Carabao Cup: Wolves 1 Bristol Rovers 0 (AET) – Report and pictures

Michal Zyro made his first start for 17 months and went close twice early on, while Bright Enobakhare drew a great save not long after the break but otherwise Wolves struggled to create meaningful chances.

Keeper Will Norris pushed Marc Bola's shot onto the post with 18 minutes to go as League One side Rovers threatened to cause an upset and then Roderick Miranda's shot hit the bar in injury time for Wolves.

Enobakhare finally broke the deadlock in the 98th minute with a smart finish from 15 yards. Rovers would hit the woodwork again and Norris made a number of superb saves but Wolves held on to reach the fourth round for the first time since 2011.

Analysis

These are heady days for Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Forget the lofty league position, forget the ridiculous quality of some of their players, forget record signing after record signing, forget them playing some of the best football witnessed in years at Molineux....this is the one that should really make people stand up and take notice – they're in the fourth round of the League Cup.

It's a feat they managed in 2011, 2010 and 2003 but on each of those occasions they were in the Premier League and skipped the first round, writes Tim Spiers at Molineux.

You have to go back to 1995 for the last time they progressed through three rounds of the competition, 22 years ago.

It's a feat Mark McGhee, Colin Lee, Dave Jones, Mick McCarthy, Stale Solbakken, Kenny Jackett and Walter Zenga couldn't manage. But Nuno Espirito Santo, is his ever increasing list of achievements in just a few short months in WV1, has managed it.

Okay they beat Yeovil and now Bristol Rovers (as well as Premier League side Southampton) to progress to the fourth round, as you'd expect them to. And this was almost the opposite of a vintage performance. Rovers wasted a number of excellent chances.

But the most impressive thing about this run to the last 16 is the use of squad depth (they made another eight changes here) – which bodes very well indeed for the long winter months when many of these players will be needed in the Championship.

There weren't many standout performances in what was a very even game but the run will be doing the world of good to the likes of Jack Price, Bright Enobakhare and the excellent Will Norris.

The keeper was required to make a number of fine saves including pushing two shots onto the woodwork while Enobakhare was finally a match-winner for Wolves after 30 appearances without a goal stretching back two years.

On another day the impressive Rovers would have won it (it was a minor miracle they didn't score) but Wolves' game management has improved under Nuno and, as against Forest on Saturday, they found a way to win the match despite being nowhere near at their best.

Make no mistake, though, if they want to take this run any further they'll have to play far better against what will be higher-standard opposition in the next round (Rovers were the lowest-ranked side left). The fact Norris was by far and away their man of the match speaks volumes.

Match report

Nuno made eight changes from the team that won 2-1 at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, just keeping the same back three of Danny Batth, Conor Coady and Roderick Miranda.

In came 19-year-old Danish youth international Oskar Buur Rasmussen – who joined on a free transfer last month after leaving AGF Aarhus – for a shock debut at right wing back, while Michal Zyro made his first competitive start since April 2016.

And it was Zyro, playing as a central striker, who was in the thick of the action early on and indeed went close on two occasions.

The Polish forward whistled one over the bar from Ben Marshall's cute through ball and then sent a great Sylvain Deslandes run-and-cross over from close range in what was a very decent opportunity.

At this point the visitors were camped just outside their own box but as the half went on they grew in confidence and made it a very even first 45 minutes.

Possession (54 per cent for Wolves) and shots (Wolves' eight to Rovers' seven) were both similar and the Pirates tested Will Norris more strenuously than Wolves managed with Sam Slocombe, with Liam Sercombe turning Roderick Miranda before producing a decent effort that Norris pushed wide.

Zyro had another shot blocked, Marshall's cross-shot was easy for Slocombe and Alfred N'Diaye lashed one into the North Bank but otherwise Wolves created precious little.

They didn't move the ball with enough pace in the Rovers third and there was little creativity from midfield or their wing backs in what was a disappointing half for Nuno's team. Ironically they could have done with a few cans of Carabao to lift the tempo.

The energy levels didn't improve much immediately after the break but then Wolves came their closest yet to scoring when a first-time Enobakhare volley from Marshall's deep cross drew a superb save from Slocombe and then Danny Batth headed the resulting corner over.

Barry Douglas came on for his first appearance in a month replacing Deslandes on the hour as Nuno searched for more quality in the final third.

Then a tiring Zyro was replaced by Cavaleiro up front and Connor Ronan replaced Marshall on 68 minutes.

But the changes didn't make an impact. In fact it was the Pirates who looking the more likely scorers during a productive spell for the next 10 minutes in which they hit the post via Marc Bola's excellent low shot which was saved by Norris' fingertips.

Wolves threatened sporadically in the closing stages with Enobakhare's low shot drawing a good save from Slocombe.

And then in stoppage time it opened up with Roderick Miranda's clipped shot bouncing off the crossbar and then Ellis Harrison firing wide from a good position for the visitors in what was the last chance of the 90 minutes.

With a fourth sub allowed in extra time Wolves sent on Donovan Wilson against his former club, replacing Rasmussen who'd had a tidy game on his debut with Ronan switching to right wing-back.

Extra time began with no action to speak of – and then Enobakhare finally broke the deadlock on 98 minutes. He took Douglas' low cross and beat Slocombe with a great finish from 15 yards. It was his first goal since his Wolves debut, 32 appearances ago in the same competition against Barnet in August 2015.

Immediately sloppy Wolves were almost pegged back, having to rely on the excellent Norris to push a Rory Gaffney shot against the bar. And then in the second period of extra time Norris produced more heroics when tipping Sercombe's thunderbolt over the bar before Dominic Telford sent a free header wide.

Wolves were hanging on towards the end but saw it through to progress with Rovers earning a very late red card when last man Lockyear brought down Wilson.

Key moments

14 – Two chances in a minute for Michal Zyro. First Ben Marshall dinks one over the top – Zyro chests down, turns and crashes a great effort over the bar from 20 yards. Then Sylvain Deslandes gets to the byline and crosses to the near post where the Pole shoots over from close range.

53 – Marshall's deep cross is met first time on the volley by Bright Enobakhare – it looks in but Sam Slocombe produces a stunning save to divert it behind.

72 – Arsenal Marc Bola comes closest to breaking the deadlock, crashing a low shot against the upright via the fingertips of Will Norris.

90 – A corner drops to Roderick Miranda whose improvised clipped shot loops up and against the crossbar.

98 – GOAL – A low Barry Douglas cross comes to Bright Enobakhare who takes a touch and finishes from 15 yards.

100 – Rory Gaffney's shot is pushed onto the bar by Norris.

119 – RED CARD – Donovan Wilson tries to run through on goal but Tom Lockyear brings him down and is sent off.

Line ups

Wolves (3-4-3): Norris; Batth (c), Coady, Miranda; Rasmussen (Wilson, 90), N'Diaye, Price, Deslandes (Douglas, 60); Marshall (Ronan, 68), Zyro (Cavaleiro, 68), Enobakhare. Subs: Burgoyne, Hause, Gibbs-White.

Goal: Enobakhare (98)

Bristol Rovers (4-3-3): Slocombe; Leadbitter (Partington, 97), Lockyer (c), Broadbent (Moore, 105), Bola; Sercombe, Lines, Clarke; Bodin, Harrison (Gaffney, 90), Nichols (Telford, 85). Subs: Smith, Brown, Sinclair.

Attendance: 12,740 (1,957 Bristol Rovers fans)

Referee: Tony Harrington (Cleveland)