VAR HAS AN OFF NIGHT.. SO DOES HAMZA
Fury as only goal ruled out
TEN-MAN Leicester hung on as a controversial VAR decision came back to bite Wolves yet again.
Kasper Schmeichel saved the day for the Foxes, pulling out a brilliant last-minute stop to deny Adama Traore but Wolves only had themselves to blame for not taking all three points with Raul Jimenez squandering a couple of good chances.
None were better than his chance right on 90 minutes, when he flashed a header wide from eight yards with the goal gaping before him.
So Wolves were left cursing VAR yet again – only Sheffield United have had more review decisions against them this season.
The game erupted a minute before the break when Wolves looked to have scored what would have been the winner but had it disallowed after VAR ruled that Pedro Neto was offside in the build-up.
The home fans vented their fury with chants of “it’s not football anymore” and stewards raced on to the pitch to escort referee Mike Dean towards the tunnel at the interval.
He had Wolves skipper Conor Coady bending his ear all the way there as the ground echoed to a chorus of boos.
The moment occurred from a 44th-minute Neto short corner, which he played in to Diogo Jota’s feet and then took the return to sling it over to the far post. He found defender Matt Doherty, who rose above Hamza Choudhury and nodded it back across goal, where Willy Boly was waiting to steer the ball into the net with his head.
Boly, only just back from injury, peeled away in delight before it became clear that referee Dean had been instructed that VAR would take a closer look. And that was where it all started to go pear-shaped for Wolves, with Dean awaiting instruction before signalling that the goal had been ruled out.
Wolves should have been in front by that stage anyway but they spurned a couple of decent chances and then saw keeper Schmeichel deny Jota with a great block with his feet.
Just before that, opposite number Rui Patricio had been forced to make a flying save from Youri Tielemans’ shot.
The best chance of the first half fell to leading Wolves scorer Jimenez, who rose well to meet Jonny’s centre only to completely miss the target with his header.
After the break, loose cannon Choudhury got his marching orders – deservedly – for two fouls as a goal just would not come for either side.
And fans were left with the main talking point being the Boly goal that got away for the home side.
WOLVES (3-4-3): Patricio 7; Boly 7, Coady 7, Saiss 7; Doherty 7, Dendoncker 7, Neves 7 (Moutinho 81), Jonny 7; Neto 7 (Traore 64, 6), Jimenez 6, Jota 6 (Podence 78).
LEICESTER (4-1-4-1): Schmeichel 7; Pereira 7, Evans 6, Soyuncu 7, Chilwell 7; Choudhury 7; Tielemans 7 (Praet 75), Barnes 6 (Morgan 90), Maddison 7, Perez 6 (Albrighton 67, 6); Vardy 6. Sent off: Choudhury 76.