The Joe Edwards debrief – Norwich 1 Wolves 2

The character of Nuno Espirito Santo’s side shone through in the end. The Canaries, though, should have been out of sight at the break.

That first 45

So, let’s start with that first period. And, let’s be honest, it was woeful.

No outfield player – bar Adama Traore who looked dangerous on the few occasions he got on the ball – was at the races for Wolves.

Norwich, meanwhile, were full of life.

Todd Cantwell and Emi Buendia constantly found space between the lines, and Teemu Pukki – playing on the shoulder of Conor Coady – kept getting on the end of through-balls.

It is no exaggeration to say the hosts, who had Cantwell break the deadlock, could have been five to the good by the interval – Pukki twice having one-on-ones saved, Alex Tettey’s fierce strike being tipped onto the inside of the post by Rui Patricio, and Kenny McLean denied from close range by the Portuguese.

Cantwell punished a horrid attempt at a clearance from Jonny Castro Otto, and that goal was the least Daniel Farke’s men deserved.

Wolves, at times, were statues. They were ball-watching, and on the times when Pukki ran through, he was given all the time in the world to pick his spot.

Patricio, though, stood tall to deny both of his attempts. The Finn could not finish.

You must be clinical in the top flight, and Norwich gave Wolves a chance, which they seized.

Patricio’s presence

The Canaries, and especially Pukki, were guilty of being wasteful in front of goal, but Patricio deserves a massive deal of credit.

He was the catalyst for Wolves, the main reason they won at Carrow Road.

Without his stops, Norwich – a team clearly low on confidence, but with a fair bit of ability – would have been home and hosed.

The performance from the Euro 2016 winner was particularly pleasing given his slightly disappointing display in the 2-1 loss to Tottenham.

Patricio’s kicking put Wolves in trouble on a few occasions against Jose Mourinho’s charges, but there were no such issues here.

His quality shone through, although Nuno – a former shot-stopper – insisted the 31-year-old just ‘did his job’.

Patricio showed everyone what a top goalkeeper he is. His distribution is not the best and sometimes he seems to stay on his line too much, but not many have the reactions he has and thrive in high-pressure situations like he does. He is a winner.

The response

Patricio’s compatriot Joao Moutinho came up with the cross which Romain Swiss headed home for the leveller.

It was an unorthodox delivery – really high, with snow on it – and fooled the Norwich defence, with the Moroccan taking advantage.

Then, you always felt Wolves would get a chance to win it.

The Canaries lost their cool after the leveller, overplaying at the back and making their fans nervous.

Raul Jimenez stole the ball off Grant Hanley and should have made it 2-1, but smashed the ball over the crossbar.

You wondered if that was *the* opportunity for Wolves. Fortunately, the next time the Mexican was able to pull the trigger, he emphatically found the back of the net.

Impact sub

Jimenez got his 16th of the season after Matt Doherty saw his effort from a few yards out saved by Tim Krul.

And the instigator was Pedro Neto – who had only been on the pitch for four minutes.

The 19-year-old played a neat one-two with Otto and delivered a peach of a cross which was met by Doherty before Jimenez hammered home the loose ball.

You could not help but be happy for Neto, a player who showed early promise and then struggled to make his presence felt for a few months before this strong showing as a substitute.

His willingness to run at defenders and take risks helped Wolves a lot.

It is easy to forget his age, and Neto will be inconsistent as he finds his feet in the Premier League.

But this outing reminded everyone that he has a huge amount of potential.

His future could be very bright and, hopefully, he can come up with some more displays like this before the end of the campaign as well.

Up next

So, Wolves now have the humongous task of facing reigning top flight champions Manchester City and current table-toppers Liverpool – in less than 48 hours.

And we all know how difficult the two games are going to be.

City, after being outwitted by Wolves at the Etihad, will be determined to put Nuno & Co to the sword.

Liverpool, meanwhile, just cannot stop winning.

This win at Norwich certainly helps as, despite Wolves’ success in the league thus far, anything from these next two is a bonus.

For now, though, a very Merry Christmas to you all!