Steve Cooper gambled with seven changes. Although he didn't hit the jackpot, he hopes a point will give him another roll of the dice with Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis.
The way the Forest manager went over at the end to cheer on the away fans who were chanting his name all the time may have looked like an emotional farewell, but he denied it.
“No, that's the last thing it was,” he said. 'I wanted to thank you for your support. You spent a lot of money this week and got players through challenging times in this game.
'I am full of gratitude. They were so loud it didn't feel like an away game.'
Yet Cooper is pragmatic enough to know that the decision is in the hands of Marinakis and not in the hands of the supporters.
Harry Toffolo rose above Nelson Semedo to give Nottingham Forest an advantage over Molinuex
The defender scored his first goal for the club since joining from Huddersfield last summer
Steve Cooper made seven changes from the midweek defeat at Fulham and saw his side squander three golden chances to win the match
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Forest are on their way to one win in twelve and the relationship between owner and manager has been difficult for some time. A decision must be made before Friday's match at home to Spurs.
The players are clearly behind their manager. The spirit they showed at Molineux was impressive after the 5-0 midweek humiliation at Fulham and they had clear chances to win.
After Matheus Cunha canceled out Harry Toffolo's opener, Forest had three golden opportunities to take the points.
It was the kind of response the manager wanted after Craven Cottage, prompting him to change the personnel and system to 3-5-2.
'Under normal circumstances it was a positive day performance-wise and a point away from home. But we didn't win the game after all the sideshows and the way we let ourselves down at Fulham.
“We could have gone two ways: playing with fear or personality, showing solidarity and quality, and we did that.”
They had not had long to work on their new formation, but started brightly fueled by adrenaline and vocal support from the away section and took the lead after 14 minutes.
Wolves defender Toti misplaced a pass and Neco Williams capitalized with an excellent cross from the right.
At the far post, fellow full-back Toffolo rose well to head over the line, before Craig Dawson's acrobatic effort to volley clear.
Forest needed a lift but given their miserable away form, 19 defeats since the start of last season, Wolves knew they would have a chance to bounce back.
Their chance came after 32 minutes. Pablo Sarabia crossed from the right and Forest defender Moussa Niakhate did not follow Cunha's run, who had time to cut in from close range.
Matheus Cunha continued his good form in front of goal with his third in four league matches
Gary O'Neil's side dominated most of the game but were fortunate not to be punished for their mistakes
On the sidelines, Cooper grimaced and reexamined the pain on a laptop. He later claimed that Wolves had been wrongly awarded a throw in the build-up.
“A fundamental human error that could not have been worse,” he said.
Wolves manager Gary O'Neil, who has been on the receiving end of so many poor decisions that fans protested VAR before the match, replied: 'That was a Forest throw but a lot happens after that before we score.
“Maybe Steve should take a look at the decisions that went against us. A penalty is much harder to stop than a throw!'
Forest should have regained the lead on the stroke of half-time. Max Kilman's stumble allowed Cheikh Kouyate, who had previously been treated for a head injury, to clear clear but he lacked composure and his shot was blocked by Jose Sa's legs.
Makeshift centre-forward Anthony Elanga rattled the crossbar in the 53rd minute, although it may have been offside. Toffolo was definitely onside when he headed over from four meters.
Cooper looked anguished by the missed opportunities. Things almost got worse when Cunha broke free and Mat Turner had to make a match-saving parry.
Cooper remains under immense pressure after the crushing defeat in midweek
Around the pitch, Wolves fans continued to protest against VAR action after being on the wrong side of a number of incorrect decisions
It was not the way Wolves wanted to mark O'Neil's 50th Premier League game as manager.
'We looked overly patient. “We weren't really fast enough, but 19 points is a good result from our games so far,” he said.
Cooper angrily denied reports that he had fallen out with club captain Joe Worrall and defender Scott McKenna. His explanation was that Forest were splitting the training groups due to size and that McKenna is returning from an Achilles injury.
It adds to the feeling that everything is an afterthought, to use Cooper's term at Forest. The fans want him to stay. Marinakis' mood as Forest ended a four-match losing streak but failed to win again will be the ultimate arbiter.