Norwich 0 Wolves 2 – Five talking points

It was Wolves' first win at Carrow Road since 2007 and the scoreline flattered the hosts.

Their goals came from the returning Willy Boly and striker Leo Bonatini who netted his ninth of the season.

So what did we learn from the game? Wolves correspondent Tim Spiers picks out five talking points.

Bouncing back

Three defeats followed by three victories, all on the road and all without conceding a goal.

Wolves lost to Cardiff then won at Southampton 2-0, they went down 2-0 at Sheffield United and them demolished Burton 4-0.

And now they've recovered from their worst display of the season in losing 2-1 at QPR with what was a complete team performance from back to front and a convincing 2-0 win at promotion candidates Norwich.

This speaks volumes for the character and the professionalism of the squad - and the man management of Nuno Espirito Santo, whose reputation grows by the week, not least with an adoring fanbase who cheered him off the field.

Nuno's consistent messages about performance levels, not getting too high or low after a win or a defeat and an unstinting belief that his 'idea' - i.e. his playing philosophy - will shine through and is more important than anything else, even results, is engulfing the whole club.

What it's resulting in is a squad that has complete faith in their head coach, no matter what team he picks or who the opposition are.

Wolves had their noses put out of joint by QPR but there was no panic, no fluster, just a Men in Black style erasing of their memories and then starting afresh last night.

Not only did they beat a very competent Norwich team, but the scoreline flattered the Canaries.

This was a demolition job in all but name, with Wolves superior to a man (aside from perhaps the dangerous James Maddison, Norwich's only genuine hope of producing something special).

It was a deeply impressive evening's work which bore all the hallmarks of a promotion side.

Changes

Three players came into the XI and Wolves looked better for them, with the imperious Willy Boly, the mountainous Alfred N'Diaye and the rock-solid Ryan Bennett (who even conjured up a dainty assist against his former club) slotting in seamlessly.

In another sign of team spirit and inclusiveness the three players who dropped out - Danny Batth, Roderick Miranda and the suspended Romain Saiss - were all at Carrow Road with the squad staying overnight in Norfolk both before and after the game before flying back home today.

Once again you looked at Wolves' bench - Norris, Hause, Vinagre, Price, Marshall, Costa and Enobakhare - and saw nothing but quality.

The strength in depth at centre half is particularly eye-opening, as Bennett and Boly proved last night.

Knowing when to freshen things up over the coming months will be key to Wolves' consistency and Nuno has again suggested he's got it covered.

He also stuck with Ivan Cavaleiro and Barry Douglas despite off-days at Loftus Road and the pair rewarded him with much-improved performances.

In fact the only thing not to like about this Wolves performance was their inability to kill the game off sooner, with Bonatini, N'Diaye and Jota all spurning good opportunities.

Wolves also had a tendency to over-play in the final third. But in the grand scheme of things this is nit-picking.

Boly back

Willy Boly must defend in his sleep.

The guy just makes it look so easy. The big centre half missed Wolves' last 12 games in which they managed clean sheets in 50 per cent of them.

With Boly in the team the percentage increases to 71 per cent and that's no coincidence.

An excellent reader of play, Boly uses his height and strength to bat away strikers like unruly flies.

His technique on the ball is excellent for a defender and his positioning means he rarely finds himself panicking or stretched. In short he's the best defender at the club.

His first goal for Wolves was an easy one but you can see Boly adding a few more this season, such is his aerial threat in the opposition box.

Like Neves, Jota, Coady, Ruddy and Bonatini he is an automatic starter if fit.

Roughing it

Perhaps the most pleasing aspect of this Wolves win was how they proved they could rough up the opposition if needed.

There was no kicking Norwich up into the air, just disruptive fouls or tackles to stop the Canaries' flow.

Indeed Wolves conceded 24 fouls to Norwich's 11. It's exactly the sort of tactic that's been utilised by several opposition teams against Wolves this season and it seems Nuno's team are becoming more streetwise.

Douglas, Cavaleiro, Neves and N'Diaye were the worst offenders, conceding four fouls apiece.

And it was Neves and N'Diaye whose performances helped Wolves exert their dominance on Norwich.

Neves had one of his better games in a Wolves shirt, working tremendously hard to add brawn to his brains, while N'Diaye was a menace throughout at both ends of the field and should have scored a couple of goals.

Friday's team selection will be a fascinating one. On this display it would be harsh to drop N'Diaye.

Goal machine

The statistics speak for themselves.

Leo Bonatini has netted nine goals this season, meaning he's joint-top of the Championship scoring charts with Bristol City's Bobby Reid.

Six goals have come in his past five appearances.

Coupled with his four assists he's been directly involved in 13 of Wolves' 27 goals.

And he's become the first Wolves player since Henri Camara in 2004 to score in five consecutive league games.

A number of Nuno's men are making themselves indispensible but you wonder where they'd be without Bonatini, more than anyone else, particularly due to the lack of options had Bonatini not settled so quickly in English football.

The Brazilian facilitates Wolves' free-flowing moves in the final third with the two wingers bombing past him as he occupies defenders. His link-up play and his work ethic are excellent too.

Ironically he scored the most difficult of his three chances last night. In fact there are a number of times he could have netted a hat-trick this season.

Bonatini could be the find of the summer.