Rayan Ait-Nouri’s third goal in four games earned Wolves a 1-1 draw at relegation-battling Burnley.

Jacob Bruun Larsen volleyed in a fine goal for the hosts in the 37th minute but Ait-Nouri levelled deep into first-half stoppage time and Burnley’s late push for a winner came to nothing.

The Clarets extended their unbeaten run to four games but Nottingham Forest’s 3-1 win over Fulham saw the gap to safety grow to six points with seven games left while Wolves remain in touch with the battle for European places.

Burnley were once again playing some encouraging stuff in the opening stages as Wilson Odobert found space between the lines and they launched a number of runs into the Wolves box but without finding a way to threaten Jose Sa’s goal.

Wolves’ threat came mostly on the break and when Nelson Semedo burst forward down the right he rolled the ball back for Ait-Nouri on the edge of the box but a poor touch from the Algerian allowed Vitinho to steal the ball away.

As Burnley fans in one block of the Jimmy McIlroy stand behind Aro Muric’s goal were being evacuated due to a strip of metal left hanging from the roof, Joao Gomes headed just wide of the target and towards the newly-emptied seats.

But Burnley were quickly back on the front foot and Lyle Foster slipped the ball for Vitinho to run at goal but his shot was too close to Sa.

However, the Portuguese goalkeeper could do nothing about Larsen’s strike as the on-loan Hoffenheim man met Dara O’Shea’s ball from deep on the volley to sweep it into the far corner.

Wolves’ 18-year-old striker Leon Chiwome, making only his second Premier League appearance, fired wide after a scramble in the area but the visitors did not have an effort on goal until equalising three minutes into stoppage time.

Burnley were upset by a soft free-kick decision against O’Shea, then failed to deal with the consequences as Pablo Sarabia’s cross was headed in by Ait-Nouri, with the goal surviving a VAR check.

Ait-Nouri might have had a second eight minutes into the second half when he latched on to a fine ball from Matt Doherty and beat Maxime Esteve to go clean through on goal but Muric stood firm to block the Algerian’s strike.

Burnley responded with one of their best moves of the game.

Foster laid the ball off for the advancing Vitinho on the right and he pulled the ball back for Josh Cullen in front of goal but Sa repelled the midfielder’s low shot.

Odobert then tested the goalkeeper with a powerful shot when a loose ball fell to him in the area.

Matheus Cunha came off the bench to make his first Wolves appearance since mid-February following a hamstring injury while Vincent Kompany sent on Jay Rodriguez as Burnley tried to find a winner.

The veteran striker did have the ball in the net in the 87th minute but the flag was up for offside and the points were shared.

Wolves’ bid for European football was boosted by a 2-1 victory over Fulham, but it came at the expense of more injury problems.

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde limped off with just over 10 minutes gone while Pedro Neto, who had been passed fit after feeling his hamstring last weekend, pulled up just before half-time clutching the back of his left thigh.

But the hosts made Fulham pay for missed opportunities, with Rayan Ait-Nouri scoring his first goal since December 2022 in the 52nd minute and Nelson Semedo adding a deflected second before Alex Iwobi grabbed a very late consolation.

The result lifts Gary O’Neil’s side up to eighth in the Premier League table in the week when it was revealed Wolves will open contract talks with their manager this summer.

Wolves’ strong form was halted by a 3-0 loss to Newcastle last time out while Fulham, looking to win at Molineux for the first time since 1985, were chasing a third Premier League victory in a row.

O’Neil was boosted by the availability of goalkeeper Jose Sa, who went off at half-time last weekend, but Craig Dawson was injured so Santiago Bueno came into the side along with Joao Gomes and 19-year-old striker Nathan Fraser, given a first start for the club.

Fulham’s good run meant the returning Joao Palhinha had to settle for a place on the bench.

With Wolves fans screaming for a foul on Fraser, Fulham went down the other end in the sixth minute and created the first chance of the game – Andreas Pereira’s shot from wide on the left pushed away by Sa.

A tight game was cut open in the 25th minute by an excellent through ball from Iwobi for Harry Wilson but, with only the keeper to beat, he opted to shoot with the outside of his left foot and sent his effort wide.

At the other end, a one-two between Ait-Nouri and Mario Lemina nearly put the full-back through before a heavy touch allowed Bernd Leno to block.

Fulham had their second golden opportunity in the 35th minute when a spell of pressure ended with Harrison Reed sending a ball across the goal for Tosin Adarabioyo, who saw his shot bounce off the top of the bar.

It was Fulham threatening again at the start of the second half, Wilson sending a curling shot just past the post.

But the first goal went the way of the home team, as substitute Toti seized on a weak header by Calvin Bassey from a Wolves free-kick and teed up Ait-Nouri, who had pushed further forward following Neto’s departure, for a confident finish high into the net.

Fulham boss Marco Silva sent on Willian and Tom Cairney for a disappointed-looking Reed and Pereira but their pursuit of an equaliser was leaving gaps at the back and Wolves grabbed their second in the 67th minute.

VAR took a look but Fraser, who had worked tirelessly throughout, was just onside when he ran onto Gomes’ pass. His attempted cross was blocked but Gomes back-heeled the ball to Semedo, whose shot beat Leno via a big deflection off Cairney.

Fulham came agonisingly close to pulling one back with 10 minutes to go, Sa pulling off an acrobatic save to deny substitute Palhinha and Max Kilman heading Rodrigo Muniz’s follow-up off the line, before Wolves old boy Adama Traore’s strong run and shot drew another stop from Sa.

Referee Tony Harrington then lost patience with visiting manager Silva and showed him a yellow card, adding to a frustrating afternoon that was barely improved by Iwobi’s stabbed effort with almost the last kick of the game.