Wood chips away at Wolves’ Euro hopes
BURNLEY 1 WOLVES 1
CHRIS WOOD went from villain to hero for Burnley to leave Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo feeling his side suffered an injustice.
The Clarets striker’s penalty in added time denied Wolves the win they needed to keep their realistic hopes of qualifying for the Champions League alive through the Premier League.
The point is also not enough for Burnley in their pursuit of a Europa League spot.
It now looks like Wolves’ only route is to win the Europa League. They are three points behind Leicester and Manchester United in the top-four race.
Crucially, those two have three games left while Wolves now only have two after Raul Jimenez’s volley was cancelled out.
It was controversial, though, as Matt Doherty was adjudged to have handled the ball in the area after Phil Bardsley’s header across goal to deny Wood a spectacular overhead kick, moments after the Kiwi forward had nodded wide from two yards.VAR backed referee Mike Dean’s on-field decision.
Nuno said: “We played a good game, always in control and managed the game – then after that you have to look whether you get the justice and, in the game, sometimes that doesn’t exist. It’s always hard to take, every goal you concede is hard to take but, if it’s in the final moments, it is even harder.”
The Wolves boss insisted he did not get a chance to watch the penalty incident.
Wolves’ season must feel like it is never ending with the Europa League to be finished next month. They were the better side earlier on as Jimenez tested Nick Pope before Romain Saiss somehow headed over from a corner in the first half.
Burnley’s best chance of the opening 45 minutes was snuffed out by Conor Coady as he blocked Jay Rodriguez’s shot after a good counter attack.
Wolves’ goal came in the 76th minute when a shot from substitute Doherty was blocked and it spun to Jimenez to fire home on the volley.
But Wood had the last laugh with his stoppage-time equaliser from the spot.
Burnley boss Sean Dyche said: “To come out with a point against a good side is very pleasing.”
BURNLEY (4-4-2): Pope 8; Bardsley 7, Long 7, Tarkowski 7, Taylor 7 (Gudmundsson 30, 6); Pieters 6, Westwood 7, Brownhill 6 (Brady 89), McNeil 6; Wood 6, Rodriguez 6 (Vydra 55, 6). Goal: Wood 90 pen. WOLVES (3-4-3): Patricio 6; Boly 7, Coady 8, Saiss 7; Traore 8, Neves 7, Moutinho 7, Vinagre 6 (Jonny 84); Podence 5 (Doherty 72), Jimenez 7 (Dendoncker 89), Jota 6 (Neto 78). Goal: Jimenez 76.