Igor Jesus’ first Premier League goal condemned winless Wolves to another defeat as Nottingham Forest edged a poor game at Molineux.
The forward’s sixth of the season was enough for Sean Dyche’s side to recover immediately from Sunday’s home defeat by Brighton.
Defeat means rock-bottom Wolves have just two points, and the joint-worst record in Premier League history, with Sheffield United, after 14 games.
They are yet to win in the top flight – with their last league victory coming in April – and are cut adrift at the foot of the table, 12 points from the safety line, after seven straight league defeats.
Boss Rob Edwards said: “We’re in the position we’re in now. We don’t want to die like that. So that’s probably going to be the message now going forward. We don’t want to go out with a whimper. In the first half, that’s how it felt.
“I asked the players at half-time: ‘Are you scared?’ No was the answer and we saw a response. I know we conceded in the second half but I feel the game was lost in the first half. We didn’t show any of the things I want from my team and that hurts.
“It looked bleak before we arrived. We didn’t do our job tonight so we can’t expect anyone else to give us any help.”
Forest remain 16th, four points above the bottom three, and always looked the likely victors.
Igor Jesus ended his wait for a Premier League goal despite having a first-half opener disallowed after a video assistant referee review, with Dan Ndoye clearly standing in front of, and impeding, goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.
Even so, it took VAR and referee Tim Robinson five minutes and 33 seconds to make a decision.
The goal, a second-half header from Omari Hutchinson’s cross, came after Johnstone had denied Neco Williams and Hutchinson.
Despite victory, Forest boss Sean Dyche was critical about the VAR delay and the need for officials to announce their decision, with referee Robinson addressing the crowd as part of a directive this season.
“I don’t understand talking to the crowd and I just think it’s a waste. It’s already taken forever. Just call it and get on with it,” Dyche said.
“They tell me, all the stakeholders wanted it. I’d love to know who those stakeholders are, because I speak to the managers and they go: ‘We didn’t want it.’
“Referees have a hard job and I think they do a great job overall. Why put them under more pressure? It’s not natural for everyone to want to speak in front of 20, 40, 50, 60, 70,000, people. So why put that on their plate as well?
“Give them a chance to breathe and get their job done without layering up more and more on top.”