Neil Critchley is desperate for Jordan Rhodes to stay at Blackpool after the veteran striker bagged two goals in their 3-0 win against Carlisle.

Rhodes signed on a season-long loan from Huddersfield last summer but the Terriers have the option to recall him next month.

Rhodes is bang in form and took his season’s tally to 13 on Saturday, while Huddersfield need all the help they can get in their battle against relegation from the Championship.

No decision has been taken but manager Critchley is determined to make the most of the 33-year-old and has urged his young forwards to learn all they can after he scored twice in the second half.

“I felt we were comfortable and the second goal was a real bit of quality from Jordan. That settled us down and we were comfortable,” said Critchley.

“We watch Jordan and try and learn from him and he’s a good example to our strikers who have not had his career. They should be aspiring to achieve what he’s done.

“His positioning inside the penalty box and his patience, his movement, cleverness and ability to finish off both feet or his head is outstanding. We’re delighted he’s here and we really want that to continue for the year.”

The Seasiders went ahead through Andy Lyons, who chipped Tomas Holy after the Carlisle goalkeeper fumbled a cross.

Blackpool dominated and deservedly added a second when Rhodes reacted quickest to a rebound in the box.

The Scottish striker then took his tally to 13 for the season with a clinical finish late on.

“It was a good finish from Andy Lyons and good cross for the second goal, it was a good all-round team performance,” Critchley added.

“When teams come here and want to frustrate you, it becomes doubly difficult. The first goal can be crucial, and we got it.”

Carlisle were toothless as they succumbed to their 11th league defeat of the season.

Alfie McDermott and Jordan Gibson had their best chances but they were comfortably outplayed and manager Paul Simpson admits they do not have the quality required at this level.

“There was a difference there,” he said.

“I’m really disappointed with our performance, but it’s not through a lack of effort. It’s through a lack of quality – that’s my opinion on it.

“We’ve been poor on the ball today, poor in our decision-making, but I think they’ve tried to do the right things. That’s the base we should expect.

“We’re short. We have to get through to January and it’s as simple as that.

“Everybody has to react in the right way and we’ve got two home games coming up that we have to do properly.”

Alex Neil admits he is “letting down” Stoke owner John Coates after substitute Anthony Musaba’s stoppage-time winner for revitalised Sheffield Wednesday heaped more pressure on City’s beleaguered boss.

Musaba’s 91st-minute goal lifted the Owls off the foot of the Championship table and inflicted a fourth successive defeat on Neil’s side.

Ryan Mmaee also saw a second-half penalty saved by Cameron Dawson as the Owls gained a first away win of the campaign, making it seven points from a possible nine.

Furious Stoke supporters chanted ‘sacked in the morning’  as Wednesday followers hailed the latest achievement of German manager Danny Rohl.

“John has been nothing but supportive to me since I have been here,” said Neil. “He is one of the best owners in the game.

“I feel at the moment I have let John down and that is probably the sorest thing for me. I came here to do well but ultimately of late we have not won enough games.

“I need to take my medicine and get on with it. I can assure everyone I am doing my best and utmost to make the right decisions.

“I feel at the moment every decision I am making is going the wrong way. When people describe things as a lonely place being a manager, this probably epitomised it.

“But everything is salvageable. We are not even at Christmas yet,” added Neill who reiterated his midweek declaration he would rather die than quit.

However, he added: “This is my hardest job to this point. But it makes me more determined to double down and try to see it through. Ultimately, that is not going to be my decision.”

Neil admitted Dawson’s spot-kick save was the turning point of a largely disappointing game between two teams at the wrong end of the second tier.

“We didn’t take the opportunity and somehow we managed to throw the game away and lose it. That has been a common theme far too often.”

Wednesday are now unbeaten in three and Rohl smiled: “It is fantastic at the moment but there is a long way to go.

“It was a tough one to get something here. But I told my players we had firstly to stay in the game and then there will be the right time to be more offensive and attack them more.

“We had a fantastic moment and it (the penalty save) was a key moment for us.

“In the past it hasn’t always been easy for Cameron. He has had some negative voices against him but he saved a point against Leicester and was the hero of the key moment.”

Rohl also had praise for match-winner Musaba.

He said: “I always believe in my players. He has missed some chances in the past but he was the guy who decided the game.

“It is always disappointing for players when they are not in the starting XI. But I told them to be ready Everyone is understanding what it means to be part of a team. It is not a one-man show. We believe in what we are doing.”

