Wolves 2 Derby 0 – Report and pictures

Diogo Jota gave Wolves an early lead when he took Willy Boly's pass and beat Scott Carson for his 16th goal of the season.

Neves then doubled the lead in the second half with an absolutely stunning 35-yard volley into the top corner after he'd flicked the ball up.

The result means if Wolves beat Blues at Molineux on Sunday they will win promotion with three games to spare.

Analysis

There are some moments in football that take your breath away.

Ruben Neves had already provided five this season, via his quintet of wondergoals, but here he took his genius to another level and 27,000 Wolves fans will never forget it, writes Tim Spiers at Molineux.

Three quarters of the way through what was a regulation Wolves win – as they moved to within three points of promotion to the Premier League – Neves produced what many of the stunned Molineux crowd will probably say is the best goal they've ever seen live.

That's certainly the case for this correspondent. Neves took a cleared corner, delicately flicked the ball up and sent a dipping, swerving, viciously and perfectly struck 35-yard volley into the top corner past a helpless goalkeeper. And they say there are only seven wonders of the world.

It was his Mona Lisa, his Bohemian Rhapsody and his Casablanca rolled into one. Molineux gasped, cheered and then sang its delight towards its 21-year-old genius, who it's been a privilege to watch this season.

The goal was by far the highlight of what was otherwise a fairly forgettable but professionally executed victory from Nuno's team.

It was breathtakingly easy at times and also hard to believe this was first versus fifth, given the large gulf in class between the sides.

It all sets it up perfectly for Sunday's derby against Blues where another win will put Wolves where they've looked destined to finish all season.;

Their fans celebrated as such at full time, but it was nothing compared to the party they'll have on Sunday should Wolves get the job done. The carnival has almost started.

Match report

Nuno made one change from the team that so dramatically beat Cardiff 1-0 on Friday, recalling Ivan Cavaleiro at the expense of Leo Bonatini who dropped to the bench.

Derby had won two on the spin and unsurprisingly named the same XI, which included ex-Wolves loanees Andreas Weimann and Tom Huddlestone.

The visitors arrived in confident mood but Wolves looked focused and professional from the off with an air of intent on getting the job done.

After a couple of Derby attacks were comfortably dealt with Nuno's team took just eight minutes to open the scoring – and two of their stars players this season combined to score it.

Willy Boly looked up, spotted the run of Diogo Jota and send a perfect 40-yard ball over the top where Jota escaped the loose shackles of the Derby defence, took a touch and with all the coolness of the Fonz wearing sunglasses dinked the ball past Scott Carson.

It was Jota's 16th goal of a fabulous debut season in English football and Wolves duly took charge of the contest.

Ruben Neves stung the palms of Carson with a 25-yarder and then Wolves almost doubled their lead when Benik Afobe flicked on a Barry Douglas corner to the back stick and only a last-gasp clearance prevented Jota tapping home.

In fact Douglas' precise, whipped, enticing set pieces were a feature of the first half with a succession of corner and free kicks asking questions of the Derby back line.

Neves also saw a close-range free kick tipped over and Ryan Bennett headed another Douglas flag kick north of the crossbar as Wolves gently dominated the game in terms of both chances and possession,.

Derby sporadically threatened at the other end but their half was summed up when defender Alex Pearce rather unfortunately kicked the ball into his own face and fell over...

You perhaps expected more from the Rams – who'd won successive matches and kept two clean sheets to boot – after the break, but instead Wolves exerted their authority.

They almost sliced through when Jota picked out Neves on the counter attack, but the midfielder was perhaps predictably tackled as he got inside the box. After all, Neves doesn't score from that kind of range.

The 35-yard area is more his domain...and two minutes later he scored what could legitimately be described as one of the finest goals witnessed at Molineux in many a year.

A corner was cleared as far as the midfield maestro who flicked the ball up and sent a stunning, ferocious, perfect volley into the top corner of the net. The whole stadium was left slack-jawed and stunned by what they'd seen. Neves had scored five 'worldies' this season but this topped the lot and characterised the sheer brilliance of a wonderful football player who is quite simple one of the greatest midfielders to pull on a Wolves shirt.

The goal was a moment of utter genius and like when Da Vinci finished the Mona Lisa no one seemed to know what to do next, with everything thereafter seeming pretty futile.

Jota almost made it 3-0 with a mere 10-yard shot that Carson saved and Nuno freshened up his forward line with Morgan Gibbs-White, Bonatini and Helder Costa sent on for Afobe, Cavaleiro and Jota.

The final minutes were a procession and the celebrations at full time, with Nuno giddily playing to the crowd, reflected the fact Wolves are now within touching distance of the top flight.

Key moments

8 – GOAL – Willy Boly finds DIOGO JOTA with a ball over the top and he beats Scott Carson with a cute finish.

51 – GOAL – RUBEN NEVES flicks the ball up and sends a 35-yard volley into the top corner with a strike that almost defies belief.

Teams

Wolves (3-4-3): John Ruddy; Bennett, Coady (c), Boly; Doherty, Saiss, Neves, Douglas; Cavaleiro (Gibbs-White, 82), Afobe (Costa, 66), Jota (Bonatini, 74). Subs: Norris, Batth, Hause, N'Diaye.

Goals: Jota (8) Neves (51)

Derby (4-2-3-1): Carson; Wisdom, Pearce, Davies, Baird; Ledley (Palmer, 73), Huddlestone; Weimann, Vydra (Hanson, 85), Lawrence; Nugent (Jerome, 82). Subs: Roos, Forsyth, Keogh, Palmer, Thomas.

Attendance: 28,503 (1,115 Derby fans)

Referee: Tim Robinson

League position

1st (92 points from 42 matches)