Phillips late show stuns Trotters
BOLTON Wanderers manager Neil Lennon was left devastated after Matty Phillips’ last-gasp equaliser denied his side a vital three points in their bid for Championship survival in a draw at the Macron Stadium.
A stunning strike from young striker Zach Clough on his first start since January 2nd looked to have given the Trotters victory, only for Phillips to snatch a point for the R’s at the death.
Lennon felt his side had done more than enough to win the game and couldn’t hide his disappointment afterwards.
“It’s heartbreaking,” he said. “It feels like a defeat. It’s not because we’ve got a point out of it but we needed the three at this stage of the season.
“It’s the manner of it as well, it’s a poor goal at a time when you’ve just got see the game out and smell the danger.
“The keeper should’ve saved it and we should’ve dealt with Phillips before that. It leaves a bitter taste in the mouth because it was a very good performance.”
Despite his disappointment Lennon remained upbeat on his team’s survival chances.
“There’s plenty of games left,” he added.“But we should’ve won this, we have missed an opportunity to close the gap, but there’s still plenty of football to go.
“We played well and there were some outstanding performances out there and we scored a wonder goal from an outstanding talent.”
Conor Washington had Rangers’ best effort of the first half in the 26th minute when he wriggled away from Rob Holding's challenge and drilled in a low right-footed shot which was well-parried by Trotters goalkeeper Ben Amos.
Clough threatened to light up a dull first half in the 42nd minute when he met Josh Vela’s right-wing cross with an acrobatic overhead kick which looped inches wide of the top corner.
In a livelier second half, James Perch missed an opportunity to give the visitors the lead in the 65th minute when substitute Abdenasser El Khayati curled in an inswinging cross which struck Perch on the knee before drifting wide of the post.
Four minutes later Clough brought the game to life putting his side in front with a superb curling shot from distance which struck the underside of the bar before finding the top corner of the net.
It looked like the day would belong to Clough and Bolton, but the hosts were stunned by Phillips at the death as the winger unleashed a low left-footed shot from the edge of the box after darting away from the challenge of Dean Moxey with a flurry of step-overs.
The shot slid under the body of Amos and into the net to send the travelling supporters behind the goal wild.
Although the point was earned seconds before the final whistle, it was a deserved one according to R’s boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.
“If you look at the chances and shots at goal, we had the better chances,” said Hasselbaink.
“Bolton had a good shot at goal that was in the top corner, that was it. That was not a chance, that was brilliance. So make up from that if Bolton deserved to win the game.
“It was not a really nice game to see. But you have to try and find a winning formula.
“What I’m pleased with is that we didn’t feel we were defeated we kept on going, kept on trying and got our creative player on the ball and he got the goal.”