Victory lifted Wednesday off the foot of the table and Rohl added: “It is a small step but it is a huge step also and our confidence is growing more and more,.”

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder admitted his first win back in charge was “emotional” after beating Brentford 1-0 at Bramall Lane.

The decisive moment came on the stroke of half-time when James McAtee superbly curled into the top corner for his first Premier League goal.

Wilder’s side had chances to put the game to bed through Anis Slimane, who saw his one-on-one effort saved by Mark Flekken before lashing another effort into the side-netting.

Bramall Lane celebrated victory after Stuart Attwell blew for full-time after a late handball call to earn United their second success of the season.

Wilder was glad to get his first win out of the way on his return to the club.

He said: “It was really emotional because that first win is huge for everybody.

“I’d have been desperately disappointed (if Sheffield United conceded) for the amount of effort they’ve put in.

“The word we use is suffer and the club has had to suffer this season, nationally we know what the narrative is, we are not daft, we listen to pundits and commentators about certain aspects. It’s our job to change that.”

Wilder felt his side could have sealed victory in the second half but spurned opportunities which gave the visitors a chance of an equaliser.

He added: “The only disappointing thing is we didn’t put the game to bed and we’ve all been in that position.

“We took a step into them and then we had to suffer at the end of the second half to put our bodies on the line and keep the ball out of the net and that’s the most simplistic way of doing it.

“It’s a quick turnaround especially with the amount of energy we put into the game and the emotional energy with what’s happened this week with the manager leaving and what that does to players and staff.”

Brentford top scorer Bryan Mbeumo picked up an ankle injury in their midweek defeat to Brighton and boss Thomas Frank admitted his presence was missed.

He said: “Of course he was a big miss.

“Take any of the top producers out of any of the top sides and they will also feel it but it is what it is and it is up to me to find solutions for it.

“We are trying and sometimes it doesn’t succeed the first time, hopefully we get another chance on Sunday (against Aston Villa).”

Vincent Kompany said Burnley will need more outstanding individual performances in order to survive in the Premier League after goalkeeper James Trafford put in a superb display in his team’s 1-1 draw against Brighton at the Amex Stadium.

The visitors took the lead against the run of play courtesy of a brilliant strike from Wilson Odobert, taking advantage as three Brighton players stood off him and unleashing a wicked drive that nicked off James Milner and flew over goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen into the top corner.

At that stage, Trafford had already saved well from Milner and Pascal Gross, and he continued to repel the home side’s attempts to claw the game back, racing from his goal to keep out Simon Adingra with a sprawling block in the second half.

Burnley were finally breached when Adingra nodded in a cross from the excellent Gross minutes later, but Trafford would save his best until last, first showing outstanding reflexes to beat away a header from substitute Jack Hinshelwood in stoppage time before flinging himself towards the top corner to somehow fingertip Karou Mitoma’s volley over the bar.

“The game demanded it at the end,” said Kompany. “You don’t come to these places and get a result without moments like this.

“It’s in the bank for him (Trafford), in terms of having come through this. He needs to keep working on becoming the best he can be. We’re very fortunate to have two very good goalkeepers.

“His season has been no different to everyone else in the team. He’s improved throughout the season, shown good signs. He’s been more and more consistent and ultimately at this level consistency is the key word.

“We have more and more players who perform at a consistent level. In games like today, without someone having an outstanding performance, you never get results.”

Burnley were seeking just their second away win of the season but despite defending bravely after taking the lead they were left to rue more dropped points on the road, though the gap to Everton in 17th place has been cut to two points.

“We’re not at a level yet where we can compete every week with teams like Brighton on an equal level,” said Kompany.

“There’s a tremendous belief in me that the club is going in the right direction.

“Our biggest, unique strength is it’s an elite club in terms of the attitude, the standard and the habits. I would put us against anybody. The amount of belief and resilience we’ve got. It’s a special club that really lives.

“It’s not for no reason that after such a tough start, you still see progression, you still see people getting better. That won’t stop.”

Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi reflected that there is still a way to go before his side can consider themselves amongst the league’s top bracket.

“I consider my team a very good team, I have big, big confidence,” he said.

“There isn’t anyone more than me who believes in my players. But we are not a top team yet, because a top team wins today, against Sheffield (United) and against Fulham (both games finished 1-1 at the Amex).

“Winning these three games, we would be third in the table. These three games, we played very well, and we deserved to win.

“Why didn’t we win these three games? Maybe because we are not a top team yet. Maybe the coach of Brighton is not a top, top coach yet.”

