Forest cut Wolves down to size...
NUNO Espirito Santo insisted it was a bad day at the office rather than the start of a wobble as his leaders were given an icy double blast by a highly organised Forest.
Kieran Dowell and Ben Osborn put the visitors in command within a three-minute spell just before the break and Wolves failed to even threaten a revival as they managed just one tame effort on target.
The Wolves manager said: “You talk about not winning in four games, I say it was 13 games without a defeat. It is my team, my responsibility, I must come up with the answers.
“We must improve, we have to bounce back as we have done after getting beaten this season.
“There is still a long way to go this season. Opponents may be changing the way they approach games against us – they are adapting.”
In Forest’s case that meant defending in numbers, but pressing effectively enough to knock Wolves out of their stride.
A team that has struggled to keep clean sheets all season scarcely looked in danger of conceding after Diogo Jota curled an adventurous ninth-minute shot just wide of Jordan Smith’s far post.
A half that combined bookings for three Forest defenders with occasional flashes of good passing football from both sides swung after Osborn’s 20-yard free-kick was deflected just wide.
Dowell drilled a low 25-yard effort that took a decisive deflection that wrong-footed John Ruddy for Forest’s opener. There was no hint of fortune about the second, however, as Matty Cash’s persistence on the right enabled Osborn to pick his spot with an emphatic shot from 15 yards into the roof of the net.
Romain Saiss smashed a shot high into the stands from the edge of the area to sum up the home side’s disappointing first half.
Wolves made a double change at the break but even the speedy thrusts of Helder Costa made little impression on a calm Forest back four.
Joe Worrall put his early yellow card for a scything lunge at Jota behind him by being first to every ball and his partner Michael Mancienne was almost equally impressive.
Danny Fox had a header tipped over by Ruddy and loan striker Ben Brereton continued to win free-kicks and niggle at the home defence’s nerves.
A lengthy Forest passing movement only added to the Molineux crowd’s frustration as they slumped to their first home defeat since August.
Forest thoroughly merited only their fourth league win on the road. They showed commendable composure on the ball and kept their defensive shape to such an extent that Smith was never extended.
Forest boss Aitor Karanka, who celebrated his first win in his new post, said: “Fighting for each other is the most important thing for me. To win here is really important but the performance was excellent and the supporters can be very proud of the players.
“It was good that we had the full week on the training ground. We worked hard on the opposition’s movement and we came here confident we could do something nice.
“The quality in the squad is very good. If the players are willing to work, we will improve.
“We were organised, we were fighting and supporting each other.”