- Trevoh Chalobah opened the scoring before Jorgen Strand Larsen equalised
- Joao Gomes put the hosts in front but Marc Guehi ensured points were shared
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Gary O’Neil insisted this was no ‘must-win’ game for Wolves but in the coming days he will discover whether his paymasters at Molineux feel the same way.
One-nil down to Crystal Palace and targeted with chants of ‘You don’t know what you’re doing’, O’Neil must have feared this would be his last game in charge of Wolves.
His team managed to escape with a point but have not won any of their first 10 games and have won only one of their last 20 in the league. Few managers survive such dreadful sequences – though at least O’Neil finally got a lucky break from VAR.
There seemed little wrong when Jean-Philippe Mateta fired home in stoppage time when Jose Sa fumbled, but the goal was ruled out for a foul and the decision did not change. There were still boos for Wolves at full-time.
O’Neil would have hoped for a loud, supportive atmosphere but the mood inside Molineux was alarmingly flat and turned mutinous when Trevoh Chalobah put Palace ahead.
Marc Guehi earned Crystal Palace a point against Wolves at the Molineux on Saturday
Gary O’Neil had insisted this was no ‘must-win’ game for Wolves ahead of the match
Travoh Chalobah scored his first Crystal Palace goal to open the scoring on the hour mark
Wolves fought back to lead with goals from Jorgen Strand Larsen and Joao Gomes but their defending was poor that Marc Guehi’s equaliser was no surprise. If O’Neil survives until the visit of Southampton on Saturday, that fixture will surely be decisive for his future.
With Palace missing injured pair Eberechi Eze and Adam Wharton, Wolves should have attacked them from the off. Instead O’Neil’s men could not find their rhythm and the South Bank started to lose patience.
It would have become quickly worse had Craig Dawson not produced a typically important block to deny Will Hughes after Eddie Nketiah had escaped down the left. Daichi Kamada fired the follow-up straight at Jose Sa.
The low quality in the first half was summed up just after the half-hour mark. Marc Guehi headed Kamada’s corner to Trevoh Chalobah, alone six yards out. Chalobah miskicked yet the ball fell perfectly for Jean-Philippe Mateta. The Palace centre-forward hammered it goalwards, only for Chalobah to find himself in its path, meaning the ball bounced out for a goal-kick.
Pablo Sarabia had a poor first half and should have done far better when sent clear by Matheus Cunha. Instead of shooting, Sarabia seemed to wait for Dean Henderson to foul him, and the goalkeeper was able to push the ball away from the Spaniard.
Henderson denied Sarabia again early in the second half. Cunha was the creator once more and this time Sarabia’s effort hit the Palace man flush in the face.
By now the home fans’ apathy was turning to anger and Sarabia copped it twice in quick succession, once for straying carelessly offside and the second for giving away possession inside his half.
And the mood turned truly black when Jorgen Strand Larsen headed Hughes’ long ball away from Sa’s grasp. It fell to Chalobah who fired home from a tight angle.
When Ismaila Sarr shot over unmarked from 10 yards, the South Bank started to boo their players, and O’Neil was targeted when he brought off midfielder Tommy Doyle. ‘You don’t know what you’re doing,’ they chanted as he made a triple change.
The players were becoming noticeably anxious. Under no pressure, Nelson Semedo played the ball straight to Sarr. Again the chance was wasted.
Chalobah made a mess of Santiago Bueno’s pass before Jorgen Strand Larsen’s equaliser
Joao Gomes guided the ball beyond Dean Henderson from 12 yards to put Wolves ahead
It proved a key moment as from nowhere Wolves were level. Chalobah made a mess of Santiago Bueno’s diagonal pass and Cunha slipped the ball to Strand Larsen who could not miss.
In a match desperately low on quality, Wolves suddenly produced a move of the highest order. Mario Lemina, one of O’Neil’s changes, spun into space and picked out Cunha. The Brazilian found Goncalo Guedes and when the Portuguese slid the ball to his left, Gomes guided it beyond Henderson from 12 yards.
The home side simply could not shut the game down. Twice more Sarr went close as Wolves’ defending grew more and more frantic – and it was no surprise when Palace levelled, Guehi steering home at the far post after Daniel Munoz flicked on Kamada’s corner.
