Jose Sa - 6

Didn’t have too much to do until the latter stages of the second half. No chance with goal, couple of nervous passing moments.

Kieran Trippier - 4

Really poor day for Trippier. Looked miles off it going forward, gave the ball away too many times, delivery was woeful and was easily beaten by Conway for the cross that led to the winner.

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Wolves lost just their second Championship game of the season in a tight battle at promotion rivals Middlesbrough.

The hosts were the better side in a difficult first half, in which Wolves were industrious but lacked any cutting edge.

Chances were at a premium but eventually the prolific Will Lankshear got a sniff at goal and headed Boro ahead early in the second half.

Wolves made attacking changes and dominated large spells of the game after conceding, but they were unable to force an equaliser on their travels.

Analysis

Cesar Peixoto made one change to the team that beat West Brom before the international break.

Tommy Doyle made his first Championship start of the season, replacing Fer Lopez who picked up a knee injury but was fit enough for the bench.

Jordan James also sustained a foot problem on international duty but was still named among the substitutes and he was joined by the returning Ladislav Krejci and Rafiki Said, who was named in his first squad after suffering an MCL knee injury in pre-season.

Boubacar Traore has been sidelined with a calf injury and is expected to be out for a few weeks, while Bertrand Traore was not involved as he builds up fitness.

Tawanda Chirewa also missed out, while Raul Jimenez is sidelined with a knee problem and Yerson Mosquera is working his way back from an ankle issue.

The players walked out to a brilliant atmosphere at the Riverside Stadium for Middlesbrough’s 150th anniversary fixture.

The hosts started well and the first chance came when Callum Brittain got the better of Hugo Bueno and crossed low, but Wolves were able to clear their lines.

Nasser Djiga’s huge mistake nearly gave Boro the lead, as he lost the ball to Riley McGree on the edge of the box and then pulled the opposition player back. A yellow card was given, despite Boro asking for red, and the resulting free-kick was directed over the bar.

Wolves survived a storm from the hosts and could have taken the lead when Adam Armstrong stole the ball from goalkeeper Radek Vitek and was near the byline unchallenged, but he could not pick out a Wolves player in the box.

Rodrigo Gomes was lively on the right wing as Wolves looked dangerous from counter attacking opportunities, but it was Boro that seemed most likely to score after 30 minutes, as Lankshear came close to meeting a cross at the far post.

Wolves did force a save when Marshall Munetsi turned and shot, before the two sides entered half-time at 0-0.

There were no changes at half-time, despite R.Gomes picking up a first half knock and the winger was slightly limping in the early stages of the second half.

Then, in the 51st minute, he was replaced by Said who made his Wolves debut.

Just moments after coming on Said was booked for diving by referee Farai Hallam, but replays appeared to show it should have been a free-kick to Wolves outside the box.

The deadlock was broken in the 57th minute when Tommy Conway beat Kieran Trippier too easily to lift a cross to the back post, where Lankshear beat Bueno in the air to head home.

Wolves immediately made a triple change and looked far more threatening in attack, as James started a move that resulted in Said’s cross nearly finding Armstrong.

As the minutes ticked by, Wolves continued to dominate proceedings but became increasingly frustrated at the lack of chances they could create.

Boro nearly got a second when the ball hit the bar during a scramble from a corner.

Wolves pushed for a late equaliser but were unable to force one final big chance, as they were condemned to defeat.

Key Moments

GOAL 57 Lankshear heads Boro ahead

Teams

Wolves: Sa, Trippier, Djiga, Toti, Bueno, Andre (Neave, 82), Munetsi (James, 61), R.Gomes (Said, 51), Doyle (Lopez, 61), Mane (Bellegarde, 61), Armstrong.

Subs not used: Virginia, Krejci, Konan, Tchatchoua.

Middlesbrough: Vitek, Brittain, Malanda, Phillips, Borges, Morris, Berhalter (Ayling, 70), Cozier-Duberry (Arfsten, 87), Conway (Peart-Harris, 70), McGree (Sarmiento, 80), Lankshear (Joseph, 87).

