It’s happy Diayes after Alf’s late show
WOLVES midfielder Alfred N’Diaye grabbed a dramatic injury-time winner as the Championship high-flyers ground out a hard-fought victory.
Barnsley had looked set to secure a point when Adam Jackson’s 90th-minute strike cancelled out Bright Enobakhare’s opener.
But N’Diaye, whose first touch of the ball when he was sent on was to set up Enobakhare, broke Barnsley hearts when he slid home Leo Bonatini’s cross from 12 yards.
Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo said: “I’m delighted with three points, whether we deserved them is another question. I didn’t think we played well in the first half – second half we were much better but can’t only play well for 45 minutes.”
Enobakhare, who had ended a two-year goal drought with his winning strike in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup tie against Bristol Rovers, came off the bench to end Barnsley’s resistance in the 80th minute.
It looked to be good enough to secure victory but Jackson punished them when he volleyed into the roof of the net after Wolves had failed to clear a corner.
Jota wasted an excellent chance to put Wolves in control after 14 minutes. He was unmarked at the far post when Ivan Cavaleiro lifted the ball over from the right wing but could not get his header on target.
Barnsley were then left fuming on the half-hour when their appeals for a penalty were rejected by referee Jeremy Simpson.
Former Wolves winger Adam Hammill delivered a cross from the right and as Tom Bradshaw moved towards the ball he appeared to be bundled over by the Wolves skipper Danny Batth – but Barnsley’s pleas were swiftly dismissed.
Barnsley boss Paul Heckingbottom said: “I feel sick but that’s why you play. You can’t feel any more alive than those last 15 minutes.
“There wasn’t too many things wrong from what we ask the players to do. We deserved a point and we thought we’d got it. It was a moment of switching off.”