Wolves managed to take a point in Saturday’s game with Nottingham Forest.
Wanderers had hoped to get things back on track after losing to both Newcastle United and Leeds United.
But it was a poor display at the City Ground.
Wolves were miles off it in the first-half, and fell behind to a strike from Brennan Johnson.
Wolves improved slightly after the break, but again struggled to break their opponents down.
Wanderers had the lion’s share of possession, but were unable to really test Keylor Navas.
Julen Lopetegui decided to throw on Daniel Podence at half-time to try and get some joy in the final third. And that paid off, with Podence striking an equaliser with around 10 minutes to go.
It was the only shot on target Wolves had in the whole game.
That was Podence’s sixth goal of the season, moving him one clear of Ruben Neves clear as Wolves’ outright top scorer.
Podence hasn’t quite been at the races in the last last few weeks. And he was even dropped from the matchday squad entirely against Tottenham Hotspur.
But he came in clutch against the Reds, and it is not the first time he has made a huge contribution for Wolves.
In Lopetegui’s first four Premier league games, he scored three goals. One came in the 2-1 win against Everton, one was an equaliser against Aston Villa and one was a winner against West Ham United.
Earlier in the season, he also the goal in the 1-0 win over Southampton.
And the £60,000-a-week star did score on the opening day against Leeds United. But that one didn’t count for anything as Wolves lost 2-1.
So that’s 11 points he’s helped Wolves to pick up.
He might be a source of frustration a lot of the time. But there is no denying how big a player he is for Wolves. And how much he will have contributed if Wolves stay up.
Daniel Podence is having a very impactful season for Wolves who’d be in serious trouble without him
Sometimes, Podence can have you tearing your hair out.
He has all the talent in the world, but is very prone to overplaying and trying fancy flicks that sometimes don’t come off.
Podence doesn’t always have a huge impact coming off the bench, with the game against Forest being a welcome exception.
But there is no denying how important he has been for Wolves this season.
Quite simply, without him, Wanderers would be in a world of trouble.
He has stepped up on several occasions now. And he’s had to, given the lack of goals that have come from the actual strikers.
If Wolves do stay up this season, he will have played a major part.