Podence leveller earns Wolves vital point at Forest
NOTTINGHAM, England : Nottingham Forest were denied a crucial win in their bid to stay clear of the Premier League relegation zone as Daniel Podence struck a late equaliser for Wolverhampton Wanderers in a 1-1 draw at the City Ground on Saturday.
Forest had looked set for a first league win in seven games as Wales international Brennan Johnson gave them a well-deserved 38th-minute lead in a tussle between two teams far too close to the bottom three for comfort.
The hosts were left to rue not putting away several chances that would have made the game safe as Wolves replied late on when second-half substitute Podence curled a shot past Keylor Navas after Pedro Neto's blocked shot fell into his path.
Wolves would have been happier with the draw as it kept them above Forest in 13th place with 28 points from 29 games although Forest (27 points) have a game in hand.
An often bad-tempered match produced red cards for both assistant head coaches with Forest's Alan Tate and his Wolves counterpart Pablo Sanz dismissed.
There was another flashpoint near the end when Forest's Johnson appeared to suggest he had been spat at by Wolves scorer Podence although no action was taken after a VAR check.
"I'm frustrated with the result because we should have scored two or three more goals and disappointed with the goal we conceded," Forest boss Steve Cooper said.
"We were comfortably the better team, superior in every way and created all the real chances.
"Performance-wise, I'm really pleased. If we continue to perform like that we'll have more successful days."
Forest were full value for their lead given to them when Johnson fired a shot through the legs of Wolves keeper Jose Sa after getting on the end of Danilo's through pass.
They should have added to their lead after the break, especially when a counter-attack ended with Emmanuel Dennis forcing a fine save by Sa and Johnson missing the rebound.
Morgan Gibbs-White also should have done better when well-placed but fired a shot straight at Sa.
And there was a sting in the tail for Forest when Podence, one of two halftime substitutes for Wolves, showed great composure to bag his sixth league goal of the season.
"It's a missed opportunity. The dressing room is a bit down," Cooper said.