Subs not used: Brynn, Byram, Barron, Castledine.

Cesar Peixoto insists Wolves have the quality, confidence and team spirit to overcome Middlesbrough today.

Following a three-week international break, Wolves are back in action with a long trip to face one of their promotion rivals.

The head coach is aware of the danger Middlesbrough pose, but is focused on what Wolves have at their disposal and the damage they can cause their opponents at the Riverside.

Read more

Toughest game of the season?

Yes I think Middlesbrough (away) could well be!

These are the games that could bear great significance come the end of the season.

Make no mistake, these are two sides with eyes on automatic promotion.

And in an ideal world, Cesar Peixoto would have hoped for a full strength squad to choose from.

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Cesar Peixoto has urged Ladislav Krejci to show the same commitment he has shown in training this week, but admits the defender has lost his place in the Wolves team.

The centre-back had a calf injury that kept him out of the Black Country derby and the first international match for Czechia, before he later returned to action for his country.

But following the win over West Brom, Peixoto implied in his post-match press conference that Krejci had ruled himself out of the match.

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Liam Keen spoke to Nathan Judah following Cesar Peixoto's pre-match press conference vs Middlesbrough.

The boys have plenty of team news to sink their teeth into with some potentially difficult decision's to make on the starting XI.

The boys predict Cesar Peixoto's team, his thoughts on the international break and the task ahead vs fellow promotion contenders.

Raul Jimenez will take longer to recover from his knee injury than Wolves first anticipated, Inside Wolves can reveal.

The striker was sidelined during the Carabao Cup clash with Everton and missed the Black Country derby win over Albion, but Cesar Peixoto revealed at the time that Jimenez’s injury was not as bad as first feared.

Now, the club’s medical department has put Jimenez back in a temporary knee brace, and he will remain sidelined for the time being, with Peixoto admitting that the player will take a bit longer to recover - but he was unable to give a specific timeline.

“In the first moment, we felt it was a bad injury, and the second moment I told you he’s not too bad,” Peixoto said.

“Now (it’s in the balance), Raul is doing everything on the technical side to recover as soon as possible, but I think he’s going to delay a little more.

“Raul doesn’t feel comfortable stepping up, and the department delayed a little more because he has to come and stay, not come and go again.

“We have to go slowly with Raul because he’s an important player for us and we want Raul to play the season, not stay, come and go out, so we have to go more slowly with him.”

When asked for a timeline on Jimenez’s return, Peixoto added: “No, I don’t have the timeline. I don’t lie, I don’t have the timeline.”

Meanwhile, Wolves also have minor injury concerns with Fer Lopez and Jordan James, who both returned from international duty with small problems.

This puts their involvement against Middlesbrough on Saturday in doubt, but Peixoto said they will make a decision on whether to play them.

He also added that Jean-Ricner Bellegarde played more minutes for Haiti than the club anticipated, meaning they will need to be careful not to aggravate his previous hamstring injury.

“Fer came with a little problem in the knee,” the head coach said.

“Jordan James has a little problem in his foot.

“Bellegarde came back more delayed than the others, he traveled a lot, played more minutes than we expected because he came back from the injury.

“You have to manage the sessions with them also. But the guys are happy to come back with our group.

“We have a great group spirit, they've grown up a lot in the last two weeks, and I think they are ready. But with these kinds of problems, we have to manage them for tomorrow.”

When asked if Lopez and James will play, Peixoto added: “I don't do mind games, they are not 100 per cent.

“They have pain, a little pain through their training, but I have to think and talk with them until the last moments to see if it is better for the team that they play in this game or they don't play, and because we have three games in a row this week, the next week is the same.

“If it is better to take the risk or not, we have to manage that situation with the medical department also and make the best decision for the team.

“I look all the time for what is best for the team. We have a lot of games, we have to manage these kinds of players.”

Wolves did have some good news on the injury front, however, as Rafiki Said will travel with the squad to face Middlesbrough, and Yerson Mosquera is back in team training.

“Rafiki, yes, to take more minutes, to start to take minutes to stay at a good level,” Peixoto said.

