Newcastle denied as Wolves rescued by Dubravka howler
NEWCASTLE goalkeeper Martin Dubravka damaged his side’s bid to avoid relegation for t he second successive match as his late howler gifted Wolves a 1-1 draw on Monday.
Rafael Benitez’s side were seconds away from a va luable v ictor y after Isaac Hayden’s first goal since 2017 put them ahead in the second half at Molineux.
Hayden’s goal had come v ia a weak attempted save from Wolves keeper Rui Patricio.
But it was Dubravka’s clanger at t he ot her end t hat stole t he headlines when t he Slova kian allowed a cross to slip t hrough his grasp as Willy Boly headed home deep into stoppage-time.
Dubravka will be public enemy No.1 on Ty neside af ter his latest gaffe, which came just days after he let Son Heung-min’s shot squirm through his legs to give Tottenham a late winner.
With controversia l Newcastle owner Mike Ashley watching f rom t he sta nds, it was a bitter pill to swallow for Benitez, who refused to protect Dubravka when asked about the equaliser.
“We could do better. These k ind of balls you can do a litt le bit better, punch t he ball and it’s finished,” he said.
Asked if he thought Boly had pushed his keeper, Benitez added: “It was not ver y clear watching t he replay. Still, it’s something we have to defend better. He [Dubravka] has to be strong enough.
“I was not happy with some decisions, but overa ll I t hink t he referee was fine. You cannot complain about t hat.”
Newcastle are now only one point above the relegation zone when they would have been three points clear but for Dubravka.
Back from a warm-weather break for a training camp in Marbella, seventh placed Wolves looked li ke they were still on the beach when Newcastle’s Salomon Rondon was granted too much space for a low shot away t hat forced Patricio into action.
Vigorous appeal
Wolves eventually hit t heir stride and made a v igorous appeal for a penalt y when Christian Atsu challenged Raul Jimenez, only for referee Graham Scott to wave play on, with replays suggesting he made the right decision.
Jimenez needed just one goal to become just the second Mexican player to reach double figures in a Premier League campaign after Jav ier Hernandez.
He was close to making that milestone when he cut in from the left and unleashed a powerful strike that Dubravka pushed away.
Sprawling to keep out Jonny’s effort soon after, Dubravka was doing his best to redeem himself after his mista ke against Tottenham.
Against t he run of play, Newcast le snatched t he lead in t he 56t h minute.
Hayden was played in by Fabian Schar, but his shot should have been saved by Patricio, who was beaten at his near post after weakly palming t he ball into t he net.
Wolves tried to mount an immediate response and Diogo Jota’s low strike was well saved by Dubravka, who also kept out Leander Dendoncker’s header soon af ter.
Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron came on for his Newcastle debut in the 72nd minute follow ing his club record £20 million from Atlanta United last month.
And it seemed Wolves’ pressure would be in vain, until Dubravka ended up as t he v illain yet again in the 95th minute.
Adama Traore’s high cross hung in the air for an age, but Dubravka reacted hesita nt ly, a llow ing t he ball to fa ll through his arms and hit Boly in t he face before rolling into t he net for a fa rcica l equaliser.