Sheff Utd 0 Wolves 1: Raul Jimenez nets 90th minute winner

Early in the season it might be, yet this felt a significant result for Wolves and Cesar Peixoto.

On an afternoon when his team finally figured out how to keep a clean sheet, they also appeared to have forgotten how to score.

Then Raul Jimenez popped up with the scrappiest of 90th minute winners to snatch a mood-changing victory at Sheffield United heading into a week which culminates with next Sunday’s Black Country derby.

Jimenez swept home at the far post after Tommy Doyle’s mis-hit finish from Kieran Trippier’s cross ran into his path. Far from perfect yet ultimately good enough, it neatly summed up an afternoon when Wolves posted their first league shutout of the season more by luck than judgement.

For extended periods of the second half they rode their luck and were grateful their opponents failed to take advantage of some nervy defending and slack handling from Jose Sa.

They were also fortunate referee Rob Jones opted not to show Ladislav Krejci a second yellow card when the defender pulled back Sydie Peck in the second half.

Then again, Wolves themselves should have been awarded a spot-kick for a Mark McGuinness handball. This was a day both sides could claim to be badly treated by the referee.

Through 90 minutes, neither keeper was forced into a serious save. That mattered not when Jimenez, left on the bench for the first time this season, came on to save the day.

Prior to then Wolves’ winless run looked like being extended to three matches. Instead, they are now just three points behind rivals Albion, heading into the derby.

The first half was low on entertainment but high on irritation, much of the latter centered toward the increasingly erratic decision-making of referee Jones.

Peixoto was among those to enter the official’s notebook after making clear his displeasure at one particular call.

Of the few chances there were, Wolves had the better. Fer Lopez saw a volley deflected just wide off the legs of Liam Kitching after good work by Armstrong had led to a cross deflected off Marshall Munetsi and into the playmaker’s path.

It was Munetsi who would then have the best opening of the first 45 minutes. A near exchange between Tchatchoua and Rodrigo Gomes led to the latter whipping in a low cross which found an unmarked Munetsi just inside the box. The finish was hit straight at home keeper Michael Cooper.

United’s only real attempt on goal came from their skipper Japhet Tanganga but his header from a Sydie Peck free-kick was similarly poorly directed, straight at Jose Sa.

The home side did grow in confidence as the half progressed and an important intervention from Nasser Djiga prevented a low Kitching cross from running through the Wolves box.

Wolves, meanwhile, remained a little tentative, patient in approach play which never really went anywhere.

When the half-time whistle sounded it did so to boos, the home crowd having finally lost patience with Jones after he bizarrely penalised Sam McCallum for an obvious foul by Tchatchoua.

A few minutes into the second half it was the visiting fans who had reason to be unhappy with the ref. Krejci’s pass over the top found Mane running into space and when the Wolves man tried to lift a finish over the keeper, it hit the arm of McGuinness. Jones, after a moment of hesitation, awarded a corner.

Wolves were looking better. Djiga headed over from a corner, before Bueno sent a shot just off target from outside the box as the home side struggled to clear their lines.

In between those moments, another two of the Wolves coaching staff were booked for their complaints about the officiating.

The Blades’ biggest threat looked like coming from a set piece and there was a let-off when, not for the first time in the match, Sa could not hold on to a free-kick. Wolves were left breathing a sigh of relief when the flag went up for offside as the home side tried to force the ball over the line.

Having been unlucky not to be awarded a penalty, Wolves then profited from a refereeing decision when Jones opted not to show Krejci what would have been his second yellow card of the afternoon when the defender hauled down Peck.

The visitors were wobbling and their goalkeeper providing little in the way of confidence. Another drop, this time from a long throw, went unpunished, before Jordan Ayew pulled a shot just wide of the post moments after coming off the bench. Patrick Bamford was then unable to force home a cross from inside the six-yard box.

With 20 minutes to go, Peixoto had emptied the bench with Trippier making his first appearance since the opening day of the season.

Jimenez was also on the pitch by that point and sent a snapshot wide of the target as the clock ticked into the final 10 minutes.

With Wolves starting to find some rhythm the winner arrived. Andre launched a ball out to the right, Trippier volleyed it into the middle and though Doyle, another substitute, made a hash of his finish, Jimenez was in the right place to take advantage.

Sheff Utd (3-5-2): Cooper, Tanganga, McGuinness, Kitching, Choudhury (Doherty 81), Peck, Phillips (Cannon 64), Arblaster (Rothwell 81), McCallum, Bamford, Brereton (Ayew 64) Subs not used: Donovan, Shackleton, Norrington-Davies, Riedewald, Davies (gk).

Wolves (4-2-3-1): Sa, Tchatchoua (Trippier 70), Djiga (Toti 70), Krejci, Bueno, Andre, Munetsi (James 63), Gomes (Jimenez 63), Lopez (Doyle 70), Mane, Armstrong Subs not used: Traore, Neave, Konan, Virginia (gk).