SHINING STAR JOTA CHOPS DOWN FOREST
WOLVES roared into joint leadership of the Championship with young Portuguese star Jota’s two goals.
He now has four in just over a week as Wolves have caught early leaders Leeds, lying behind them only on goal difference.
Jota, 20, got the winner against Millwall last Saturday, put Wolves ahead in the exciting midweek draw with Bristol City and chipped in with two more in this one.
Back in December Jota was putting a goal past Leicester City in Porto’s 5-0 Champions League rout. Nine months on, his first goal against Nottingham Forest was a simple tap-in, his second nine minutes from time, harder won. But both were significant as Wolves took advantage of Leeds’ upset defeat at Millwall.
“I was very pleased with the work of the boys, the way we managed the game,” said Wolves head coach Nuno.
“From minute one we controlled the opponents. Nottingham Forest are a good team but we were able to control that and take the game the way we wanted it.
“We were always threatening but always organised. Well done.”
Jota, on loan from Atletico Madrid, also got his goalkeeper John Ruddy off the hook for his mistake that gave Forest an equaliser.
Ruddy was anticipating a cross from substitute Mustapha Carayol 15 minutes from time as Wolves defended their lead, but Carayol conned him. Looking up he saw Ruddy out of his goal and slammed a 25yarder into where the keeper should have been protecting his goal.
It put life into Forest, who had lacked any bite until that point.
“It is getting better. There is time for the boys to grow,” said Nuno of Wolves closing on Leeds. “They are playing football they enjoy, but at the same time we have to be very aggressive, we have to be consistent.”
With £47m spent on players in an ambitious and expensive bid to get out of the Championship, Wolves ought to be confident of going up. But by half-time their creative football hadn’t brought a goal, the best moment coming when Leo Bonatini cracked a fierce eight-yard shot that would have been a cert for the back of the Trent End net had Joe Worrall not deflected it away.
Within 90 seconds of the second half Wolves were attacking again and this time broke through. Ivan Cavaleiro sliced into Forest’s defence with an angled pass from the right that Jota was on to at the far post to put in from a few yards.
It looked like enough to win the game until Ruddy gave Forest his helping hand, but Wolves were good enough to come back from that as well.
A raid straight down the middle after Forest midfielder Ben Osborn had given the ball away ended with Bonatini’s pass setting up Jota to drive in.
Referee Geoff Eltringham did well to wave play on when Matt Mills clattered Bonatini – he booked him later – and it brought a class finish from Jota.
“It was nip and tuck, a game of chess in the first half and we knew we had to come out and be tight again,” said Forest manager Mark Warburton.
“If you give the ball away, Wolves can punish you because they have talented players and within two minutes we give away another soft goal.
“We were back in the game with Carayol’s goal but again we are loose with the passing. And you get punished.”