In an eventful match at Molineux, Hwang Hee-chan’s seventh goal of the season secured a valuable point for Wolves as they twice fought back from behind to draw 2-2 against Newcastle.
Callum Wilson was the star for the visitors, scoring two goals in the first half, including a controversial penalty. This took his tally to seven goals in just nine Premier League appearances. However, Wolves showed great determination and seemed motivated by a sense of injustice in the feisty second half.
Newcastle took the lead in the 22nd minute when Hwang made a mistake, allowing Wilson to capitalize and score with an acrobatic finish. However, Mario Lemina equalized for Wolves 14 minutes later with a powerful header, his first goal for the club.
Wolves’ frustration grew just before half-time when Anthony Taylor awarded Newcastle a penalty. It appeared that Hwang had made minimal contact with Fabian Schar in the box, but Wilson converted the spot-kick after a lengthy VAR check. Despite goalkeeper Jose Sa getting a hand to the ball, Newcastle regained the lead.
However, Hwang redeemed himself in the 71st minute with a well-taken goal, leveling the scores once again and extending Wolves’ unbeaten run to five matches.
This encounter came on the back of Newcastle’s 1-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League and the absence of Sandro Tonali due to a 10-month ban for betting offenses.
The match started with an opportunity for Newcastle, as Joelinton set up Sean Longstaff, who narrowly missed the target with a low shot. Wolves, on the other hand, applied pressure but struggled to test goalkeeper Nick Pope.
Surprisingly, Newcastle took the lead against the run of play. Sa failed to collect a cross, colliding with Boubacar Traore, and Wilson seized the opportunity to score. Although his initial shot was blocked, he reacted quickly to find the back of the net.
Wolves responded strongly, with Cunha coming close on two occasions before Pedro Neto forced Pope into a save. Ultimately, it was Lemina who ensured parity for his team, heading in Neto’s corner.
The first half ended controversially with Newcastle being awarded a contentious penalty. Schar seemed to trip over Hwang, but the contact appeared minimal. After a lengthy VAR review, Taylor’s decision stood, and Wilson converted the penalty to give Newcastle the lead once again.
Wolves had their own penalty shout in stoppage time when Pope failed to gather the ball outside his box. However, after examining the incident, the referee deemed it only a slight touch on the ball by Bruno Guimaraes.
The second half saw tensions rise as Newcastle received a series of favorable decisions, frustrating the home fans. Lascelles escaped with a yellow card for stopping Hwang’s progress towards goal, much to the dismay of the Wolves supporters.
But Hwang redeemed himself in the 71st minute, receiving a pass from Toti, evading Dan Burn, and firing an unstoppable shot into the net.
Wolves suffered a setback when Neto pulled up with a hamstring injury in the 74th minute, just as he was about to shoot. Despite both teams pushing for a winner, the game ended in a 2-2 draw at a damp Molineux.
