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Neil Warnock has branded Nuno Espirito Santo "a disgrace" after the Wolves boss refused to shake his hand immediately after his side's dramatic 1-0 win over Cardiff City.
Gary Madine and Junior Hoilett both missed penalties in injury time as the visitors extended their lead at the top of the Championship through Ruben Neves' stunning second half free-kick.
The Wolves players and coaching staff on the touchline raced on to the field after referee Mike Dean called an end to proceedings.
And Warnock was left fuming after he was unable to shake the hand of the Portuguese boss - who later apologised - after the full-time whistle, with the Cardiff boss appearing to swear at the Wolves boss following the match.
"I don't give a toss what he says," said the Yorkshireman.
"I wont accept his apology, he's totally out of order, in British football you shake the manager's hand and I think it showed a lack of class.
"I went to shake his hand and he ran off. if that's what he does in Portugal then fair enough but not in Britain.
"He can say anything after the game, the etiquette and manners, you don't have to run off like that and rub your nose in it. It's a disgrace."
Speaking after the match, the Wolves boss said: "I'm very proud of what I'm doing and I want to be a gentleman to all of the other managers.
"I'm sorry and I hope Neil understands. It is difficult to control your emotions."
Cardiff remain in second place in the league standings, although they are now nine points adrift of Wolves.
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Cardiff City's 13-game unbeaten run came to an end as Ruben Neves' stunning free kick clinched victory for promotion-bound Wolves.
The visitors claimed a 1-0 victory before a record league crowd at Cardiff City Stadium on a frustrating night for Neil Warnock's side.
Football writer Dominic Booth rates the players...
STAR MAN - NEIL ETHERIDGE 8
The goalkeeper made a couple of huge early saves, one brilliant stop to deny Diogo Jota. And a few late on stopped it being 2-0.
LEE PELTIER 6
Recalled in place of Bruno Manga and was his usual dependable self. Carded for a pull back on Afobe.
SEAN MORRISON (CAPT.) 6
Video histrionics to one side, he defended well apart from the foul that allowed Neves to curl home his free kick.
SOL BAMBA 7
Shunned from the team of the year and responded as only Bamba can. Looked solid and proved a huge threat in the Wolves box at the end, helping to win the penalties.
JOE BENNETT 7
Has been Mr Consistent of late and was asked to man mark Benik Afobe. Covered his teammates with aplomb and might have scored in the first half.
ARON GUNNARSSON 7
A successive start for the Ice Man and he did as much as anyone to stem the Wolves' midfield flow. Won the foul for the second penalty.
CALLUM PATERSON 5
Has been a goal machine since the turn of the year and was stationed on the right side of a 4-2-3-1. Struggled with the ball at his feet and then limped off for Mendez-Laing on 51 minutes.
CRAIG BRYSON 7
Selected over Marko Grujic and covered a huge amount of ground to close Wolves down. One of his best nights in a Cardiff shirt, kept running until the final whistle.
YANIC WILDSCHUT 5
A shock starter over Mendez-Laing and was caught in possession twice early on. Came close to scoring with a free-kick, but looked off the pace.
JUNIOR HOILETT 5
Clattered by Conor Coady early on and well marshaled by the visitors throughout. Perhaps defences are finally wising up to his abilities. Missed the second late penalty to cue Cardiff's agony.
KENNETH ZOHORE 6
The frontman got a couple of early sights of goal but couldn't test John Ruddy. Faded in the second half and replaced by Pilkington.
Subs
Mendez-Laing (for Paterson, 51) - Failed to make the same inroads he did at Molineux in August
Madine (for Wildschut, 72) - Won the late penalty from Coady but hit a weak shot that Ruddy saved.
Pilkington (for Zohore, 84) - A late introduction.
Subs not used: Murphy, Manga, Traore, Damour.
Wolves: Ruddy; R. Bennett, Coady (capt.), Boly; Doherty, Saiss, Neves, Douglas; Afobe (N'Diaye, 77), Bonatini (Costa, 58), D.Jota (Cavaleiro, 66).
Subs not used: Norris, Batth, Gibbs-White, Hause.
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If ever a game showcased the contrasting styles that best sum up the Championship - not to mention the pure theatre - this was it.
It was billed as the biggest game of the season between two heavyweights who had taken different courses to become promotion favourites. And it finished with high drama.
For all money it seemed one moment of second half genius from Ruben Neves, who scored an artful free kick, would mark an engrossing contest.
