Igor Jesus scored his first Premier League goal to give Nottingham Forest a 1-0 victory over winless Wolves at Molineux, leaving Wolverhampton manager Rob Edwards fearing his side could “go out with a whimper” this season.
The Brazilian rose to head in the only goal in the 72nd minute after Sam Johnstone failed to reach Omari Hutchinson’s right-wing cross. The strike was arguably deserved after an earlier controversial moment when Forest thought they had taken the lead late in the first half. That goal was ruled out for offside following a VAR review, with Dan Ndoye judged to be in the line of sight of Wolves goalkeeper Johnstone. The officials spent about five minutes reviewing the decision, referee Tim Robinson taking considerable time at the monitor before overturning the on-field call.
The game was scrappy and lacked quality, highlighting Wolves’ struggles this season. Having started with three straight defeats, Edwards still has plenty to fix. Forest moved up to 15 points, giving them a little breathing space at the bottom of the table.
Player ratings:
Wolves: Johnstone (5), Tchatchoua (5), Mosquera (6), Agbadou (6), Toti (6), Moller Wolfe (6), Andre (6), J 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), I Jesus (8).
Subs: Hudson-Odoi (6), Yates (6), Dominguez (n/a).
Player of the Match: Igor Jesus.
Sean Dyche on the disallowed goal and the delay:
“I’m bound to say he doesn’t impede anyone. He doesn’t. He just stands still. He’s not trying to deflect it in or anything like that. I’m bound to say I’m disappointed in it. I don’t think the keeper would have saved it… I do feel for fans, but the professional side of me says my job might depend on those decisions. So, it’s a tough call. But when it takes that long, I think that’s where I spoke years ago… I said it’s how quickly they can speed it up, and it still hasn’t.”
Dyche also questioned the practice of referees speaking to the crowd during reviews, saying it prolongs the process and adds unnecessary pressure on officials.
Rob Edwards on Wolves’ performance:
“Yeah, I’m really disappointed tonight. Compared to the levels that we set on Sunday… it was almost like the opposite, the opposite tonight. I asked the players at half time, are you scared? It looked in the first half like we were very passive, we didn’t play forward, it looked like we were afraid to make a mistake… We don’t want to go out with a whimper. And that’s just, the first half, that’s how it felt.”
Edwards acknowledged fans’ frustration and insisted he understands their anger, adding that supporters want to see effort, passion and determination — qualities his team did not show.
Story of the match in stats: The match was dominated by defensive caution and few clear-cut chances, with the decisive moment being Jesus’ header from Hutchinson’s cross after Johnstone failed to reach the ball.
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