Wolves 1-0 Nottingham Forest Match Report

16 October. 2022 

Nottingham Forest faced Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on Saturday afternoon, marking their return to Premier League competition.

Neco Williams took the place of Serge Aurier in head coach Cooper’s one change from Monday’s draw against Aston Villa at The City Ground.

Hosts dominated the first half with controlled possession and forced a few corners, Joao Moutinho delivering from the right flank, but Forest held firm to clear the threat.

Morgan Gibbs-White, who made the summer move from Wolves to Molineux, gave Scott McKenna a corner of his own on 10 minutes, but the Scotland international couldn’t quite keep his header above the crossbar.

18 minutes into the game, fullback Rayan Ait-Nouri received a deep cross from Adama Traoré at the back post. The Frenchman made a strong connection with his header, but he was unable to trouble Dean Henderson in The Reds’ goal, and then Traoré shot wide.

Williams had a chance on 25 minutes when Emmanuel Dennis’ cross fell to the Welshman inside the area. However, Toti Gomes deflected his shot behind the goal.Appeals were denied and the resulting corner was cleared after a brief VAR handball check.

After Traoré’s cross was headed against the post by Max Kilman, the loose ball fell into Henderson’s hands as the break approached, and Ait-Nouri moved forward for the hosts once more before firing a powerful left-footed effort wide.

Half-Time score : Wolves 0-0 Nottingham

Forest Remo Freuler’s good work in the first few minutes of the second half led to the midfielder finding Gibbs-White on the edge of the area. Gibbs-White then tried to score with a curling effort that missed the goal post.

The game’s turning point came after 56 minutes when Harry Toffolo was penalised by VAR for blocking Traore’s shot with his hand. Wolves were then given a penalty. Referee Thomas Bramall was instructed to go to the pitchside monitor before he duly pointed to the spot, so patience was needed. Neves assumed control of the situation and, despite Henderson’s best attempts and his correct estimate, made no errors from 12 yards out, blasting into the bottom left corner.

On the hour mark, Gibbs-White had a chance from a free kick. He stepped up to make a right-footed effort at goal but couldn’t quite get the ball in the right spot.

Cooper made a double substitution with 20 minutes remaining, replacing Kouyaté and Dennis with Orel Mangala and Jesse Lingard. The Reds were looking for a way back into the game.

The Reds had a huge chance to draw level on 77 minutes.After another VAR review, the referee pointed to the spot where Ryan Yates was fouled inside the area.Jose Sá, who was low to his left, saved a low shot from Brennan Johnson when he stepped up.

After Gibbs-White’s free kick was headed back across goal by Steve Cook, Sam Surridge and Taiwo Awoniyi were brought in for the remaining minutes as Forest continued to look for a goal to level the score. Yates missed the target with a header.

Wolves fans jumped to their feet to give the Portuguese goalkeeper a standing ovation as he rose to the occasion and made a crucial save to his left to prevent Johnson from leveling.

However, there was still time for a late twist, and Wolves had eight minutes of extra time to stand firm and remain determined.Hugo Bueno, another rising star who has recently made the step into the first team from the Wolves Academy, also made his Premier League debut, making his home debut in place of Nunes in the final minute.

The game appeared to be drawing to a close after eight minutes, with Wolves holding on for the victory their fighting spirit truly deserved. There was a long and anxious wait for the full-time whistle, with one or two more clearances required.

Full time: Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 Nottingham Forest

Substitutes: Matija Šarkić, Yerson Mosquera, Gonçalo Guedes, Chem Campbell

Substitutes: Willy Boly, Joe Worrall, Wayne Hennessey, Löic Badé

Scorers:

56′ Rúben Neves (Penalty)

Bookings:

Match Stats:

Possession

Total Shots

Shots on Target

Corners

Fouls

Attacks

Dangerous Attacks

Player of the Match: José Sá (Wolverhampton Wanderers)