But two late penalty misses, one from Gary Madine, another from Junior Hoilett almost cast a shadow on a goal worthy of winning any game.
It ended with stomach-churning drama, it started with high intensity from both Cardiff City and Wolves. From the moment Conor Coady piled in on Hoilett in the second minute this one had 'big game' written all over it. It was perhaps only right that Neves' genius strike ensured the best team in the division beat the second.
Wolves started the brighter.
Neves and Diogo Jota - their glamorous Portuguese imports - both tested Neil Etheridge in the early stages to quell an expectant Cardiff crowd.
Yanic Wildschut, a shock inclusion in the Cardiff side instead of Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Wolves' August tormentor, gave away the ball twice to allow the visitors forward early on.
In 2016/17 this fixture saw the coming of age of Kenneth Zohore; that now famous 'wheelie bin' half time pep talk from Neil Warnock invigorating the Dane, who has barely looked back.
After a quiet start, Zohore went close via a deflection. Another surprise starter, Craig Bryson, performed his task to the letter by picking a Wolves pocket high up the pitch and fed the Dane on the edge of the box.
Another Zohore chance was blazed over. But Cardiff were at least in the game, helped by a buoyant crowd.
Whatever the noise, a team Wolves' standing and abilities were hardly going to be deterred. There's a reason Nuno's side sit top of the Championship and each of the visiting players looked comfortable on the ball troughout. Even defensive man mountain Willy Boly was bringing the ball out like Beckenbauer.
We've all come to know Cardiff play the game differently.
And an incisively direct ball from Hoilett, dissecting the Wolves defence, found Joe Bennett for the first half's biggest chance 10 minutes before the break. The full back got caught in two minds: crossing for Zohore or going for glory. In the end his effort skimmed tantalisingly across goal and harmlessly away for a goal kick.
Wildschut came even closer a minute later, Ruddy sprawling across his goal to finger-tip wide from the Dutchman's 30-yard free kick.
It said something about Cardiff's character that they finished the first half in good shape.
Not that Wolves had stopped playing their brand of fluent football, far from it. One spell from the visitors, taking the ball from their own byline into the Cardiff half just as the half time whistle was about to sound, gave an indication of what was to come.
Because the second half was barely three minutes old when Leo Bonatini ghosted beyond the Cardiff back line with Etheridge committed. From a tight angle, the Brazilian could only strike the near post.
They sailed close to the wind but they were a tough nut to crack, the Bluebirds, who came again. First a Bryson volley pin-balled close to the Wolves net on 53 minutes; then Wildschut almost slalomed through the visitors' golden shirts.
Warnock's hand was forced in introducing Mendez-Laing for the injured Callum Paterson. Wolves have few fond memories of the former Rochdale winger and his arrival on 51 minutes seemed to instil the hosts with further confidence. And the crowd with more gusto.
Yet again, Wolves responded. Helder Costa replaced Bonatini, unshackling Benik Afobe to wreak havoc down the middle and immediately drawing a cynical yellow card from Lee Peltier.
Diogo Jota, 14 goals this season, played his part. His last action before withdrawal on 66 minutes was to draw another Cardiff card, as Sean Morrison slid in, and win a free kick that Neves would belt home from 25 yards.
Etheridge was a bystander as the ball curled, in almost surreal fashion, to cue bedlam in the Wolves section.
From there on it should have been comfortable for the Champions elect. Helder Costa missed a gaping chance to kill the game five minutes from time.
Wolves kept passing, but Cardiff kept pushing. It remained thoroughly absorbing until the last second when Mike Dean pointed to the penalty spot for a push on Anthony Pilkington, substitute Gary Madine seemingly casting himself as the game's villain when Ruddy superbly palmed his spot-kick away.
It left the crowd deflated, but more was to come, Dean again signalling a spot kick for a foul on Aron Gunnarsson by Ivan Cavaleiro.
This time it was Hoilett who stepped up but hit the woodwork. Agony for Cardiff, joy for Wolves, but applause from the appreciative Bluebirds crowd who will still hope, and pray, for promotion.
Cardiff City: Etheridge; Peltier, Morrison (capt.), Bamba, J. Bennett; Gunnarsson, Bryson, Paterson (Mendez-Laing, 51) ; Wildschut (Madine, 72), Hoilett, Zohore (Pilkington, 84).
Subs not used: Subs: Murphy, Manga, Traore, Damour.
Wolves: Ruddy; R. Bennett, Coady (capt.), Boly; Doherty, Saiss, Neves, Douglas; Afobe (N'Diaye, 77), Bonatini (Costa, 58), D.Jota (Cavaleiro, 66).
