SLOPPY CARDIFF BLOW IT...TWICE!

Wolves let off by late penalty misses

IN the end, you get what you pay for, and that’s why Championship leaders Wolves could well clinch promotion to the Premier League in the next few days.

Their club- record signing Ruben Neves struck a brilliant free-kick last night to sink second place Cardiff and open up a nine-point gap at the top.

Yet it still took not one but two penalty misses in added time for Wolves to get across the line.

First goalkeeper John Ruddy dived to his left to turn away Gary Madine’s effort. And then when referee Mike Dean awarded another kick, Junior Hoillett hit the underside of the crossbar.

Neves, who cost £15.8million from Porto in one of the deals brokered by agent Jorge Mendes that has angered other Championshp clubs, made the difference with a brilliantly flighted shot after 67 minutes. t

From nearly 25 yards he floated the ball above Cardiff’s defensive wall and into the corner of the goal and though keeper Neil Etheridge got a fingertip to it he could do no more.

Yet even though the Wolves line-up cost £49m in transfers against a Cardiff side which didn’t have a single starting player for whom the Welsh club had forked out a fee, it still took that moment of Neves brilliance to make the difference.

If results go their way they could be certain of a return to the top flight after six seasons away when they play Derby at home on Wednesday night.

With so much at stake it wasn’t surprising the game got off to a hectic start and Etheridge had to produce two stunning saves in the first eight minutes.

First he tipped a long-range attempt from Romain Saiss round the post, and then when Cardiff didn’t really get the corner cleared he made an even better effort to keep out Jota’s shot from the edge of the box.

At the other end Sol Bamba headed wide from Hoilett’s corner while Kenneth Zohore’s shot was deflected narrowly the wrong side of the post.

Wolves captain Conor Coady was lucky to escape punishment for a horrible late tackle Ruddy marvel: Wolves goalkeeper John Ruddy is mobbed after Cardiff miss a second penalty at the death on Hoilett right in front of the earned his corn as he flung dugouts. himself to his left to keep out a

Neil Warnock shuffled his tactics brilliantly placed free-kick from and played a 4-4-2 system Wildschut that was heading for to try to cover the danger from the top corner. Wolves wide players. Wolves’ Brazilian striker Leo

Callum Paterson and Yanic Bonatini found himself cursing Wildschut stuck with rigid discipline his luck straight after the break to their roles keeping when he hit the post from a tabs on wing- backs Barry tight angle after cleverly catching Douglas and Matt Doherty, Etheridge off his line. while Bamba made a couple of It was his last meaningful last-ditch tackles to break up contribution as Wolves boss dangerous looking attacks. Nuno Espirito Santo then

And Cardiff should have hauled him off and brought on taken the led after 35 minutes £13m Helder Costa as if to when Hoilett dropped deep to emphasise the difference in look for the ball, and then transfer spend even further. played a great pass to find Joe Then came the Neves goal, Bennett who, snatched at the and though Cardiff flung everything chance and rolled it beyond they had in search of an the far post. equaliser it was that bit of quality

If Ruddy was given a bit of a which was enough to end let- off there, he immediately their 13-game unbeaten run.