“Yerson needs a little more time because he's come back from the injury, and he needs a little more training with us.

“Rafiki will go with us to the game because he's staying at a good level now.”

Middlesbrough reporter Dominic Shaw believes Wolves will win the Championship title this season – despite the impressive start made by his own side and the emergence of Boro striker Will Lankshear.

The Northern Echo journalist tipped Wolves to finish top and Boro second before a ball was kicked and, despite the early twists and turns of the campaign, sees little reason to change his mind.

“Wolves and Boro were my top two, Wolves to win the league and Boro to finish second before a ball was kicked this season,” Shaw explained.

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Wolves Women boss Dan McNamara has praised the club’s hierarchy for supporting his team on their journey to the Women’s Super League 2.

The women’s side were less valued under previous chairman Jeff Shi, but since Nathan Shi took his place, the club has attempted to get behind the team as they achieved their dream of getting to the WSL2.

Nathan Shi and technical director Matt Jackson were both in attendance at a recent home win over Burnley, and the head coach has welcomed their backing.

“The chairman and Matt Jackson have been fantastic with us since the start of the last season, to be honest,” McNamara said.

“They’ve given us the platform to perform and achieve and here they are now, turning up to support the girls in big games.

“It was brilliant to see them here. I know they enjoyed it. They came onto the pitch at the end and said they really enjoyed the performance. So hopefully we can see them down here more often.”

Captain Anna Morphet echoed her head coach’s words, and said the support the women’s team is now getting is a far cry from the previous regime.

“It’s huge,” she said.

“Just seeing the chairman and Matt Jackson here and being part of it, they’ve been brilliant.

“He just asked me at the end, what can we do for you? What can we add? And just their presence is fantastic.

“We want to make the club proud just as much as we want their support.

“It’s poles apart from years ago, and it’s fantastic to see.

“We had a difficult time a few years ago, but you’ve got to build on that and use it. “We could have crumbled, and there could have been no more Wolves Women at the end of the day, but here we are now, and it’s fantastic.”

It has been a long journey for Wolves to get to the second tier and become a fully professional outfit.

But now, five games into the season, they sit fifth after a very solid start.

“We do talk about the journey a lot, and it is something that we take a hell of a lot of pride in,” Morphet added.

“It was a big moment for everybody involved, not last year, but years and years before. Being part of the disappointments, then being part of the celebration.

“But at the same time we wanted to come into this season and not just let the dream stop there.

“We kind of had to use it, but in some instances, park it and make sure that we didn’t stay on that cloud nine. We brought ourselves down to earth and realised the challenge it was going to be.

“From the summer pre-season, right through pre-season to the first games, we’ve grafted very, very hard and it’s really great now to get off to a fantastic start.”

Joined by Dominic Shaw of the Northern Echo as we dive into all things Middlesbrough ahead of Wolves’ trip to the Riverside this weekend.

Dominic breaks down:

Spygate and how the fallout reshaped Boro’s recruitment and identity.

The new‑look squad and why this version of Boro feels sharper, fitter and more aligned.

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History suggests Wolves will need around 92 points to secure an immediate Premier League return. But with their early-season form putting them right on the required pace, how realistic is automatic promotion, and who stands in their way?

Seven games played, 14 points collected and a place among the Championship’s early frontrunners.

It’s been an encouraging start for Wolves, particularly given the upheaval that inevitably follows relegation from the Premier League.

But while league positions in October can be misleading, there is one statistic that offers a far better indication of whether a team is heading in the right direction.

Read more

Tommy Doyle admits he has done a lot of work on himself personally to put himself in the best position to attack the season for Wolves.

The midfielder cut a composed, confident and mature figure as he sat down for an interview with Inside Wolves.

And in the final article from a long and engaging chat, the 24-year-old says he has been working hard to ‘complete’ himself as a player and says he is enjoying working under Cesar Peixoto.

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KEEN OR NOT KEEN returns by popular demand!

We're back with this new weekly segment as Liam Keen tells us why he's 'KEEN' or 'NOT KEEN' to the Wolves questions and scenarios posed by Nathan Judah.

It's fun. it's fast and hopefully entertaining!