Subs not used: Norris, Batth, Gibbs-White, Hause.
Yellow cards: Peltier, Morrison, Neves, Saiss, Costa
Referee: Mike Dean
Attendance: 29,317
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Here's everything Neil Warnock said after Cardiff City's 1-0 defeat to Wolves.
How do you sum up that match?
I thought it was a cracking game. Great crowd and a world class goal for Wolves. I thought we more than held our own. I'm disappointed we hadn't won, let alone get a point. But that's football I'm afraid. Nothing seemed to go in. We just have to get on with it. I thought we showed we're a decent team. But it was a cracking atmosphere. Well done to everyone tonight.
Do you think both penalties were penalties?
I thought so yeah. We could have had another one in the first half.
How are the players? I imagine they're pretty distraught.
You're not going to get happy faces, they're all disappointed, but it shows how far we've come, playing against the so called best team in the Championship and I think we more than held our own. So in the last six games we've got to do it again.
Aston Villa away is a huge game now
They're all big games. I think the teams we're playing won't look forward to playing us. So it depends which way you look at it.
Have you ever experienced a night like that?
I don't think so. I'm 69, I can't remember last year.
Are Wolves completely out of it?
I think the win tonight has more or less done it. I think it was only us that could catch them. And now I think they're safe in that role.
Will you be looking at the other results?
No I won't look. What do you think? I won't even give them a glance.
Nuno Espirito Santo said on TV that he wants to apologise for his celebrations
I don't give a toss what he says.
I wont accept his apology, he's totally out of order, in British football you shake the manager's hand after. It was a great game, they had a great win and I think it showed a lack of class. So he can please himself with what he can do.
What happened in the incident?
I went to shake his hand and he ran off. If that's what they're taught in Portugal then fair enough but not in Britain.
Will you speak to him?
Why? Why will I be speaking to him? Why don't you speak to him? I don't want to speak to him. He can say anything after the game can't he, I'm talking about when the whistle goes and what he should do, the etiquette and manners, you don't have to run off like that and rub your nose in it. It's a disgrace.
Will recovering from the manner of this defeat against Aston Villa show you what your players are about?
I'll probably tell you at about quarter to 10 on Tuesday. We have got a good group of lads. We've had knocks this season and come back. You saw we never gave up right until the end. We should have got a result and we didn't so we're disappointed but hey ho.
Does facing another side in the hunt for promotion make it easier to respond to defeat?
We've got six games. You know what you're going to get with us. We played some good stuff at times against a good side. I think we had the better chances. You've got to take your hat off, it was a fabulous goal. But we kept going and I can't fault the lads. I thought they gave it all. I don't think you can ask any more than that.
Gunnarsson looked back to his best
Yes he did. At Sheffield United, it was difficult but tonight I thought he could do 90 minutes easily and (Craig) Bryson did well too.
I was pleased with them two because they've been out a long time both of them.
Can Gunnarsson go again against Aston Villa?
He's Icelandic. He could play tomorrow.
The nervy edginess in the penalties, are you worried that might be something that crops up again?
Not really. I'm going to make sure Neil Etheridge takes a few between now and Tuesday in case we get another one.
Did you think there was that much between the sides (given the spending power of Wolves)?
I think there were spells in the game and you saw the quality they had, but without really threatening us. There was a lot of ability on the pitch but in England you need more than ability, you need to have what goes with it.
We should have taken more of our opportunities, but what can you say about missed penalties? You can't really factor for that as a manager. It's not tactics, it's just not being capable of putting one in.
I'm sure they would have scored penalties because they have that type of player that thrives on that sort of situation.
Is there anything Nuno can do to make it up to you?
I have no idea tonight, I don't want to speak to him at all so let him go about his own business.
Was Madine nominated to take a penalty?
No I was pleased he picked it up if I'm honest. Ken was off, he was taking the penalties and Junior was supposed to take it but he didn't look as though he wanted to take it so Madine took it.
I must admit I thought someone else was going to take the second one, I won't name him, because I didn't think Junior looked mentally strong for taking it. But we're all experts after the event. It takes some guts to take a penalty. I couldn't take one, I can't even watch them.
You can't have a go at them. They've done their best and you move on.
Any injury problems for Tuesday?
Paterson took a knock into his chest but he's a big strong lad so it wouldn't surprise me if he's fit. Nothing else really, just broken hearts.
