Wolves are tending to the wounds inflicted by Nottingham Forest on match day 20 of the Premier League season.
All good things must come to an end, and for Vitor Pereira’s unbeaten start to life at Wolves, that’s just what happened on Monday night.
The manager suffered his first defeat since arriving, as Forest beat Wolves 3-0 at Molineux on a frosty night in the West Midlands.
It was a difficult fixture for the Old Gold, who were torn apart by Nuno Espirito Santo’s rampant side at any given opportunity.
Nuno Espirito Santo and Vitor Pereira praise Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels
Nuno and Pereira had competed against each other before Monday night although, the meeting represented their first in England.
The former Wolves boss gave the Old Gold a reminder of how attractive his style of play can be, exposing the squad’s weaknesses as Forest collected all three points.
Morgan Gibbs-White was cheeky after scoring against Wolves, celebrating in front of the South Bank before picking up the Man of the Match award.
While for former academy star took home the individual prize, both Pereira and Nuno agreed it could have been another figure.
Rarely do managers from different teams come together to agree on a single player’s performance, but that’s what happened when the two bosses evaluated the game.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Pereira waxed lyrical about the performance of Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels.
“We created chances but were missing the details to score. We need to give the merit to the goalkeeper because the goalkeeper of Nottingham today made some fantastic saves,” he said.
The Wolves manager’s praise was echoed by Nuno, who described the ‘keeper as a ‘huge’ strong point in his squad at the City Ground.
“We had luck with the save of Matz. Credit to him, it was a great save and it can change everything with that moment. He has been huge for us. He has been helping the team with these moments he has.”
Wolves have to bounce back from Forest defeat
Sels’ brilliance was great news for Forest, but unfortunate for Wolves, who for all their efforts, could not get past the visitors.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 14 |  West HamWest Ham | 20 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 24 | 39 | -15 | 23 |
| 15 |  Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace | 20 | 4 | 9 | 7 | 21 | 28 | -7 | 21 |
| 16 |  EvertonEverton | 19 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 15 | 25 | -10 | 17 |
| 17 |  WolvesWolves | 20 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 31 | 45 | -14 | 16 |
| 18 |  IpswichIpswich | 20 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 20 | 35 | -15 | 16 |
| 19 |  LeicesterLeicester | 20 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 23 | 44 | -21 | 14 |
Wolves recorded more shots on goal than Nuno’s side however, their efforts stood for nothing, as Forest left with three goals and three points.
The result leaves the Old Gold narrowly above the relegation zone, level on points with Ipswich Town in 18th.
There’s a long way to go, with the hope that the January transfer window can provide Pereira with some added inspiration.