QPR boss Marti Cifuentes insists he never doubted Chris Willock would rediscover his best form.

The rejuvenated Willock scored the opener in Rangers’ 2-0 win at home to Hull – a thumping strike from near the edge of the penalty area.

It was his third goal in as many matches and his team’s third win in a row.

They have lost just one of their six matches since Cifuentes replaced the sacked Gareth Ainsworth.

Previously Rangers’ talisman, Willock was shunned by Ainsworth while fellow playmaker Ilias Chair, who scored the all-important second goal against the Tigers, also found the going tough under the former boss.

“He (Willock) showed the quality he has. But I’m not surprised – I said from day one that Chris and Ilias will be very important for us,” said Cifuentes.

“I’m pleased about Chris recovering a smile, because I felt he was a bit low on confidence.

“That was very natural when a player has not been playing for a while. Now he is playing at a level where it’s not easy to take the ball from him and he’s also working hard when we don’t have the ball.

“He’s starting to be decisive for us in the last third and I think he is a player that, with his quality and potential, he can score more than he has done earlier in his career.”

Asked how he has helped Willock get back to his best, Cifuentes replied: “Give him minutes and give him confidence. And give him game scenarios where we think he is going to be good.

“It’s not a secret. If you have good players and you put them on the ball and put them high up the pitch, then things are going to happen. When those players are close to the goal it’s difficult to stop them.”

Hull boss Liam Rosenior admitted his team were punished for their mistakes.

Willock’s goal, scored in first-half stoppage time, came after the visitors had lost possession.

Back-to-back defeats have seen the Tigers drop out of the play-off places following an excellent start to the campaign.

And Rosenior said: “We’ve made a lot of progress, but the next step for this team is to be pragmatic in key moments and understand the context of the game.

“At that point of the game we had complete control and then gave them a goal. It was a great finish from Willock but it comes from our possession.

“A goal just before half-time changes everything in terms of QPR’s confidence levels and energy from the crowd.”

The second goal came after Hull keeper Ryan Allsop had been pressured by Sinclair Armstrong, with Willock collecting the resulting loose ball and teeing up Chair for a cool finish.

Rosenior said: “I ask my team to play, but at that moment we’re on top – just kick the ball and if it goes out for a throw-in then we reorganise and get control of the game again.

“What I will never do is blame players for mistakes. But what I will do is demand from them that we learn from the mistakes.

“There’s so much good in the way we play, if we iron out those mistakes then we’re in a really good place.

“This is the understanding of where we are as a team. We’re a young team that have to learn on the job. But the basis of our play is very good.”

Huddersfield manager Darren Moore say his side were left “kicking themselves” after being held to a 1-1 draw by Bristol City.

Delano Burgzorg opened the scoring for the hosts but Tommy Conway equalised in the second half.

Moore said: “They were difficult conditions for both teams. Both sides liked to get the ball down and play, considering it got worse in the second half we’re obviously pleased to get the breakaway goal with what we did.

“We grew into the game. I think David Kasumu did some incredible work to get up the pitch and then have the composure to pick Delano Burgzorg out.

“I said we’ll probably kick ourselves in the second half. For their goal, we chose the wrong decisions on the ball and they were able to capitalise on it.

“As the conditions worsened, we had to show a lot of resilience. One or two of our players ran out of gas, which we expected. Credit to the subs who came on, who dug in and saw us through.

“For the goal to come in the manner it did, at the time we were playing well in good areas. For it to come so early in the second half, it gave them momentum.

“We had to be solid off the ball and we had to exploit areas when we were on the ball. When the equaliser went in the impetus and momentum fell with them.”

Burgzorg struck after a devastating first-half counter-attack spearheaded by the impressive Kasumu, who picked the ball up in his own half and drove 40 yards forward before sliding in Burgzorg to score.

Conway capped off a tidy move for the Robins straight after the break, slotting home Andreas Weimann’s precise cross to equalise after Rob Dickie had found Weimann wide on the left with a defence-splitting ball.

City manager Liam Manning said: “From our perspective it was a frustrating game.

“We created two terrific chances in the first two minutes and especially in the first 20 minutes we had some real control.

“Huddersfield were extremely well organised. Despite us having control for that 20 minutes, we were always vulnerable.

“We were frustrated and disappointed to give away the goal. With the manner of the goal it was such a big momentum shift. There were a couple of tweaks we needed to make out of possession but on the whole the first half was what I wanted to see.

