Igor Jesus scored his first Premier League goal to give Nottingham Forest a 1-0 victory over winless Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux.
The Brazilian climbed highest to head home in the 72nd minute after Sam Johnstone failed to reach Omari Hutchinson’s right-wing delivery. The strike proved decisive in a scrappy contest that underlined Wolves’ struggles this season.
Forest had an earlier effort ruled out just before half-time after a VAR review. Referee Tim Robinson spent around five minutes at the pitchside monitor before overturning the on-field decision, ruling Dan Ndoye offside and in the line of sight of Johnstone.
Forest manager Sean Dyche criticised the length of the review while defending his players, saying: ‘I’m bound to say he doesn’t impede anyone. He doesn’t. He just stands still… I’m disappointed in it. I don’t think the keeper would have saved it.’ Dyche also questioned the practice of referees speaking to the crowd during reviews, suggesting it prolongs matters and adds pressure on officials.
Wolves boss Rob Edwards was frank about his side’s first-half display: ‘I’m really disappointed tonight. Compared to the levels that we set on Sunday… it was almost like the opposite. I asked the players at half-time, are you scared? It looked in the first half like we were very passive… We don’t want to go out with a whimper.’ He acknowledged supporters’ anger and stressed they expect effort, passion and determination.
The result moves Forest up to 15 points, giving them a little breathing space near the foot of the table. Wolves, meanwhile, remain without a win and have plenty for Edwards to fix after another low-quality performance with few clear-cut chances.
Player ratings:
Wolves: Johnstone 5, Tchatchoua 5, Mosquera 6, Agbadou 6, Toti 6, Moller Wolfe 6, Andre 6, Joao Gomes 5, Arias 5, Bellegarde 5, Strand Larsen 5.
Subs: Hwang 6, Hoever n/a, Mane n/a, Arokodare n/a, Munetsi n/a.
Nottingham Forest: Sels 7, Savona 7, Milenkovic 7, Morato 7, Williams 7, Sangare 6, Anderson 7, Gibbs-White 7, Hutchinson 8, Ndoye 7, Igor Jesus 8.
Subs: Hudson-Odoi 6, Yates 6, Dominguez n/a.
Player of the Match: Igor Jesus.
Match snapshot: a cautious, defence-first affair with few openings; the decisive moment came when Hutchinson’s cross eluded Johnstone and Jesus headed home.
What’s next: Wolves fixtures | Nottingham Forest fixtures | Premier League fixtures