Mateus Mane looked to rejuvenate the hosts with 10 minutes to play. Mane nearly made an instant impact, but could only drag his effort off target.
Wolves continued to search for the equaliser late on. Jorgen Strand Larsen came inches away from converting Mane’s cross, before Marshall Munetsi forced Matz Sels into a stop from close range.
The visitors were able to hold on to their win, as Wolves’ leveller failed to arrive.
Full-time | Wolves 0-1 Forest
Wolves | Johnstone, Tchatchoua (Hoever 80), Mosquera (Mane 80), Agbadou, Toti, Wolfe, Andre, J Gomes (Munetsi 85), Arias (Arokodare 80), Bellegarde (Hwang 68), Strand Larsen.
Unused subs | Sa, Doherty, S Bueno, Munetsi, Chirewa.
Forest | Sels, Williams, Morato, Sangare (Yates 68), Anderson, Gibbs-White (Dominguez 90+3), Ndoye (Hudson-Odoi 68), Jesus, Hutchinson, Milenkovic, Savona.
Unused subs | Victor, Kalimuendo, Cunha, McAtee, Boly, Abbott.
