Wolves 1 Cardiff City 2 – Report and pictures

Cardiff hit the bar through Sol Bamba in the first half and opened the scoring just after half time when Joe Ralls sidefooted home.

Wolves equalised when Leo Bonatini turned home from close range, but former Wolves youngster Nathaniel Mendez-Laing won it for Cardiff 12 minutes from time.

Analysis

You don't get many games like this in the Portuguese league.

If Nuno and his clutch of Portuguese superstars didn't know what the Championship was all about before today (and three wins suggested they had an idea), they certainly do now, writes Tim Spiers at Molineux.

Wolves have produced some beautiful football in the very early stages of the season, but this was all about brawn and bottle.

Nuno has extolled the virtues of fans, players and staff coming together to create the 'wolf pack' – but Wolves' bite barely made an imprint on a battle-hardened Cardiff side who bullied the home team into submission.

The Bluebirds' two goals were both well-worked and easy on the eye, but in general they battered and harried Nuno's team, who aside from the few moments they managed to break free of the shackles, had no answer and were deservedly beaten.

The Wolves boss knew how Cardiff would approach the game, he said yesterday, but nothing could quite prepare the likes of Ruben Neves, Diogo Jota and Roderick Miranda for this.

The latter had a nightmare against Junior Hoilett and was at fault for the first goal, while Willy Boly made an error for Cardiff's second and Romain Saiss was well below the standards he's set so far.

Wolves' movement, so impressive in the opening two weeks, was lacking and their passing game was way off. They were also, as they had been at Hull on Tuesday, very susceptible from set pieces.

And so they duly missed their chance to top the table after four matches, with Warnock's Cardiff earning that early-season accolade instead.

Wolves' winning run had to end sooner or later. It's how they react to this setback – and more importantly, how they learn from their mistakes – that will define whether this is a temporary blip.

Match report

At an overcast and healthily stocked Molineux Nuno stuck with the same XI that had served him so well in the opening two weeks of the season, naming an unchanged XI for the fourth league game in a row.

Cardiff named in-form ex-Wolves youngster Nathaniel Mendez-Laing in their side, with danger-man Kenneth Zohore up front.

The Bluebirds arrived with a clear game plan to stop Wolves getting into a passing rhythm and it certainly worked in the first half.

Neil Warnock's team prevented Wolves from playing out from the back, harangued them at every opportunity in possession and prevented them from breaking with constant niggly fouls.

It was a test like nothing they'd faced in their opening league games and indeed Cardiff were by far the most effective team they'd faced. The visitors were brutish – and certainly not subtle – but they were effective and should have led at the break.

A host of corners, free kicks and long throws from Aron Gunnarsson yielded a chance or a half chance on almost every occasion.

Sol Bamba was presented with the best but somehow crashed his one-yard header off the bar from a corner.

Bamba sent another free header wide and Junior Hoilett tested John Ruddy from 20 yards, but Wolves held firm.

At the other end they improved as the half went on. Bright Enobakhare looked like the most likely outlet for a goal – he curled a 20-yarder just over the bar and later turned 35 yards from goal, rode a challenge and fired across goal and wide.

Elsewhere Diogo Jota struggled to break free of Cardiff's shackles other than for one decent run and shot, but other than that Wolves looked toothless.

They were also riled by Cardiff's rough treatment and the game descended into a scrap at times with challenges flying in and booking being handed out by a referee who was struggling to keep a lid on proceedings

The sparks even boiled over to the touchline when Nuno and Warnock practically locked foreheads when arguing over a Loic Damour challenge on Romain Saiss.

It all made for a feisty and fascinating 45 minutes with the affronted home fans creating a feverish atmosphere and predictably booing Warnock – who even waved to the South Bank at one point – and the referee at half time.

The histrionics calmed down at the start of the second half – and there was nothing brutish about Cardiff's opening goal on 54 minutes. Hoilett sauntered inside from the left past Roderick Miranda and played to Joe Ralls who beat Ruddy at his near post.

It was a deserved lead for Cardiff. Nuno responded by surprisingly withdrawing Enobakhare and replacing him with Ivan Cavaleiro, who had produced a goal and an assist off the bench against Derby and Hull.

But Cardiff continued to look the more likely scorers. Kenneth Zohore twice tested Ruddy from a tight angle with Wolves' defence at sixes and sevens.

It looked like it wasn't going to be Wolves' day – and then up popped Leo Bonatini to turns a Barry Douglas cross-shot home after good work from Cavaleiro and Jota.

Molineux erupted and suddenly the momentum was with the home team who surged forward in the hope of a winner.

But it was Cardiff who edged back in front when, oh so predictably, Mendez-Laing scored, this time taking advantage of a Boly error to fire through Ruddy who will have felt he should have saved it.

And thereafter, despite their best efforts, Wolves couldn't muster an equaliser with substitute Nouha Dicko spurning their only opportunity when firing into the side netting.

Key moments

18 – Sol Bamba heads an inswinging header against the bar for Cardiff.

54 – GOAL – Junior Hoilett beats Roderick Miranda and tees up Joe Ralls who slots home from 15 yards

67 – GOAL – Ivan Cavaleiro with a good effort from range which is parried – Diogo Jota keeps it alive with a lifted cross, Barry Douglas smashes the ball into the six-yard box where Leo Bonatini turns it home.

78 – GOAL – Willy Boly misjudges a long ball, it drops for Nathaniel Mendez-Laing who drives the ball through Ruddy from the edge of the box.

Line ups

Wolves (3-4-3): John Ruddy; Miranda, Coady (c), Boly; Doherty, Neves, Saiss (Ronan, 83), Douglas (Dicko, 78); Enobakhare (Cavaleiro, 58), Bonatini, Jota. Subs: Norris, Bennett, Batth, Price.

Goals: Bonatini (67)

Cardiff (4-2-3-1): Etheridge; Peltier, Morrison (c), Bamba, Gunnarsson, Ralls; Mendez-Laing, Damour (Manga, 90), Hoilett (Ward, 83); Zohore. Subs: Murphy, Kennedy, Halford, Tomlin, Bogle.

Goals: Ralls (54), Mendez-Laing, 78)

Attendance: 27,068

Referee: Scott Duncan (Northumberland)

League position

3rd (nine points from four matches)