Football: Pearce prises Wolves apart

Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 Nottingham Forest 3 Forest's long unbeaten run withstood a passionate comeback by Wolverhampton Wanderers before the club moved into the fourth round of the Coca-Cola Cup last night.

Two up after 21 minutes, Forest were pegged back by the First Division leaders only to break the hearts of a Molineux full house with a deflected winner two minutes from time. The goal, from a Stuart Pearce free-kick, was cruelly deflected in off David Kelly, who had earlier scored Wolves' second.

Forest, unbeaten in seven months and 24 matches, had gone ahead through Pearce - another deflected goal - and Bryan Roy. Wolves, having replied through Paul Birch and Kelly, could then have won, but substitute Neil Emblen's 82nd-minute shot flashed just past the far post.

Had it gone in Forest would have looked ruefully back to the loss of their inspirational centre-forward, Stan Collymore, when the score was 2-0.

Collymore suffered a hamstring injury and Frank Clark, the Forest manager, said he was 'very doubtful' for Saturday's Premiership match with Blackburn Rovers.

Collymore, rejected by Wolves as a teenager, could have scored two before his departure, as Forest played what Clark described as their best football for some time. Having scored after five minutes - Ian Woan's corner bouncing in off Pearce and Mark Venus after Collymore had flicked on - they tore Wolves apart.

The second, also set up by Woan, emphasised the home side's hesitant start, four defenders standing off Roy who had time to shoot past Stowell from 20 yards.

The Molineux atmosphere, so thick with anticipation at the start, sunk into anticlimax. But the team, encouraged by Forest's loss of momentum after Collymore's exit, lifted themselves and their supporters with a goal six minutes from the interval. A sweeping move found Bull on the right, he unselfishly slipped the ball to Birch who drove across Crossley to score.

Wolves renewed their assault on the hour. Kelly won a free-kick on the right and, when Steve Froggatt curled it across, the Irish striker was at the far post to head in.

Wolverhampton Wanderers (4-4-2): Stowell; Smith, Blades, Venus, Thompson; Birch, Thomas, Ferguson (Emblen, 76), Froggatt; Bull, Kelly. Substitutes not used: Rankine, Jones (gk).

Nottingham Forest (4-4-2): Crossley; Lyttle, Cooper, Chettle, Pearce; Stone, Phillips, Bohinen, Woan; Collymore (Lee, 22), Roy. Substitutes not used: Gemmill, Wright (gk).

Referee: P Don (Hanworth Park, Middx).