Crystal Palace came back to draw 2-2 at Wolves after a see-saw second half at Molineux that leaves the home side bottom of the Premier League table.
Trevor Chalobah’s opener sparked chants that Wolves manager Gary O’Neil did not know what he was doing but goals from Jorgen Strand Larsen and Joao Gomes turned the game around before Marc Guehi equalised for Oliver Glasner’s Palace in a chaotic contest.
Jean-Philippe Mateta thought he had won it in stoppage time only for a foul to be given against Jose Sa nevertheless. The result leaves O’Neil’s Wolves bottom on three points, four behind Palace who are just two points above the relegation zone themselves.
Glasner’s side had the better chances with Wolves, still winless in the Premier League this season and having lost every previous home game, looking bereft of confidence. But the points were shared to leave both teams still perilously placed in the table.
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Trevor Chalobah’s half-volley gave Palace lead
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Jorgen Strand Larsen equalised for Wolves
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Joao Gomes finished off slick move to complete Wolves’ comeback
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Marc Guehi tapped home to put Palace level
How wild game played out
Palace were without Eberechi Eze following his injury midweek but still created enough to lead at the interval, seeing Will Hughes and Daichi Kamada go close before Chalobah squandered the best opening – even contriving to block the follow-up shot.
Pablo Sarabia, making his first Premier League start of the season, wasted Wolves’ clearest opportunity of the first half, dallying long enough when through to allow Dean Henderson to claw the ball from his feet. It was a tense atmosphere, Molineux anxious.
But the game exploded to life following Chalobah’s impressive finish on the angle, it becoming a wild affair following O’Neil’s triple substitution that left Wolves exposed but committed to chasing goals. They found two but could not calm it down to hold on.
Analysis: Chaotic Wolves need control fast
For the second weekend in succession, Wolves were involved in an entertaining 2-2 draw that will encourage Gary O’Neil that the fighting spirit is there among his players, but so chaotic was their display against Crystal Palace that it did not bode well.
Wolves have conceded twice in all but one of their 10 matches in the Premier League this season and needing to score three goals to earn three points is a big ask. Twenty-seven goals conceded already, six more than any other side, is a recipe for relegation.
Of course, they have faced all of the current top seven, while Palace were the first of the bottom nine that they have played. But the fear for O’Neil and Wolves has long been that confidence has been so eroded by this run – on the pitch and in the stands.
The chants directed towards the manager when he made his triple change – ‘You don’t know what you’re doing’ – reveal how frayed the emotions are among the home support. That chanting did not last and they soon roared the side on but these are fraught times.
It is Southampton at home next up, bottom playing bottom-but-one. O’Neil has often mentioned that his Wolves players are an emotional group. But they will surely need to exercise more control than this if they are to clamber their way from danger.
What the managers said…
Wolves boss Gary O’Neil speaking to Sky Sports:
“I don’t think we ever got to a point where we were in full control of the game. End-to-end, the draw probably ended up being a fair result. Disappointed that when we were in the ascendancy and we were the better side, we conceded twice.
“At 0-0, we managed to turn it in our favour, had a couple of good chances and gave away a really soft goal from a mistake. Obviously, nothing cross, Jose is free to claim it.
“We ended up finding a way to make a goal against us. One-nil down, not won this season at home, the atmosphere starts to turn a bit. The players and myself have to respond. It was an incredible response from them to get themselves back in front.”
Asked if the reaction from the crowd was tough, O’Neil added: “It’s not tough, it’s just the job. I know the players very, very well. Tommy Doyle was excellent. He was fantastic last week. He did well here for 60 minutes. Crystal Palace are a physical side. There wasn’t really too much football being played. There wasn’t time for Tommy to get on the ball.
“We needed physicality and Mario [Lemina] brings that in abundance. Whenever Crystal Palace went long, Mario was around to snuff it out and drive up the pitch for us. Mario made us a lot better, and that’s not because we don’t like Tommy. I love Tommy, he’s fantastic, excellent with the ball. There’s real good understanding. But today we needed Mario at the end.
“I’m disappointed that the lads didn’t manage to hang on to the 2-1, because they probably deserved it from their moment. It’s tough when you’re in a scrap like we are, to go 1-0 down at home and not be long left. Very easy for that game to peter out, and the impact that the three subs had, and the lads’ response, gave us another opportunity to win again.”
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner in the press conference:
“I am very proud about our performance today because it was our third game in six days, a very tight squad and we played for winning the game and only thing is we can only blame ourselves [for not winning it].
“We had the momentum and the crowd was booing when we had our chances. This is what we should have done better. But every team in this league can score a goal and all of a sudden we were 2-1 down.
“What makes me proud is that we came back and I think we were closer to winning with this last situation.
“I watched it after the game, to be honest it is a 50-50 situation. If he whistles for the foul, the VAR cannot overturn it. But if he had judged this situation the same as the 98 minutes before, he would have allowed the goal and VAR would not have intervened. So, we were very unlucky in this situation.
“More disappointing is the [Craig] Dawson handball as [Ismaila] Sarr is through on goal. VAR has to intervene in this situation as it is a clear red card.
“Overall, the point is okay and we go back to London after an unbeaten week. If somebody had told me four points and beating Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup, I would have taken it given our run before this.”