Wolves 2 Norwich City 2 – Report and pictures

Wolves took an early lead when Diogo Jota's shot deflected over the line for an own goal and Alfred N'Diaye made it 2-0 soon after when heading home a corner.

Norwich almost immediately pulled one back through Christoph Zimmermann and thereafter it was an even encounter until Nelson Oliveira fired an injury-time equaliser from long range.

Analysis

At this stage of the season all that matters is points, not performances.

But unfortunately Wolves ticked neither box after a disappointing evening, writes Wolves correspondent Tim Spiers.

They were far from at their best at an edgy Molineux against impressive, probing opposition who put up far more of a fight than they did at Carrow Road, as Daniel Farke predicted they would.

As against QPR in their last Molineux outing, Wolves contributed to this uneasy 90 minutes with some questionable defending, yet again conceding from a set piece but also by being nervous and haphazard and, more importantly, defending too deep.

It looked as though they'd got away with it. At 2-1 up and with the three added minutes having been completed it was all-but over but one last swing of the boot from Nelson Oliveira saw Norwich nick the latest of points.

They certainly deserved it. Wolves never looked comfortable during a tetchy second half. Nuno made a couple of tweaks to his trusty formation and Wolves were disjointed, with Ivan Cavaleiro rather puzzlingly withdrawn before the hour was up.

Morgan Gibbs-White injected incessant positivity during a fantastic cameo but after Cavaleiro and also Alfred N'Diaye left the field Wolves lacked dominance and composure and perhaps it was only a matter of time before Norwich scored their deserved equaliser.

Wolves throwing away a two-goal lead is about as rare as a chicken burger at KFC but that's what they contrived to do here.

Their lead remains oh-so handsome thanks to Derby slipping up again, with 13 points the gap to third-placed Villa. Not even a South African cricketer called Devon Loch would choke from here, surely? After Saturday's very testing trip to in-form Fulham, which Wolves will undertake without the suspended Ruben Neves, the picture may be even clearer.

Match report

For the fifth match in a row Nuno named an unchanged XI, meaning there was no recall for Romain Saiss who remained on an unchanged bench.

Norwich had 10-goal Wolves target James Maddison in their line-up and showed three changes from the side that dramatically claimed a derby point against Ipswich in the 94th minute on Sunday.

Wolves may have been hoping those derby exertions would have had Norwich flagging, but after a tepid start to the match the Canaries were presented with a golden chance to take the lead when Harrison Reed got in behind Willy Boly, but he sent his lob over the crossbar.

Ruthless Wolves punished Daniel Farke's team within seconds. Ruben Neves found Diogo Jota who beat his man, raced into the box and fired towards the corner – keeper Angus Gunn made a great save but inadvertently pushed the ball onto Jemal Lewis whose touch took the ball over the line for an own goal.

Wolves grew in confidence. Neves beautifully dinked the ball over two defenders, a Cavaleiro cross caused havoc and Barry Douglas sent a wicked 25-yarder just wide of the post.

The hosts were in control and on 25 minutes it was 2-0. Douglas provided his 10th assist of the season, taking him level at the top of the Championship charts alongside his team mate Cavaleiro, with a now trademark whipped inswinging corner which Alfred N'Diaye met at the near post to send a bullet header past Gunn for his second goal in three games.

Despite there not being half an hour on the clock it looked like a cakewalk would ensue. Not so.

Within two minutes Norwich had halved the deficit when Christoph Zimmermann replicated N'Diaye's run and header, this time from a James Maddison free kick to the left of the area, and beat Ruddy.

That was a warning sign for Wolves who were functional at best in what was a tepid first half performance. There were flashes of brilliance, mostly from Helder Costa who took every opportunity to try and dance past the purple-shirted Norwich defenders down Wolves' right flank, but otherwise there was little in terms of the electrifying creativity Wolves have displayed in recent weeks.

A Maddison shot troubled Ruddy just before the break and that was that for the half.

Nuno changed things up at half time, replacing Costa with Saiss and tweaking the system slightly with the Moroccan and N'Diaye forming a trio ahead of the deeper Neves and Cavaleiro and Costa both playing more centrally up front.

Norwich began to enjoy more possession but it was Wolves who next went close to scoring when Cavaleiro sidefooted inches past the post from Doherty's cut-back after a flowing move also involving N'Diaye, who was regularly bombing up and down the pitch with the heart of a lion.

Nuno called for Benik Afobe on 59 minutes, replacing Cavaleiro, however the change seemed to take the spark from Wolves' play and Norwich wrestled back the momentum, playing some decent football in and around the Wolves box and creating a good chance which Marley Watkins spurned when he fired straight at Ruddy.

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Nuno reacted again by taking off the impressive but tiring N'Diaye, sending on the exuberant Morgan Gibbs-White with 20 minutes to go and the youngster was arguably the standout performer of the closing stages.

With Wolves sitting too deep and lacking their usual zest in what was by now a disjointed formation, the academy graduate was an incessantly positive presence breaking from midfield.

He should have sealed the win too with seven minutes left, racing in on goal after a mistake by Zimmermann but he couldn't get a shot away and also refused to go down when appearing to be tripped by the desperate defender.

At the other end Wolves looked far from comfortable, particularly when Maddison was running at them, and were often sat too deep inviting pressure.

The 21-year-old ooked to have spurned the last chance of the game when he raced into the box before drawing a fine low save from Ruddy in injury time.

But with the clock showing 93 minutes, three having been added on, Nelson Oliveira let fly from range and the bouncing ball beat Ruddy at his near post to stun Molineux into silence.

It was the penultimate kick of the game. But Norwich had earned their point.

Key moments

13 – Harrison Reed is in behind the Wolves defence but sends a lob over John Ruddy's bar.

14 – GOAL – And just seconds later Diogo Jota takes a Ruben Neves pass, turns the defender and races into the box – his shot is saved onto the leg of Jemal Lewis whose touch takes the ball just over the line.

25 – GOAL – A whipped Barry Douglas inswinging corner is met by ALFRED N'DIAYE at the near post and his header beats Angus Gunn.

27 – GOAL – James Maddison's free kick from the left of the area is headed across goal and in by CHRISTOPH ZIMMERMANN.

82 – Huge chance for Morgan Gibbs-White who is through on goal but after he twists his man twice he can't get a shot away.

93 – GOAL – NELSON OLIVEIRA lets fly from range and it bounces past Ruddy at his near post.

Teams

Wolves (3-4-3): John Ruddy; Bennett, Coady (c), Boly; Doherty, N'Diaye (Gibbs-White, 69), Neves, Douglas; Costa (Saiss, 45), Jota, Cavaleiro (Afobe, 59). Subs: Norris, Batth, Miranda, Bonatini.

Goals: Lewis (OG, 14), N'Diaye (25)

Norwich (3-4-1-2): Gunn; Hanley, Zimmermann, Klose; Reed, Vrancic (Hernandez, 83), Leitner, Lewis; Maddison; Watkins (Murphy, 83), Srbeny (Oliveira, 68). Subs: McGovern, Husband, Raggett, Tettey.

Goals: Zimmermann (27), Oliveira (93)

Attendance: 29,100 (624 Norwich fans)

Referee: James Linington (Newport)

League position

1st (73 points from 33 matches