With the pressure building on Sean Dyche, the Forest boss knew that a home game against the league’s basement side offered a great chance to return to winning ways.
Callum Hudson-Odoi threatened to net an early opener when he fired the ball just wide of the far post in what proved to be the first of many Forest chances in a one-sided first half.
Morgan Gibbs-White soon spurned a glorious opportunity to net against his former club, sending his close-range header wide from Elliot Anderson’s dangerous delivery.
January addition Lorenzo Lucca then had the chance to vindicate Dyche’s decision to hand him his first Premier League start, but the Napoli loanee blazed over when it seemed easier to hit the target.
When Lucca eventually found the net, the assistant’s raised flag was there to further frustrate the striker and the Forest faithful, who would have been disappointed with their team’s failure to convert any of their 16 shots before the break.
The hosts continued to carry the greater threat after the restart, but the groans of discontent grew louder as more chances came and went without the all-important end product.
Hudson-Odoi guided a tame effort straight at Sa, shortly before Neco Williams’s long-range drive deflected onto the roof of the net.
While their backline looked shaky, Wolves appeared to grow in confidence with every missed Forest opportunity, and dreams of a smash-and-grab were nearly realised when Mateus Mane forced Stefan Ortega into a desperate stop at the near post.
Ortega’s opposite number, Sa, was soon called back into action to make an extraordinary double save to thwart Igor Jesus and Morato at point-blank range.
Sa’s impressive display and Forest’s lack of quality in the final third ensured the contest ultimately finished goalless, leaving Dyche’s charges just three points clear of the drop.
While Wolves are still doomed, they at least extend their unbeaten away run in this fixture to 10 matches.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Jose Sa (Wolverhampton Wanderers)