Report & Highlights: Guéhi pounces as Palace secure point in Wolves thriller

Summary:

• Three changes for Palace after back-to-back wins.
• Henderson returns in goal; Kamada & Sarr replace injured Wharton & Eze.
• 6: Hughes’ goalbound effort blocked by Dawson; Sa saves Kamada's follow-up.
• 19: Ait-Nouri half-volleys over after Palace struggle to clear their lines.
• 27: Nketiah tests Sa’s handling after strong run from Mateta.
• 31: Chalobah can’t adjust his feet after Guéhi heads back across goal.
• 36: Muñoz heads over Mitchell’s hanging cross.
• 40: Henderson bravely dives in to nick the ball off Sarabia.
• HT: Wolves 0-0 Palace
• 48: Sarabia runs clear but Henderson charges down his powerful strike.
• 60 – GOAL: Chalobah takes advantage of mix-up to drill home his first Palace goal.
• 62: Sarr blazes over after Nketiah’s cross deflects into his path.
• 64: The Senegal forward then curls wide from a loose Wolves pass.
• 66 – GOAL: Cunha squares for Strand Larsen to equalise for hosts.
• 71: Mitchell’s effort is blocked and Kamada crashes rebound wide.
• 72 – GOAL: Gomes sidefoots home from Guedes’ lay-off.
• 76 – GOAL: Guéhi stabs home from close range amidst flurry of second-half action.
• 90+5: Mateta sweeps home a loose ball, but VAR disallows it for a foul by Muñoz.
• FT: Wolves 2-2 Palace

Palace were looking to record a third consecutive win in all competitions for the first time since the end of last season – a run which included, of course, at 3-1 win at Molineux back in May.

That match began with a bright start from Palace and once again Oliver Glasner’s side – who made three changes from the midweek win over Aston Villa, with Dean Henderson, Daichi Kamada and Ismaïla Sarr all coming into the starting XI – made plenty of early running.

It took just six minutes for Palace’s first clear chance of the half to arrive: delightful one-touch play between Will Hughes and Kamada sent Eddie Nketiah running clear down the left, and his pull-back – missed by Sarr in the first instance – was perfectly weighted for Hughes to run onto and hit.

The midfielder went for accuracy over power and forced Wolves defender Craig Dawson to dive in and block on the slide, with the rebound popping out to Kamada. The midfielder's laced effort was saved well and held by goalkeeper Jose Sa.

The next phase of play was characterised by ‘nearly’ moments for both sides – the final ball occasionally lacking – but Wolves did have one clear chance when, after Max Lacroix had made a crucial interception from a pull-back, the resulting corner was only half-cleared to Rayan Ait-Nouri, who blazed his half-volley over.

As the half wore on, Palace’s control of the contest grew, Wolves struggling to deal with Jean-Philippe Mateta’s powerful runs from deep. On the half-hour mark, one such run gave Nketiah the chance to shoot from an angle, but he didn’t quite catch the strike cleanly and Sa was able to gather.

Four minutes later, an extraordinary passage of play: Tyrick Mitchell’s overlapping run won Palace a corner which Kamada took short. When the ball came in, Marc Guéhi’s header back across goal took a minor deflection which prevented Chalobah from turning it home.

To add to his misfortune, the defender was in an offside position when Mateta’s subsequent strike came blasting his way.

Nevertheless, the chances kept coming as half-time drew near; Mitchell’s hanging cross found Daniel Muñoz unmarked in the box, but the Colombian couldn’t quite jump high enough to keeper his header down.

For all of Palace’s good work, Wolves perhaps ought to have scored themselves in the closing stages of the half; Matheus Cunha curled the ball into the path of Pablo Sarabia who waited for it to drop, allowing Henderson – rushing from his line – to bravely plunge at his feet and push it away.

The same circumstances repeated themselves immediately after the restart: Wolves’ direct passing saw Sarabia run clear but Henderson, quick off his line again, caught the forward’s strike flush on his face.

The game was finely poised heading into the closing half-an-hour – and then, it exploded into life.

Palace struck first as Hughes’ whipped delivery from a free-kick was inadvertently headed away from his own ‘keeper by Jorgen Strand Larsen; Chalobah made no mistake in controlling on his chest and gleefully burying a clinical finish past the defenders on the line, his first goal for the club.

There were then two quickfire chances for Sarr to double that lead, but the Senegal forward was unable to control a deflected cross in the first instance before curling just wide from a slack Wolves pass at the back.

Palace were made to pay moments later. A long ball forwards saw Cunha win his duel with Chalobah, and the Wolves forward was free to square for Stand Larsen to atone for his earlier error from close range.

Glasner's side responded well, and only a close-range block prevented Mitchell from slamming home a volleyed finish at the far post.

Kamada also shot wide when well-placed – but then Wolves struck again, as Joao Gomes side-footed home from inside the area following Goncalo Guedes’ deft lay-off.

The scoreline was a harsh reflection on the game as a whole, and Sarr was denied twice in quick succession by Sa as Palace continued to carve out good chances.

Indeed, Glasner’s side deservedly drew level just four minutes later, again from a set-piece: Kamada curled a corner in, Muñoz flicked on at the near post, and Marc Guéhi turned home at the far stick.

That set up a grandstand finish at Molineux, as both sides frantically sought out a winner, attacking directly and committing bodies forwards whenever the opportunity arose.

It could have produced a winner five minutes into injury time when Mateta teased in a low cross from the left.

Sa’s hands and Muñoz’s outstretched boot both vied for it – and when the ‘keeper was unable to claim cleanly, Mateta was on hand to sweep home into the unguarded net, only for the whistle to sound for a foul. VAR checked it. The referee’s initial verdict of 'Foul' stood.

Palace – at the end of a second-half thriller in Hallowe'en week – were forced to settle for a point, but one which extended their run to three matches unbeaten in all competitions.

Wolves: Sa (GK), Semedo, Bueno, Dawson, Toti (Bellegarde, 63), Ait-Nouri, J. Gomes, Doyle (Lemina, 62), Sarabia (Guedes, 62), Cunha, Strand Larsen.

Subs: Bentley (GK), Doherty, Pond, Andre, R. Gomes, Forbs.

Palace: Henderson (GK), Muñoz, Chalobah, Lacroix, Guéhi, Mitchell, Hughes (Doucouré, 80), Kamada, Sarr (Schlupp, 89), Nketiah (Clyne, 84), Mateta.

Subs: Turner (GK), Matthews (GK), Clyne, Kporha, Devenny, Umeh, Agbinone.

As It Happened