Nuno convinced first Cardiff goal shouldn´t have stood

Nuno Espirito Santo is convinced Cardiff City’s first goal in Wolves’ 2-1 defeat on Friday should not have been allowed to stand due to an apparent foul on goalkeeper Rui Patricio.

Cardiff came from behind to take the points in Wales, clawing themselves out of the Premier League’s bottom three in the process.

Wolves took an early lead through Matt Doherty, as he smashed in from close range after Neil Etheridge saved Raul Jimenez’s header.

But Aron Gunnarsson levelled just after the hour in acrobatic fashion, with Patricio – who had been blocked off by Callum Paterson – all at sea.

In the end a stunning strike from Junior Hoilett gave Cardiff the win late on, but Nuno felt Wolves had been hard done by for the equaliser.

“It’s hard to judge. As a former goalkeeper I think it was a foul,” he told BBC Sport.

“All defeats are hard to take. But when you have the lead and the game changes, it’s very hard.

“I think we had a better game than last week [a home defeat against Huddersfield Town]. The first half was good. But the second half we didn’t do enough to hang onto the lead.”

“It’s about time the boys gave me something to celebrate! I’m really proud of them tonight”

– @CardiffCityFC boss Neil Warnock, on the eve of his 70th birthday#CARWOL pic.twitter.com/01xR738eET

— Premier League (@premierleague) November 30, 2018

Nuno’s counterpart Neil Warnock turns 70 on Saturday and, having been behind at the break, he quipped about wanting his players to give him reason to celebrate.

“I said to the boys it’s about time they gave me something to celebrate,” he told Sky Sports. “I’m really proud of them.

“I didn’t think we deserved to be 1-0 down. In the second half we were on the front foot for most of the time.

“Gunnars [Gunnarsson] knows he made a mistake [for the Wolves goal], but he apologised. I said to the boys, ‘you have to get Gunnars out of the cart’. I think we had some good opportunities after the break – I thought we wanted it more.”