Cardiff City 0 Wolves 1 – Report

A tight first half saw both teams exchange good opportunities with Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota going close early on for Wolves, while John Ruddy superbly tipped Yanic Wildschut's free kick wide at the other end.

Ruben Neves scored a beautiful free kick to put Wolves 1-0 up and they looked set to see it through comfortably.

But incredibly Cardiff wasted two penalties in injury time – the first saved by John Ruddy and the second smacked against the bar by Junior Hoilett.

Analysis

What a special team this is...what an incredible season they're having. They're pretty unique in a lot of way and the way they won this was certainly that.

Wolves as good as won promotion and the league title with the most astonishing end to a football match you could ever witness, writes Tim Spiers at the Cardiff City Stadium.

It had looked fitting that the best and most expensive player in the league had edged the biggest game of the season between its two top teams.

Ruben Neves only scores worldies and this latest dream strike – his fifth from outside the box, keeping up his 100 per cent record – was the most important of all.

With 68 minutes on the clock Wolves would almost certainly have taken the 0-0 scoreline they were then presented with, but Neves had other ideas.

Minutes after shanking a 25-yard free kick he found his range in typical Neves style, i.e. with the utmost class and elegance, to send a perfect shot into the corner past a helpless goalkeeper and spark jubilant scenes in the away end that will live long in the memory.

However those scenes were to be topped by the scarcely believable drama that unfolded in five minutes of added time.

First Conor Coady fouled Anthony Pilkington and referee Mike Dean gave a spot kick – up stepped Gunnarsson but John Ruddy instantly made himself a hero with a phenomenal save.

It looked done and dusted but two minutes later Cavaleiro brought down Gunnarsson...another penalty said Dean at an astonished stadium. It was Hoilett this time...but he smacked it against the bar, the final whistle blew and the whole squad, staff and supporters celebrated like they'd won the league. They surely have.

This was a clash of styles and philosophies, with Cardiff lacking subtlety but asking questions of Wolves at regular intervals. Wolves stuck to their principles too and it looked as if the opposing ideologies would cancel each other out.

Then Neves, as he has so often this season, took Wolves to another level and proved the difference.

With a nine-point lead over the Bluebirds and 14 over third-placed Fulham, who play at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, that's surely that for promotion?

What a way to seal it if so. Absolutely unforgettable.

Match report

Nuno sprang a big surprise with his team selection, starting both Leo Bonatini and Benik Afobe with Helder Costa and Ivan Cavaleiro dropping to the bench.

The suspension-free Ruben Neves and Matt Doherty also returned at the expense of Alfred N'Diaye and Roderick Miranda.

Cardiff came into the game on an unbeaten run stretching back to New Year's Day and in front of one of their biggest crowds in recent years the atmosphere was rocking before kick off.

The contest was one of the most hotly anticipated of the season and the opening minutes certainly didn't disappoint.

Cardiff bullied Wolves in the return fixture last August but it was Conor Coady who set the early tone here with a crunching tackle on Junior Hoilett that almost sent the winger into Swansea.

A helter skelter first few minutes saw big chances for both teams. In opportunities that reflected the intentions for both teams Sol Bamba got up well to head a corner just wide for Cardiff and then Ruben Neves sent an achingly gorgeous 30-yarder to the top corner, with Neil Etheridge tipping wide.

Wolves had their tails up and the ball broke kindly for Diogo Jota 18 yards out, with his shot again forcing Etheridge into a good save.

Wolves were enjoying a huge amount of possession and deep-lying Cardiff seemed content to let them have it.

Wing backs Doherty and Barry Douglas were being closely marked and the front three, perhaps predictably, looked like they'd never played together before with a lack of give-and-gos meaning Wolves struggled to get in behind the home back line.

Cardiff's defensive setup and Callum Paterson marking Douglas meant Willy Boly had acres of space in front of him and he saw plenty of the ball in what soon became a rather scrappy game of chess at a packed stadium.

Up to the final third Wolves were fine but that creativity and spark just wasn't there. Not that the 0-0 half time scoreline was a problem.

Cardiff did twice come close towards the end of the half though, with Joe Bennett getting in down the left and playing across goal and wide, before John Ruddy did superbly to save Yanic Wildschut's excellent free kick.

There were no changes at half time but within minutes of the restart Wolves were inches away from taking the lead. Afobe slipped in Bonatini with a superb pass, the Brazilian rounded the keeper and from an impossibly tight angle on the right side-footed against the upright.

However that was to be Bonatini's last major contribution. With his touch or hold-up play not up to scratch Nuno replaced him with Costa and put Afobe down the middle on 58 minutes.

Cavaleiro came on for a tiring Jota as Nuno looked to inject some life into Wolves' attacking play, with the game becoming a bit staid.

They won a central free kick 25 yards out – perfect Ruben Neves territory – which the Portuguese maestro sent into row Z.

However just three minutes later from a slightly different angle to the left but Cardiff were expecting a repeat they were sadly mistaken. Up stepped Neves to curl a beauty into the corner, past Etheridge at his near post, to send 3,000 Wolves fans into ecstasy.

Cardiff reverted to plan A with long throws and set pieces carrying their biggest threat, but Wolves held firm and N'Diaye replaced Afobe to try and see the game through.

They did so with largely minimal fuss despite the aerial bombardment. The closest Cardiff came was with a Gunnarsson rocket from range which whistled wide.

Wolves should have sealed it through Costa who somehow shot wide when in on goal.

It should have mattered not but Cardiff, in one of football's great rarities, earned not one but two injury time penalties...and spurned them both.

It was an astonishing end to a fascinating match that will live long in the memory.

Key moments

4 – Sol Bamba jumps highest to head a Cardiff corner just wide from close range.

7 – Ruben Neves unleashes a 30-yard beauty that Neil Etheridge pushes wide at full stretch.

8 – And now the ball breaks for Diogo Jota 18 yards out – he shoots right-footed and the keeper saves again.

35 – Joe Bennett gets in behind Matt Doherty and Ryan Bennett and sidefoots across goal and inches past the far post.

37 – Yanic Wildschut's pinpoint long range free kick is superbly tipped wide by John Ruddy.

49 – Benik Afobe plays Leo Bonatini in on goal – he rounds the keeper and hits the post from a really tight angle on the right.

68 – GOAL – RUBEN NEVES beats Etheridge with a 25-yard free kick into the corner to put Wolves 1-0 up.

85 – Costa somehow shoots wide when in on goal.

93 – Coady fouls Pilkington but John Ruddy saves the penalty.

95 – It's another penalty after Cavaleiro fouls Gunnarsson but Hoilett steps up and hits the bar.

Teams

Cardiff City (4-3-3): Etheridge; Peltier, Morrison (c), Bamba, Bennett; Gunnarsson, Bryson, Paterson (Mendez-Laing, 51); Hoilett, Zohore (Pilkington, 84), Wildschut (Madine, 71). Subs: Murphy, Manga, Damour, Traore.

Wolves (3-4-3): John Ruddy; Bennett, Coady (c), Boly; Doherty, Saiss, Neves, Douglas; Afobe (N'Diaye, 78), Bonatini (Costa, 58), Jota (Cavaleiro, 66). Subs: Norris, Batth, Hause, Gibbs-White.

Goals: Neves (68)

Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)

League position

1st (89 points from 41 matches)