Norwich City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers. Sky Bet Championship.
Carrow RoadAttendance26,554.
Tuesday 31 October 2017 23:25, UK
Wolves moved back to the top of the Sky Bet Championship table after turning in an impressive performance to beat Norwich 2-0 at Carrow Road.
French defender Willy Boly nodded home his first goal for the club from a corner after 18 minutes to open the scoring before Leo Bonatini made the points safe with a smart finish midway through the second period.
With morning leaders Sheffield United losing 1-0 at QPR the visitors moved two points clear at the summit while a fifth home game without a win left the Canaries stranded in mid-table.
Both sides went into the match with a point to prove after disappointing results at the weekend. The Canaries had slipped to their first defeat in eight league games at the hands of Derby at Carrow Road while Wolves had gone down by the same 2-1 scoreline at QPR.
The visitors had an early sight of goal, with record signing Ruben Neves seeing a shot from just outside the box tipped wide by Angus Gunn. The recalled Mario Vrancic then fired over for the hosts and Marley Watkins grazed the woodwork with a header from a James Maddison free-kick but it was Wolves who opened the scoring in the 18th minute after forcing a corner.
When the ball came over big defender Boly rose to head home low into the net to record his first goal for the club since his loan move from FC Porto during the summer.
Both sides were struggling to carve out clear-cut chances in a tight opening period. It was Wolves who had the edge in terms of possession, although it took a good block from Boly to thwart Maddison after the highly-rated midfielder had worked himself some space on the edge of the box.
Alfred N'Diaye shot straight at Gunn after a quick Wolves break at the start of the second half while at the other end former Norwich keeper John Ruddy saved well from a Watkins header.
Cameron Jerome's shot was then blocked by Connor Coady but it was the visitors who took command by scoring their second in the 72nd minutes. The Canaries were punished for failing to clear their lines at a free-kick as former Norwich defender Ryan Bennett laid the ball off to Bonatini who found the back of the net with a well struck drive.
Maddison fired a free-kick straight at the wall after being fouled just outside the box as the hosts mounted a late charge, while Timm Klose headed just wide, but Nuno Espirito Santo's side held firm to record a deserved win.
Daniel Farke: "Normally I am very sad and annoyed and try to figure out the factors behind our defeat. This is very easy. We have to accept we faced an opponent with a very high quality, with bigger quality than us. They were the better team, although it is annoying that we conceded two goals from set pieces.
"Yes, we could defend this situation better and for that they had the chance to sit back. They are so good on counters and with the quality of their offensive players it is impossible to control all the counter attacks. They have an unbelievable quality for this division."
Nuno: "I'm happy with the performance of the boys, definitely. First, the reaction - it was important to bounce back from what happened the previous game. It's important in these moments of the season how you perform and when. It must be every game and at every stadium.
"The boys did that so well done to them. Thanks to our fans for coming a long way and helping the boys. The first step the boys did is to assume the last game was not 'the way'. We took this step together, got up together and stood up together, it was good."
