Nottingham Forest 2-2 Wolves: Morgan Gibbs-White scores against former club before Danilo strikes, but the relegation-troubled hosts must settle for a point… with Matheus Cunha scoring twice for the side by Gary O’Neil

Nottingham Forest The future of the Premier League can be determined in the boardroom as well as on the pitch, but if they are relegated they will regret dropping two points here for many months to come.

Leading 2-1 just after the hour mark, Forest’s chronic inability to defend set pieces saw them defeated once again and Matheus Cunha – making his first start since February – scored his second goal of the match .

Cunha had put Wolves ahead with one of the goals of the season, but Morgan Gibbs-White equalized against his former club just before the break and Danilo put them in front shortly after.

But Cunha’s intervention means Forest have now fallen 50 points from winning positions this season and although they have moved one point clear of the bottom three, this result will bring little joy to boss Nuno Espirito Santo, who managed Wolves with distinction from 2017 to 2021. Owner Evangelos Marinakis was in the stands and will have been disappointed to have collected just one point.

With Anthony Elanga missing due to a knock in training, Gio Reyna made his first start since joining Forest on loan from Borussia Dortmund in January, but was only involved sporadically before the break. The American doesn’t have the raw speed of Elanga and that meant Forest weren’t as threatening on the counter-attack, while Reyna also had a good chance from outside the box early on.

Arranged in a 4-1-4-1 system, Wolves kept Forest at arm’s length and could have taken the lead midway through the half. Forest wasted their play from the back and when Ryan Yates presented the ball to Joao Gomes, the midfielder was denied a goal by a superb headed clearance from fellow Brazilian Murillo. Pablo Sarabia then fired the loose ball wide.

It was brilliant defending, but even Murillo could do nothing to stop Cunha’s spectacular opener for the visitors. Collecting the ball well in his own half, Cunha slid forward and, with Andrew Omobamidele unwilling to make a challenge, cut inside the box and found the top corner with a superb strike under a tight angle.

Cunha exploited it a bit, sending the Forest fans behind the goal – although it was nothing compared to Gibbs-White’s celebrations in stoppage time in the first half.

Forest were angry with referee Craig Pawson for only showing Mario Lemina a yellow card for a sliding challenge on Yates, and it looked like they were going to score a goal. But when they won a corner on the left, Neco Williams’ floated delivery was met by Gibbs-White, who made a good connection with the header and found the far corner.

What happened next was pure pantomime. Gibbs-White performed his signature ‘fingers in ears’ gesture in front of Wolves supporters, then kissed the badge and was reprimanded by Sarabia as he returned from halfway.

Forest tried to step up their effort after the break and once again Reyna was found at close range as he headed home Callum Hudson Odoi’s cross, although the home side almost got lucky when the ball looped over Toti Gomes and fell just short.

However, Nuno’s men turned the situation around just before the hour mark. Sliding to cut off Chris Wood’s pass to Gibbs-White, Matt Doherty brought down his former teammate and the ball escaped to Danilo, who ‘headed Jose Sa at point blank range.

The lead lasted just five minutes as Forest’s weakness from set pieces was once again exposed. Max Kilman had a free header from a corner on the left and Matz Sels pushed it straight towards Wolves substitute Hwang Hee-chan, allowing Cunha to head home his second. It was the 22nd goal Forest had scored from a free kick this season – a league record.

Forest returned. Sa clawed Hudson-Odoi’s lob, then flew to his left to push away a deflected effort from Danilo. Then Gibbs-White played a fabulous lifted pass over the Wolves defense that Hudson-Odoi couldn’t control, and Williams latched onto a short headed clearance from Kilman but struck too close to Sa.

As six minutes of stoppage time approached, substitute Divock Origi broke clear but headed horribly past his cross, with Wood unmarked in the middle. Forest might live to regret it.