“We had some stern words at half-time. We’ve given too many goals away recently that have been on us. For all the good play you have to have a ruthless edge and that’s at both ends.

“Of course some people would think that means creating and scoring goals, but that also means being ruthless in the control you have in the game so you can’t give up counter-attacking opportunities, which they scored from.

“I was delighted with the response we got at half-time. The second half didn’t fall quite tactically as we wanted it to but we carried on balancing the emotional side to the tactical side.

“Darren’s side play with great honesty and hard work. Well organised and set up too, he does a terrific job of that.”

Paul Warne could not contain his delight after watching his Derby side complete a comfortable 3-0 League One win at 10-man Leyton Orient, their first victory at Brisbane Road since the 1964-65 season.

The Rams had gone ahead in the first half with a sublime strike from Louie Sibley before Orient defender Brandon Cooper was sent off for elbowing James Collins.

After the interval, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and substitute Tom Barkhuizen netted one apiece to earn the visitors their fifth-successive league win as they moved up a spot to fifth.

“Obviously I’m very pleased,” Warne said. “We’re in it to win games of course and it’s good to see the lads in good fettle.

“They are good friends on and off the pitch and I think the team plays better when you have that in the dressing room. We have real confidence and you need that to win games and I thought we were handsome for the win.

“It was a really good day at the office. We could have played better in parts of the game but it’s all about winning so when you come away from home and keep a clean sheet and win then I don’t think you can have too many complaints as a manager.

“I liked the fact we won the game, scored three goals and created lots of chances.

“Our third one was a counter-attack from their corner and I enjoyed seeing six of my players running like the wind to get on the end of it. We were pretty solid and energetic but to be successful we need to be striving to the next level.

Orient coach Matt Harrold reflected: “I thought that we started the game great and things happened in the first 10 minutes which we worked on in training where we were on the front foot and everything was OK.

“But then they score a goal – probably against the run of play – and at the minute things are going against us and so it’s kind of where we are at the moment.

“Last week we were poor at Chesterfield but I thought we put on a good performance today but we’re giving ourselves a mountain to climb by conceding a goal and then losing a player to a red card which has a big bearing on the result.

“At two-nil down, we score one but have it ruled out for offside and then Derby score a third where we just not good enough and it’s those details against good teams where we have to be much, much better.”

Harrold had no complaints about the dismissal of Cooper.

“At the time I wasn’t sure as my view was the other side but having watched our red card again, I don’t think we can have any complaints and it doesn’t look good on the video,” he admitted.

Dino Maamria was sacked as Burton manager following his side’s 2-1 defeat to promotion-chasing Stevenage.

Deji Oshilaja gave Albion a seventh-minute lead, converting the rebound after Joe Powell’s penalty was saved by Taye Ashby-Hammond.

But Kane Hemmings struck against his former side on the stroke of half-time and Jamie Reid kept his cool from the penalty spot to condemn Burton to a fifth defeat in six winless games in League One.

That run has seen Burton slip down the table, with Maamria leaving them in 19th place, four points above the relegation zone.

A statement from chairman Ben Robinson read: “Dino Maamria has been relieved of his first-team duties with immediate effect.”

Maamria performed his post-match media duties but was in sombre and reflective mood of not only the game but his time at the club before learning of his departure.

“I thought we started well in very tough conditions,” Maamria said.

“We dealt with a number of long balls and then went ahead, deservedly, I thought and then last minute of the half we switch off at the back post and then they score to go in at half time one-one.

“Second goal it comes from a poor throw out and their players pick it up. KB (Kwadwo Baah) is trying to get back in position but they get a penalty.

“It is tough to take. Ultimately I have been at this club two weeks short of three years and I have loved my time here. I think the fans have been magnificent with me throughout that time, a lot of players and a lot of staff.

“It is a winning business and I haven’t won enough games. We had a good October but overall I understand the fans frustrations. Football is a winning business and we didn’t win today.”

Stevenage boss Steve Evans hailed his side as they maintained their League One promotion push.

Evans, whose team are third, said: “It was an outstanding performance. Maybe we were still trying to deal with the conditions in the first 10 minutes and we were a bit sloppy leading to them getting the penalty.

“We had a perfectly good goal disallowed with one that was over the line, having seen the footage and the stills, but in fairness to the referee there were a lot of bodies in the way but then you look to the assistant, so we felt a bit hard done to.

“I thought we became really strong in the last 20 minutes before half-time, got the goal, and perhaps we should be turning round in front, despite the penalty and then, I think, second half, we controlled it. It was inventive and it was bright.

