Doncaster and Wolves will meet for a second time after their FA Cup third round clash ended 2-2 on Saturday.
Entertaining encounter at the Keepmoat ends all square
Doncaster and Wolves will meet for a second time after their FA Cup third round clash ended 2-2 on Saturday.
Nenad Milijas, Billy Sharp, James Hayter and Stephen Hunt got the goals at the Keepmoat Stadium, ensuring the two sides must go head-to-head again at Molineux.
Doncaster opened the game like they believed a shock could be on the cards, with Wolves struggling to get into the stride following their Premier League heroics against Chelsea last time out.
The visitors did take the lead, though, after 38 minutes when Milijas rifled a 30-yard thunderbolt past a helpless Neil Sullivan.
Rovers levelled just three minutes later when Sharp was given time and space to spin and drill low into the bottom corner.
Two minutes before the interval the hosts were ahead, with James Hayter's composed finish turning the tie on its head.
Wolves, aware that their neck was on the line, were much improved after the break and restored parity on 58 minutes when Hunt calmly slotted home from the penalty spot.
George Elokobi saw red for a hefty challenge with just over 10 minutes remaining, but Mick McCarthy's 10-men were able to hang on and secure a replay.
End-to-end
McCarthy's decision to field a strong side in the cup almost paid off instantly when Stephen Ward flashed a left-foot shot wide of the target within the opening 30 seconds, setting the tone for an action-packed tie.
At the other end, a poor third-minute clearance by Richard Stearman fell to Joseph Mills and his cross from the left found Sharp, who mis-kicked in the box.
As the end-to-end action continued, Stearman took a run towards the Rovers goal and tried a rising left-foot shot which was knocked out for a corner by Rovers keeper Sullivan.
Then it was Rovers' turn to come close again when Sam Hird rounded off a spell of penalty-box pressure by dipping a left-foot shot which dropped just wide of Marcus Hahnemann's left-hand post.
Sharp had the ball in the net in the 12th minute when he turned home a cross from the lively Mills but referee Anthony Taylor ruled it out for a foul by Sharp on Christophe Berra.
A diving Hayter was close to connecting with a cross from the right by James Coppinger in the 19th minute as Sean O'Driscoll's side threatened to take control.
Excellent
The excellent Mills drilled a low shot at Hahnemann but it was Wolves who grabbed the lead in the 38th minute when Milijas hit a stunning 30-yard effort past Sullivan from the left flank.
Any thoughts that the visitors could rest easy until the break were extinguished three minutes later when Sharp was fed by a short pass from Coppinger and drilled home the equaliser.
And the Championship side went ahead in the 43rd minute when John Oster's header into the box fell to Hayter, whose swinging right-foot volley beat Hahnemann again.
The pace slackened a little after the break as Wolves took control, David Jones hitting a long-range effort over the bar before McCarthy's men notched their inevitable equaliser.
Sam Hird could have few complaints following the trip on Matt Jarvis which led to referee Anthony Taylor pointing to the spot, and Hunt duly squeezed home the spot-kick to Sullivan's left.
Ward twice came close to putting Wolves in front and Jarvis also fired just high but the visitors' most dominant spell was brought to a shuddering end in the 75th minute.
Elokobi clattered into Coppinger on the halfway line and after lengthy treatment and plenty of frayed tempers on the touchline, the Wolves man was handed a straight red by Taylor.
| Doncaster Rovers |
Team Statistics |
Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| 2 |
Goals |
2 |
| 2 |
1st Half Goals |
1 |
| 3 |
Shots on Target |
8 |
| 4 |
Shots off Target |
8 |
| 2 |
Blocked Shots |
1 |
| 4 |
Corners |
9 |
| 12 |
Fouls |
7 |
| 1 |
Offsides |
4 |
| 2 |
Yellow Cards |
1 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
1 |
| 51.6 |
Possession |
48.4 |
|
