Weary Wolves finish strongly to salvage draw

Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolves have established a reputation for late drama and here was another absorbing finish for the collection.

Seven minutes into added time, Wolves were facing their first home defeat since Jan 2, with the postmatch inquest threatening to centre on the club’s Europa League exploits and the balancing act facing Nuno.

But Raul Jimenez’s late penalty, confirmed by the video assistant referee, following a collision between the Mexican forward and Burnley defender Erik Pieters, enabled Wolves to maintain their long unbeaten record and leave Burnley manager Sean Dyche frustrated.

For 80 minutes it was difficult to shift the theory that this was a game too far for Nuno’s squad, three days after the Europa League first leg in Italy against Torino.

Nuno had attempted to freshen up his squad, making five changes from Thursday’s game, but there was a lack of spark and invention, with lethargy a clear factor until Jimenez made his 97th-minute contribution.

After eight games already this season, the weary Wolves squad have now been rewarded with their first day off. “We are still unbeaten and that is a big plus for us which people need to understand,” Nuno said. “Nobody knows how tough it’s been for the boys and I’m going to give them their first day off since I don’t remember when.

“We are very aware of the cycle that we have. We started competing on July 25.

“It’s about taking all the reserves that we have, but I’m very proud and we have to go again on Thursday for the second leg. It says so much about our spirit and shows that the game is never over. Playing with tiredness is something we have to improve on, it is about taking it step by step.”

Dyche knows all about the difficulties of juggling the Europa League and domestic requirements from last season: his side were knocked out at the final qualifying stage and it was not until Sept 22 that they recorded their first Premier League win. Wolves had made a far better start to their campaign, but were tentative for much of an excruciating and hot Black Country afternoon, their flights to Belfast, Armenia and Turin finally catching up with them.

Burnley had already threatened before scoring in the 13th minute with a moment of brilliance from Ashley Barnes. Chesting the ball down 25 yards from goal, the forward then arrowed the ball into the corner of the net to continue his impressive start to the season.

They could have increased their lead four minutes later, with Ben Mee’s header striking the crossbar before Conor Coady frantically cleared the ball.

Wolves’s passing was frequently awry and there was little movement in the final third. Burnley’s back four, organised superbly by Mee, were content to soak up pressure.

There was a moment 20 minutes from time which encapsulated Wolves’s frustration, when substitute Pedro Neto and Matt Doherty both attempted to cross the ball in a bizarre act of miscommunication.

Nuno rolled the dice by sending on speedy winger Adama Traore as time began to tick away and suddenly there was more urgency and impetus. Agonisingly for Wolves, Jimenez struck a post in added time with a shot on the turn and that had appeared to be their final chance.

But the £30million signing was caught by Pieters moments later, with referee Craig Pawson pointing to the spot. After the VAR check, the penalty was confirmed and Jimenez made no mistake with his sixth goal of the season. Raul Jimenez’s goal for Wolves after 96 minutes and 55 seconds was the latest scored in the Premier League since January 2017, when Alexis Sanchez scored after 97 min 14 sec for Arsenal against Burnley.

Dyche insisted Burnley deserved to win. He said: “I’m a big fan of VAR, so no problem with that, but a big decision has gone against us. VAR won’t get everything right and there will be awkward ones. This was definitely a contentious one. “Everybody has been saying we’ve had a tough start, but we look a different animal to this time last season. The players have learnt from it and they’ve come back with a real edge to their performances.”