“For 70 minutes, how could you not be commending that sort of performance and we come away with a very hard fought and deserved three points.”

Boss Steve Cooper praised his battling Nottingham Forest side for ignoring the “sideshow” of his future to claim a point at Wolves.

Cooper was reportedly on the brink of the sack after Wednesday’s 5-0 mauling at Fulham but Forest earned a 1-1 draw at Molineux.

Matheus Cunha cancelled out Harry Toffolo’s opener and Toffolo missed a golden second-half chance to win it.

It was a deserved point and Cooper, celebrating his 44th birthday on Sunday, was cheered off by the visiting fans at full-time.

He said: “I’m not going to lose sight of how much progress we have made, regardless what people want to write. I stay true to myself, represent the club and the city in the best way and stay on task.

“I’ve been here before. It doesn’t go into my mind, the only thing is the hurt after Fulham and how can we put a little bit of that right? The only thing which is important to me is the continued progression of the club. There’s no one person more important.

“I’m really proud of the team, the spirit, togetherness. If you look at the game in isolation, satisfying and fairly positive. If you add into the sideshows which might be going on – especially after Fulham – the players had two ways, to play with fear and hide, or to play with spirt, personality and quality.

“I said to the players just keep going, we know who we are. There will be ups and downs, we’ve had a few too many recently. It will be a rocky road, I believe we will progress this year.

“In normal circumstances it would be a positive day in terms of performance away from home but we’re disappointed with the chances we’ve missed and not winning the game.

“I’m really disappointed with the throw-in decision before their goal, it couldn’t be any worse of a basic human error. They need to do better.”

Toffolo gave Forest the lead after 14 minutes when he headed in Neco Williams’ excellent cross, despite Craig Dawson’s best attempts to clear off the line.

But the visitors failed to build on their lead and allowed Wolves a route back. The hosts dominated first-half possession and found a way through after 32 minutes.

A penetrating move saw Nelson Semedo and Mario Lemina combine to slip in Pablo Sarabia. He cut the ball back for the arriving Cunha to roll in his fifth goal of the season.

Forest would have gone into the break ahead if Cheikhou Kouyate had not shot too close to Jose Sa, after seizing on Max Kilman’s mistake.

The visitors emerged for the second half with more intent and Toffolo should have won it after 69 minutes but headed Williams’ cross over from close range.

Forest still needed Matt Turner to save from Cunha as Wolves extended their own unbeaten home run to six games.

“It would have been a real catastrophe if we hadn’t sealed a point at least,” said boss Gary O’Neil, with Wolves 12th in the Premier League.

“It was a tough game, to go 1-0 down against a team who were here to play very deep. It played into their hands. We responded pretty well and scored a really good goal.

“In the second half we lost our way probably. I leave slightly disappointed, we were trying to get more and we didn’t manage to test them as much as I’d have liked.

“Four points from the three games this week is a good return and 19 points so far is also a good return.”

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr believes his team are good enough to win the NBA championship, but only if they cut out the kind of errors which cost them against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.

The Warriors slumped to 10-12 as they finished on the wrong side of a thrilling contest at Paycom Center, losing 138-136 in overtime.

Golden State led 62-56 at halftime before the Thunder rallied, with Stephen Curry – who finished with a team-high 34 points – making a series of big shots to keep them in the game past regulation.

From there, however, mistakes cost the Warriors as the Thunder scored eight points off four turnovers in the extra period, winning it when Chet Holmgren fed Luguentz Dort for a decisive layup.

Kerr's team have now lost their last five road games, the last three of those defeats coming by a combined margin of four points, and he knows errors are contributing to them finishing on the wrong side of the fine margins.

"We're good enough to win a championship," Kerr said after the game. "With this team. I believe that.

"But if we are just going to turn it over and throw the ball to the other team and foul over and over, then we're going to lose."

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 38 points for the Thunder, and despite the Warriors enduring an inconsistent campaign, he believes the way they fought back against the 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022 NBA champions was something of a statement.

"We've got a bunch of competitors on the team, guys that don't back down, guys that want to be great," Gilgeous-Alexander said. 

"We all know that to be great, you've got to test yourself against the great. 

"Obviously, that's a dynasty that came in here today, and there's been multiple games like that this year. When we play the best of the best, we rise to the challenge."

Victor Wembanyama vowed the San Antonio Spurs will continue looking for "a good recipe" after his historic performance failed to prevent his team matching their franchise-record losing run.

