A street fight of a first half turned into a free-scoring second 45 as Wolves drew Crystal Palace 2-2 at the Molineux on Saturday in a meeting of relegation-threatened sides.
Wolves have drawn back-to-back Premier League matches but led this 2-1 in the second half on goals from Jorgen Strand Larsen and Joao Gomes. Gary O’Neil’s men would’ve expected to find a way to a long-awaited first win of the season.
Instead their three points have them 20th, four points back of 17th-place Palace after 18th-place Ipswich Town drew and 19th-place Southampton won earlier Saturday.
Oliver Glasner’s Palace scored first through Chelsea loanee Trevoh Chalobah and looked to be en route to a second-straight PL win following their 1-0 upset of Tottenham 1-0. But they needed Marc Guehi’s late goal to find their point.
Trick for the teams, (eventual) treat for the neutrals
Wolves were home against a Palace team who have struggled with injuries in defense and the midfield. Palace were visiting a winless Wolves team who have the Premier League’s worst xG and even worse actual goals (The latter being more important). So, naturally both teams showed up and put up cement-booted first halves that left us wondering if goals were on the menu. The good news is that when the waiter got to the table, he brought the order back in record time. Nineteen of the game’s 30 shots and 75% of the expected goals came in a second half which delivered offense, drama, and fun. Neither Gary O’Neil’s hosts nor Oliver Glasner’s visitors will vibe with the single point, nor should they, but the viewing was good and a fitting end for a day that shook the Premier League table in all directions.
Wolves vs Crystal Palace player ratings
(from fotmob.com)
Wolves vs Crystal Palace player ratings (from fotmob.com)
Wolves vs Crystal Palace player ratings (from fotmob.com)
What’s next?
Wolves go from crucial to vital, now hosting Southampton at 10am ET Saturday, the same time Palace host Fulham for a London derby.
How to watch Wolves vs Crystal Palace live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 1:30pm ET Saturday
Venue: The Molineux Stadium
TV Channel: NBC
Streaming: Stream online via NBC.com
Wolves vs Crystal Palace final score: 2-2
Trevoh Chalobah 60', Jorgen Strand Larsen 67', Joao Gomes 72', Marc Guehi 78'
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Crystal Palace live updates — By Nick Mendola
Full time — Wolves 2-2 Crystal Palace
jean-Philippe Mateta thought he had a goal at the death, but Anthony Taylor called it for a foul on Jose Sa.
VAR upholds it. Points shared at the Molineux.
Marc Guehi goal — Wolves 2-2 Palace (78th minute)
Daniel Munoz gets a flick on a corner kick and Guehi arrives at the back post to slap it over the line.
Joao Gomes goal! Wolves 2-1 Palace (72nd minute)
There’s the second! Goncalo Guedes with the assist 10 minutes after entering for Sarabia.
Jorgen Strand Larsen goal! Wolves 1-1 Palace (67th minute)
Sarabia was blocked by Henderson on a previous chance much like this, but Strand Larsen takes Cunha’s pass and rolls it under Henderson.
Ismaila Sarr misses pair of chances to increase lead
Sarr leans back to blaze point-blank shot over the goal, then fires wide a few minutes later.
Palace could easily have this game in a much more comfortable place.
Trevoh Chalobah goal! Wolves 0-1 Palace (60th minute)
Daichi Kamada’s free kick is played short to Will Hughes, who sends the ball over the mess to the back post.
Strand Larsen flicks the cross to the back post, and Chalobah — the object of laughs in the first half for his part in a huge Palace missed chance — lashes home for his first goal on loan to Palace from Chelsea.
Brave Henderson blasted in face
Jorgen Strand Larsen pushes a tough pass into traffic and Matheus Cunha, who has been fantastic, comes up with it.
He sends Sarabia in for another great chance, but his vicious shot gets a stooping Henderson square in the face.
Somehow, after treatment, he’ll stay on as we remain scoreless.
Heroics from Henderson
Matheus Cunha spots Pablo Sarabia, who has the better of Tyrick Mitchell and is 1v1 with Dean Henderson.
Next thing you see is Sarabia asking for a penalty, because Henderson has chewed up all available space and pushed the ball away.
So it won’t just be Palace wasting prime opportunities today after all!
The goal this game needed is twice denied
A short-played corner is missed twice in humorous fashion for everyone but Trevoh Chalobah.
The Chelsea loanee gets to the front of the goal and missed with his right peg, the ball bouncing off his left peg and fortunately back to teammate Jean-Philippe Mateta.
The French striker smashes his shot toward the empty goal but his the back of a now-offside Chalobah, out for a goal kick. Ugh.
Tight affair at the Molineux
Not much cooking here. Just a handful of shot attempts, and nothing of real danger since the early Palace chance noted below.
Early chance for Palace
Two bites at the cherry for Palace, the first blocked and second caught by keeper Jose Sa.
0-0, 6'.
Wolves lineup
Sa, Semedo, Bueno, Dawson, T. Gomes, Ait-Nouri, J. Gomes, Doyle, Sarabia, Cunha, Strand Larsen
Crystal Palace lineup
Henderson, Munoz, Chalobah, Lacroix, Guehi, Mitchell, Hughes, Kamada, Sarr, Mateta, Nketiah
Wolves focus, team news
Wolves continue to fight injury issues but have been well-boosted going forward by star forward Matheus Cunha and complete fullback Rayan Ait-Nouri. Norwegian forward Jorgen Strand Larsen has impressed early in his Premier League tenure.
OUT: Yerson Mosquera (calf), Boubacar Traore (knee), Enso Medina (knee), Sasa Kalajdzic (knee), Hee-chan Hwang (ankle) | QUESTIONABLE: Bastien Meupiyou (undisclosed), Sam Johnstone (adductor), Mario Lemina (calf)
Crystal Palace focus, team news
Palace remain without several defenders but all is possible with the electric talent of Eberechi Eze fueling the Eagles’ attack. Eze has a goal and an assist but with a combined 3.33 xG+xA should be producing more final product.
OUT: Chadi Riad (knee), Rob Holding (undisclosed), Chris Richards (thigh), Matheus Franca (chest/abdominal), Jefferson Lerma (thigh) | QUESTIONABLE: Eberechi Eze (thigh), Adam Wharton (groin), Cheick Doucoure (ankle)
Wolves vs Crystal Palace prediction
Wolves have been a bit better away from the Molineux, 0-4 with a minus-7 goal differential on home turf, but Palace have done very little away from Selhurst Park. This has the potential to be a real swing game, but also could be one of those classic “no one’s happy” draws. Sadly, we’ll predict that. Wolves 1-1 Palace.