Do you agree with Liam?!

Lots of topics covered including Toti Gomes’s place in the side, Fer Lopez injury replacements and predicting the length of Cesar Peixoto’s tenure.

Wolves’ return to Championship action is just around the corner as they prepare for a trip to Middlesbrough this weekend.

All 10 of the club’s international players have now finished their duties and will return to Compton this week to get ready for a huge clash at the Riverside.

In the latest deep dive into the talking points at Wolves, Liam Keen looks at the club’s record following international breaks, an injury dilemma and the options available to Cesar Peixoto.

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The 24-year-old is yet to start a Championship game this campaign, but he has played an important role off the bench.

Doyle has often played the most advanced midfield role, but he says his ability to play in different areas will help him play regularly under Cesar Peixoto.

“I had a chat with the boss about that the other day and he basically said to me, just make sure you learn all three, make sure you know all three positions,” Doyle said.

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In the first episode of Inside Wolves' 'Golden Memories', Liam and Nathan are joined by former Wolves forward Michal Zyro for an honest, long‑awaited conversation.

We revisit his move to Wolves, that electric start, the injuries that changed everything, and that infamous Antony Kay tackle at MK Dons.

We talk recovery, Poland, retirement at 31, his new life in the media — including that viral Van Dijk moment — and how he reflects on Wolves now.

With his 34th birthday coming on the day Wolves won the Black Country derby, Zyro speaks at length about his appreciation and admiration of the Wolves fans.

When Rafiki Said signed for Wolves in a £7.7million deal from Standard Liege, there was plenty of excitement about what the winger may offer.

Wolves fans have been starved of exciting wide players for some time, and Said’s addition came at a time when Wolves were enduring a slower transfer window.

But the 26-year-old suffered a frustrating MCL knee injury in a friendly at Maidenhead United on July 22, and he has not featured since.

The Comoros international is getting closer to a comeback and ahead of his Wolves debut, we spoke to Kevin Sauvage, a journalist for Sudinfo who covers Standard Liege, for the inside track on what the attacker could bring.

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Tommy Doyle is full of praise for ‘incredible’ Kieran Trippier and Adam Armstrong and the experience they are bringing to the Wolves squad.

Both players have extensive proficiency in the Championship and bring a know-how that not many members of the squad possess.

Doyle also has good experience in the second tier and has struck up a friendship with both Trippier and Armstrong - who he says offer great help to Cesar Peixoto and his coaching staff and bring a camaraderie to the dressing room.

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The extended international break will end this week and Wolves’ attention will be on a huge Championship clash at Middlesbrough.

An injury to Fer Lopez and Ladislav Krejci’s suspension mean Wolves’ 10 international players have now finished games for their country and will start to report back to Compton.

But who has finished the three-week break as Wolves’ international winners and losers?

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The extended three-week break will end this weekend as Wolves travel to Middlesbrough, in the hope of maintaining the momentum they built with a Black Country derby win over Albion last month.

A total of 10 senior players were away with their national teams and after some brief respite for the remaining players, they have been back training regularly and also playing an in-house match with the academy to keep players match fit.

“It’s always tough, because you’re used to playing every week, but when it comes to the international period, I think it can be good as well to have a little break,” Toti said.

“Of course, we still have players representing their national teams, so we’re supporting them, rooting for them, and the ones here are working hard – we know we have to keep working hard to keep our consistency at a good level, and keep at the same level as the last game.

“It’s been good. Everybody’s been in a good mood. We had a break and everyone’s feeling good. Everyone’s been very professional and respected the days off, and coming back fit.

“Most of the players went to places where they could get some sun, like Spain, Dubai or Portugal, and it’s good to relax and then come back serious.”

The captain admits it can be difficult to stay in the zone during longer international breaks, as Wolves aim to return to action in the same form they entered the break.

Toti added: “It’s not easy. This is probably the biggest international break we’ve had.

“It can make players more relaxed, but we’ve made sure we’re working hard and it’s good as well to spend time with your family, it’s a time to disconnect from football, but once you’re back you need to click again and get back to the same level.”