Report | Wolverhampton – Crystal Palace 2:2 | Men’s first team

Wolves made it two draws on the rebound after a frantic 17-minute second-half period that saw four goals scored, ensuring the points would be shared with Crystal Palace under the Molineux lights.

After a scoreless first half, the game came alive on the hour mark when Trevo Chalobah capitalized on a hesitation free-kick to give Palace a 1-0 lead. But Wolves equalized within seven minutes through Jorgen Strand Larsen’s neat strike after good work from Matheus Cunha.

Wolves then took the lead just five minutes later after some neat one-touch play around the penalty area saw Goncalo Guedes lay the ball into the path of Joao Gomes and fire the ball home. But the scoring was not over and Palace equalized in the 77th minute from a set-piece when Marc Guey found himself unmarked at a corner and tapped the ball home at the back post.

With Wolves and Palace looking to get their Premier League campaigns right, there was little to separate the teams in a fairly even but open first half.

Early pressure from Wolves failed to produce any clear-cut chances, while in their defensive third Craig Dawson made a crucial block on Will Hughes’ shot before Daichi Kamada’s follow-up was easily intercepted by Jose Sa.

Ryan Ait Nouri saw plenty of action early on for Wolves, with Tommy Doyle setting him up, but the defender’s right foot was scant. It was the Algerian who was waiting on the edge of the penalty area for a corner a few moments later, but fired over the crossbar.

Santiago Bueno made a strong start in defence, pushing decisively to hold off Palace’s attacks and it was the Argentine who turned defense into attack, but Matheus Cunha’s cross into the box found its way just in front of Pablo Sarabia.

Jean-Philippe Mateta was the weak man as he cut through midfield to pick out Eddie Nketiah, but the striker was unable to make Sa work. The Frenchman was also at the center of the action when a Palace corner fell at his feet, but his shot deflected off Chalobah and out of danger.

Nelson Semedo, who was acting as captain, came into play as the half progressed, first picking out Cunha on the left flank whose pass split the Palace defense but narrowly eluded Strand Larsen. The Portuguese then found Gomez free in midfield. The Brazilian played alongside his compatriot Cunha, but his shot was neither a shot nor a cross.

Mateta made his way towards goal again and pushed back the Wolverhampton defence, but when the ball was played wide of goal, Daniel Muñoz headed straight in from a cross.

Wolves ended the half believing they had a better chance of making a breakthrough. A strong clearance from Toti led to the defender playing in Cunha. His superb pass fell temptingly to Pablo Sarabia in the box, but the Spaniard decided to let the ball run over his body and Dean Henderson made a vital save to seal the half-nil tie.

Break | Wolves 0 Crystal Palace 0

Just as the first half ended with a big chance for Sarabia, so did the second half. Strand Larsen passed to Cunha, who raced forward and fed Sarabia, but Henderson quickly came out and blocked the Spaniard’s shot.

Dawson showed his typically calm presence at the back to allow Wolves to break through and Semedo offered a willing runner down the right flank while Ait Nouri also pushed forward but proved hesitant in the final third of a promising Wolves break.

Despite a positive start to the half, it was Crystal Palace who broke the deadlock. Kamada played a short free kick to Hughes, who intercepted the ball on the left. As Sa came out to declare, Strand Larsen got to the ball first and his header fell to Chalobah at the back post, who fired home.

Palace could have had two goals soon after with a burst down the left, but Eddie Nketiah’s deflected pass into the box was cleared by Ismaila Sarr. Moments later, the Senegalese had another golden chance when Semedo’s misdirected pass came his way, but the striker sent his shot wide of the post.

Wolves’ heads didn’t drop and they were back in the game seven minutes later. The impressive Bueno once again intercepted the ball from behind and then passed the ball to Cunha. The Brazilian shrugged off his defender and picked out Strand Larsen in the middle, with the striker showing good composure to slot past Henderson.

And things got even better five minutes later when Wolves took the lead. Substitute Mario Lemina cleverly turned in his own half of the field, opened the field and found Cunha with his pass. The number 10 burst forward and passed the ball to Guedes on the edge of the box, who calmly found Gomes and the Brazilian finished neatly low in the corner.

The frenetic nature of the second half continued and Palace were back on level terms five minutes later. Munoz headed in Kamada’s corner and the Palace captain went unmarked at the back post to fire home.

The action continued from start to finish in a shambolic final fifteen minutes, with Semedo initially cleverly positioning himself as the last defender in Palace’s dangerous breakout to snuff out the danger, while substitute Jean-Ricner Bellegarde played to the feet of Strand Larsen in the box. The Norwegian held the ball well before knocking Guedes off the tee, but Henderson was unfazed by the shot.

As Wolves searched for a winner, Palace burst down the left flank, but Lemina found herself in the middle to block Mateta’s shot. Sa came to collect the ball but Muñoz sent the ball home before VAR quickly ruled the ball had been cleared from Sa’s hands and the game ended in a draw.

Full time | Wolves 2 Crystal Palace 2

Wolves | Sa, Semedo, Bueno, Dawson, Toti (Bellegarde 61), Ait-Nouri, J. Gomez, Doyle (Lemina 61), Sarabia (Guedes 61), Cunha, Strand Larsen.

Unused substitutions | Bentley, Doherty, Pond, Andre, R. Gomez, Forbes.

Crystal Palace | Henderson, Muñoz, Chalobah, Lacroix, Guei, Mitchell, Hughes (Doucoure 79), Kamada, Sarr (Schlupp 89), Mateta, Nketiah (Cline 83).

Unused substitutions | Turner, Matthews, Ume, Devenny, Kporha, Agbinone.