Raul Jimenez scored a stoppage-time penalty to salvage a point for Wolves and deny Burnley victory at Molineux.
Ashley Barnes looked to have won it for the Clarets after pouncing from around 25 yards – his fourth goal in three Premier League games this season – against a disjointed Wolves side playing their third game inside a week.
The hosts beat Torino in a Europa League play-off match on Thursday after drawing with Manchester United last Monday, and their hectic schedule appeared to have caught upon them as they struggled for long periods.
Burnley was denied a second goal when Rui Patricio produced an excellent save to keep out Chris Wood while Ben Mee headed against the bar with the rebound coming off Wolves defender Ryan Bennett and hitting the post.
However, Wolves were awarded a penalty in the dying moments when Erik Pieters fouled Jimenez.
After a video assistant referee check, Jimenez stepped up to calmly roll the ball past Nick Pope and earn Wolves a third successive Premier League draw.
Jubilant Wolves fans reacted to the equaliser by chanting “VAR, VAR, VAR” as their team secured a fortunate point.
This was a big test for Wolves, who are on the cusp of qualifying for the group stage of the Europa League following a 3-2 first-leg victory over Torino in Turin.
Should they complete the job against the Italians in Thursday’s second leg, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side face a testing schedule of Thursday-Sunday games.
On a hot sunny day in the Black Country against Burnley, they were flat, lacklustre and flaky for long periods, only coming alive in the closing stages.
Having come from behind to take a point off Manchester United before travelling to Italy, Wolves were facing a Burnley side who were refreshed and full of energy after a free week to prepare for the match.
Six Wolves players – Patricio, Conor Coady, Willy Boly, Joao Moutinho, Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota – were making their third starts of the week, and Wolves were a shadow of the side that finished seventh in the Premier League last season.
An early dipping attempt from 25 yards by Ruben Neves was as close as they came to scoring in the first half, but has struggled for the first 80 minutes Wolves did step it up towards the end.
When Jimenez rolled the ball invitingly across the six-yard area, there was no Wolves player to poke it home, while Nick Pope was forced to keep out a deflection off his own player Ben Mee before the late penalty drama.
Burnley’s players were crestfallen at the final whistle – Jimenez’ equaliser virtually the last kick of the game.
The Clarets had looked set for a second win of the season after a typically hard-working performance by Sean Dyche’s side, and three points would have taken them up to third in the table.
Having peppered Arsenal’s goal with 18 shots in the narrow 2-1 defeat at Emirates Stadium last week, they had another 13 attempts at Molineux.
Barnes’ early-season form has been a highlight for the Clarets and his cracking finish from distance past the diving Patricio had Burnley’s travelling fans in raptures.
Barnes and attacking partner Chris Wood hassled Wolves’ defence throughout and it required a fine save by Patricio – after a long kick by Pope – to prevent the visitors from doubling their lead.
It was a critical moment in the game as Wolves went on to snatch a point from the jaws of defeat.
In other news:
Three injured in South Coast crash
At 17H31 Sunday late afternoon, Netcare 911 responded to reports of a collision on the R61 in Ramsgate.
Reports from the scene indicate that a mini-bus taxi and a light motor vehicle were involved in a collision.
Medics assessed the scene and found that three patients, two females and a minor male had sustained moderate injuries. read more
Source – BBC
