Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Burnley. Premier League.
MolineuxAttendance30,522.
Report and highlights as Wolves strike late to break Burnley hearts at Molineux
Saturday 31 August 2019 11:58, UK
Raul Jimenez's 97th-minute penalty rescued a dramatic point for Wolves in a 1-1 draw at home to Burnley.
Ashley Barnes thundered in a half-volley from 25 yards with 13 minutes on the clock at Molineux on Sunday, and his fourth goal of the season looked set to send Burnley third in the Premier League table.
But Erik Pieters' challenge on Jimenez in the final seconds of five minutes of stoppage-time gave Wolves the chance to equalise, once VAR had confirmed it was the right decision, and the No 9 made no mistake.
Both sides hit the woodwork although Burnley certainly had the better of the chances. The draw means Wolves are 15th and the visitors sit sixth in the league.
Barnes has started the season in red-hot form and his strike at Molineux was certainly his best yet. He took the ball down on his chest, before letting it bounce and thundering it into the bottom corner from distance, leaving Patricio with no chance.
Wolves nearly doubled their lead four minutes later - Ben Mee's looping header hit the bar before Ryan Bennett and Patricio made a mess of clearing the ball, only just stopping it from going over the line.
Chris Wood then fired wide from an angle, before taking a long ball down, beating Coady in the box and seeing his low effort just kept out by Patricio's arm as the clock ticked past half-an-hour.
Wolves failed to test Pope before the break and their frustrations continued after half-time, as Burnley managed the game well much to the annoyance of the home crowd.
Morgan Gibbs-White sliced a shot wide for Wolves, before Barnes diverted an Ashley Westwood cross narrowly passed the front post from the resulting break. Chances were at a premium before stoppage-time and Wolves' first shot on target only came in the 87th minute, one which barely tested Pope.
Jimenez had been starved of any service as Wolves' usual slick football failed to materialised, and it was through a more agricultural route that he nearly brought Wolves level in the 93rd minute.
A long throw was flicked onto his chest, he took it down, swivelled in the box and got a shot away, only to see it hit the post and bounce clear.
But Jimenez was to be given one more chance right at the death. He cleverly got his body in-between Erik Pieters and the ball as a low shot came in in the dying seconds. Pieters took him down and referee Craig Pawson pointed to the spot.
After a long wait as Burnley protested and VAR checked the decision, the Portuguese striker was the calmest man in the stadium, as he sauntered up to the spot and sent Pope the wrong way to deny Burnley three points in the harshest way.
Burnley never allowed Wolves to get into their stride at Molineux and although they looked dangerous going forward, it was the defensive display that impressed the most. Tarkowski was at the heart of it alongside skipper Ben Mee - who was also imperious - and there was one particular tackle, when he slid in to block a Diogo Jota shot, that stands out. A reliable performer for Burnley ever since Michael Keane left, Tarkowski has started the season well.
Nuno Espirito Santo
"We kept on believing until the end, that's what we did. Then, after 95 minutes, we got a goal and Molineux was buzzing. All of the team kept going - doing their tasks right until the very end. We defended, running back and recovering balls that allowed us to go again. We must be very proud of the boys."
Sean Dyche
"I thought it was a good performance, particularly first half, it was a very pleasing display in so many ways. We should have gone in further in front than 1-0, kept them to minimal, and second half managed the game quite well, we expected a reaction - we saw that on Monday night against Man U, and the early part they started quite quickly, but it faded for 10 or 15 minutes, and I thought the game was settling into a rhythm.
"I've seen it back, I'm a big believer in VAR, so there's no problem with that. I don't know the ruling on how many turn over a referee's decision, it's a tough one, I've seen it from a couple of different angles and Erik has gone to play the ball, and their lad has lunged back in front of him to almost make him bring him down."
Opta stats
Wolves host Torino in the second leg of their Europa League play-off, having won the first leg 3-2 in Turin, before a trip to Everton live on Super Sunday.
Burnley host League One Sunderland in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday and travel to Liverpool, live on Sky Sports, next Saturday evening.
