Ait-Nouri nets goal as Wolves defeat Bristol City

Premier League club Wolves eased into the fourth round of the FA Cup with a clinical win at Championship side Bristol City.

Wolves named a strong line-up and opened the scoring in the 10th minute through in-form wing-back Rayan Ait-Nouri, who headed in Joao Gomes’ low cross.

The visitors doubled their lead 11 minutes later as Rodrigo Gomes surged into the box, beat a defender and calmly finished into the bottom corner.

Bristol City’s Scott Twine halved the deficit with a superb free-kick which found the top corner from 25 yards out.

And in the closing stages, Bristol City were inches away from an equaliser after Ait-Nouri headed a wide Twine free-kick against the underside of his own crossbar.

The Robins, eighth in the Championship, pushed in the final minutes but were ultimately unable to break down a Wolves side who are 17th and only out of the top flight’s relegation zone on goal difference.

Wolves are four-time winners of the FA Cup, although they last lifted the trophy in 1960.

Last season they reached the quarter-finals, losing to a late Coventry comeback.

Going by their fast start at Ashton Gate, Vitor Pereira’s side appear to be taking the competition seriously this year too.

Ait-Nouri, who has been linked with a move to Liverpool this month, almost poked the visitors in front in the opening exchanges, while Goncalo Guedes had a tame shot blocked on the line by George Tanner at 1-0.

In the second half, Hwang Hee-chan hit a cut-back over the bar and Gomes clattered a shot against the near post when through on goal.

Pablo Sarabia also struck the post with a fierce, low driven shot from distance.

Wolves’ sloppy finishing was almost punished late on though when Ait-Nouri headed against his own bar with City’s Ross McCrorie just behind him hoping to nod in.

Having spent much of the match searching for a third, Wolves finished the game trying to run down the clock and keeping the ball by the Bristol City corner flags.

Pereira gave a debut to defender Emmanuel Agbadou, who completed a £16.6m move from French side Reims on Thursday and the Ivory Coast international had an error-free game.

The draw for the fourth round of the FA Cup will be live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer following the conclusion of the Arsenal v Manchester United, which kicks off at 15:00 GMT on Sunday.