At 19 years and 38 days old, the first overall draft pick became the youngest player in NBA history to post a 20-20 game, managing 21 points and 20 assists at home to the Chicago Bulls on Friday.

However, that performance was not enough to prevent a 121-112 defeat as the Bulls rallied after the interval, with Patrick Williams, Demar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic and Coby White all managing 20 points or more for Chicago.

San Antonio has now tied their all-time record losing streak of 16 games, while their 3-18 record is the worst they have ever managed through 21 games of a season.

Wembanyama – whose 20-20 game came when he was four days younger than previous record holder Dwight Howard – says it is still a case of trial and error after he starred from the center position against the Bulls.

"Experimenting in different areas of the game is always something important and interesting to me," Wembanyama said. 

"Every game is different, but we're going to see and try until we find a good recipe.

"When our opponents are down at half, of course they're going to try and have a reaction. We've got to expect that every time, because our first half was pretty solid, especially defensively. 

"There are ups and downs during the game, but we've got to get our downs less and less."

San Antonio's losing steak still stands three games short of that being endured by the Detroit Pistons, who are 2-20 after going down by a 123-91 scoreline against the Orlando Magic, their 19th straight loss.

Franz Wagner scored 27 points and Paolo Banchero added 24 for Orlando, with the Pistons now enduring the longest single-season losing streak in their franchise history and their second-longest overall.

Detroit previously lost 21 in a row across the end of the 1979-80 season and the start of 1980-81.

Though Pistons coach Monty Williams acknowledged the 15-7 Magic are a tough nut to crack defensively, he wasn't happy with his team's offensive efforts.

"They're a good defensive team but we missed a lot of open shots," Williams said after the defeat. 

"They take away the paint, force you to play outside. We generated only 30 threes and just didn't hit a good percentage. We just had a hard time putting the ball in the basket tonight."

Nottingham Forest stopped the rot with a battling point at Wolves to give Steve Cooper an early birthday present in the fight for his job.

The under-fire Forest boss, who turns 44 on Sunday, saw his side scrap to a deserved 1-1 draw to end a run of four straight defeats.

Harry Toffolo headed in the opener only for Matheus Cunha to level in the first half at Molineux.

Toffolo missed a fine second-half chance to win it but Forest at least claimed a first away point in two months.

It kept them 16th, five points above the Premier League’s relegation zone, while Wolves sit 12th after stretching their unbeaten home run to six.

Wednesday’s 5-0 thumping at Fulham had pushed Cooper closer to the brink at Forest, with former Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui a contender to replace him.

Defeat at Molineux would reportedly cost him his job and Forest fans unveiled a flag of the boss in support before the game – and they had more to celebrate after 14 minutes.

Cheikhou Kouyate initially won the ball in midfield and, after swapping passes with Morgan Gibbs-White, found Neco Williams on the right.

His excellent delivery reached Toffolo at the far post and the defender’s downward header beat Jose Sa and Craig Dawson’s desperate attempt to clear on the line.

Forest had something to cling to. Cooper had made seven changes from the hammering at Craven Cottage and the much-changed visitors were prepared to dig in and frustrate Wolves.

The hosts pressed with little initial impact, bossing possession, with only Cunha’s tame effort to show for their efforts – until the forward levelled after 32 minutes.

An incisive move cut through Forest with Nelson Semedo and Mario Lemina involved before Pablo Sarabia was slipped in to cut back for Cunha, who steered in his fifth goal of the season from six yards.

Forest’s ambition had seemingly been to protect their lead but, with parity restored, they needed to some more attacking impetus – which only arrived when Wolves gifted them an opening just before the break.

Kouyate seized on Max Kilman’s dawdling and was suddenly clean through but his low shot was saved by Sa’s outstretched leg.

Before that, Wolves had continued to probe without further success and Forest emerged for the second half with the momentum which previously eluded them.

Anthony Elanga rattled the bar from close range, although the flag went up almost immediately, and Cooper’s frustrations boiled over with the boss booked after a decision went against his side.

His mood would have darkened further when Toffolo missed a golden chance to restore Forest’s lead after 69 minutes.

Williams dispossessed Matt Doherty and sent in another excellent delivery only for Toffolo to head over from three yards, to leave Cooper with his head in his hands.

It would have got worse had Matt Turner not saved Cunha’s shot after the striker bundled his way through with 15 minutes left. But, with a point in the bag, Cooper left the pitch being serenaded by the travelling supporters at the end.