Norwich 3 Wolves 1 - five talking points

Wolves made a slow start but got back into the game through a Helder Costa penalty, before the antics of Wes Hoolahan swung the game for the hosts.

It was a disappointing defeat and a performance below the recent standards Wolves have set.

So where does this leave their season? Wolves correspondent Tim Spiers picks out five talking points.

Off day

Norwich, despite the wealth of talent at Alex Neil's disposal, were there for the taking after nine defeats in 16.

The impatient home fans were ready to turn (a small minority did, on Jez Moxey) and in a lifeless atmosphere you could hear a pin drop in the opening stages.

If Wolves had begun on the front foot, maybe scored an early goal, then it could have been a very different Carrow Road.

Instead they started in a limp and lifeless manner, going through the motions, misplacing passes.

And Norwich took full advantage, growing into the game and forcing errors from Lambert's off-colour players.

Paul Lambert's team rallied for a 20-minute spell in the second half, before certain shenanigans ended their momentum.

For a work in progress, games like this are to be expected.

Lambert will probably have learned more about his players in this defeat than he did in the previous two victories against Villa and Stoke.

Wafty Wes

But Wolves will rightly feel bitterly aggrieved regarding the manner of the defeat.

They had found their way back into the game via Helder Costa's brilliantly-taken penalty and the momentum was with them when Wes Hoolahan dived over Carl Ikeme's leg to win a 75th-minute penalty.

Ikeme's reaction was to push Hoolahan in the chest. The Irishman dropped to the floor again, this time with even more childlike petulance.

The keeper's outstretched leg was there to go over, and he shouldn't have pushed Hoolahan.

But the Norwich player has 'won' a penalty and his reaction has got Ikeme sent off.

We see it week in, week out in the Premier League, but not as frequently in the EFL, which is probably why this incident left such a sour taste for Wolves.

Sadly, many in the game now seem to view it as an acceptable/inevitable part of the sport.

While Hoolahan should face repercussions, it's Ikeme who will miss Wolves' biggest game of the season at Anfield next week.

League season over?

While Wolves do have to be wary of not slipping down the table (they're currently seven off the bottom three with fixtures of two of the six teams below them (Burton and Wigan) in their next four games) they look likely to finish in mid-table.

Over the past 10 seasons the team finishing in that cherished sixth spot in the Championship has, on average, amassed 73 points.

Wolves currently have 32 points. They would probably need around 41, then, from their remaining 19 matches. That's title-winning form.

The door was left slightly ajar by currently sixth-place incumbents Sheffield Wednesday, who lost on Friday night, meaning Wolves would have moved to within 10 points of the Owls with victory at Carrow Road, but defeat means the gap remains at 13.

So the FA Cup, in terms of competitions this season (building a team for next year in the 'big-picture' priority) becomes their number one focus.

After making so many changes at Stoke, Lambert's team selection at Liverpool will be fascinating.

If they lose to the Reds, the season is all-but over in terms of something to play for.

Unfortunately or fortunately, whichever way you want to view it, Lambert will have plenty of games to experiment and build between now and May.

Let's hope he can use the time wisely and start to form a team ready to hit the ground running in August.

Because if it's anything like last season, Wolves fans will be in for a tortuous few months, wishing the season away.

You get the impression that under Lambert, that won't be the case.

Cavaleiro comedown

Dominic Iorfa, Jack Price and Joe Mason all dipped well below their highest standards and no one cover themselves in glory.

But most anonymous of all was Ivan Cavaleiro - and that's been a recurring theme in the past couple of weeks.

He was disinterested at Sheffield Wednesday and ineffective against Villa last weekend. When Cavaleiro's off his game the onus is left almost exclusively on Helder Costa to prove a creative spark.

That's too much to ask. Cavaleiro needs to rediscover his mojo or he'll soon find himself out of the team - Andreas Weimann fitted in nicely and undoubtedly worked harder than Cavaleiro, whose tracking back was almost non-existent.

Throwback

Tom Bennett (against Albion) and the late Dean Richards (against Stoke) were among the players to don the gloves in the early 1990s but it's a rare sight indeed in the new millennium.

It was no surprise to see the resourceful Doherty put his hand up to go in goal.

Happily for Wolves (or sadly for Doherty who will have fancied pulling off a worldie or two) he didn't actually have to make a save of note.

But his kicking was good and he even ended up in Norwich's half at one point in the style of sweeper keeper Manuel Neuer.

It topped off an action-packed game for Doherty who won Wolves' penalty with a typical marauding run down the left.

He had a good game defensively and was Wolves' best player on the day, as he has been so often for the past 12 months.