Report and player ratings from Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Premier League game away to Crystal Palace

Wolves came out the wrong side of a frantic finish at Crystal Palace, Gary O’Neil’s side losing 3-2 as they tried to end a productive week with at least a point.

Substitute Hwang Hee-Chan’s 65th minute header had brought Wolves back into the game, cancelling out Odsonne Edouard’s 56th-minute opener. However, Palace pressure eventually told as Eberechi Eze restored their lead on 78 minutes before Edouard netted his second, and the home team’s third, on 84. That meant Matheus Cunha’s header, on 96 minutes, was only consolation for Wolves and their travelling supporters.

Wolves had been competitive for most of the game but couldn’t live with their hosts’ strong finish. So, a disappointing end to a busy week for O’Neil and the club having strengthened before deadline day with the signings of Tommy Doyle, Santiago Bueno, Enso Gonzalez and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde while selling Matheus Nunes to Manchester City.

O’Neil made two changes to his league side as Rayan Ait-Nouri and Pablo Sarabia were called up while Hugo Bueno and Hwang Hee-Chan dropped to the bench from the side that started last Saturday’s 1-0 win at Everton.

Ait-Nouri did well off the bench in that game and in the 5-0 win at home to Blackpool in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday. Sarabia’s selection followed his excellent performance against Blackpool but Hwang was at least able to make the bench at Selhurst Park after a slight hamstring problem.

Wolves lined up 4-4-2 with Jose Sa behind a back four of, from right to left, Nelson Semedo, Craig Dawson, Max Kilman and Rayan Ait Nouri. Mario Lemina and Joao Gomes were in central midfield with Pablo Sarabia on the right, Pedro Neto on the left and Fabio Silva and Matheus Cunha up front.

Wolves threatened early when Neto took on his man and sent in a cross that was sliced close to an own goal by Joachim Andersen. The Palace fans had more to worry about when Gomes beat his man and surged into the right of the area but seemed to lose his bearings and drilled a shot well wide of the near post.

Wolves had to surive a VAR check for a penalty when Eze cut inside the area and went down as he tried to get past Gomes. But the visitors had to survive a greater escape, on 16 minutes, as Sa gave the ball away and Kilman had to slide across to clear off the line.

Semedo and Ait Nouri went into the book as Palace enjoyed a decent spell but Wolves remained a threat and Sarabia’s low cross found Cunha only for the striker to have his shot blocked.

Palace’s Edouard broke into the space behind Semedo but had his shot comfortably saved by Sa before Wolves threatened in the closing stages of the half as Neto’s curling 16-yard effort was touched over by Johnstone.

Gomes dented an otherwise impressive performance with a booking ten minutes into the second half, bringing down Eze after conceding possession in midfield.

Palace took the lead moments later when the ball was worked to Tyrik Mitchell whose excellent low cross was met by Edouard, the forward getting between Dawson and Kilman to stab a volley past Sa from five yards.

But Wolves were level on 65 minutes when Neto’s free kick was met by Hwang Hee Chan, the South Korean glancing the ball across Johnstone for a goal that survived a VAR check for offside.

Sa plunged to his right to keep out Ayew’s vollwey, on 78 minutes, then denied Eze from a free kick. However, the keeper was helpless when Eze ran on to a flick on in the area and stabbed the ball into the far corner.

Edouard finished a slick move by sliding the ball past Sa to make it 3-1, meaning Cunha’s injury time header, from Neto’s cross, was in vain for Wolves.

Wolves player ratings vs Crystal Palace

Sa: Got away with giving the ball away before the break when Kilman came to the rescue by clearing off the line. 6

Semedo: Didn’t have an easy time against Eze but he won’t be the first defender to feel that. His life became awkward after a first half booking. 5

Dawson: Read the game perfectly with some timely interceptions before Palace pressure paid off at the end 6

Kilman: Saved his side with a sliding clearance off the line – athleticism and anticipation paying off to thwart the best chance for either side before the break. 6

Ait-Nouri: Recalled to the league starting line up after impressing off the bench against Everton and then from the start against Blackpool in the Carabao Cup. Steady despite a first-half booking after tangling with Ayew. 5

Lemina: The most defensive of the midfielders did his job well to all the others to get forward when possible. Occasionally gave the ball away, usually won it back. 7

Gomes: Got his beatings wrong with a first half effort but had done well to get into a position to shoot. A VAR call correctly went his way when Palace appealed for a penalty. 6

Sarabia: Recalled to the league starting line up after an excellent performance against Blackpool in midweek. Tidy performance on the right. 5

Neto: Started wide on the left and looked a threat at times, not least with an effort tipped over by Johnstone before the break. Ward booked for a second-half foul on him. Set up Hwang for the equaliser and Cunha for the second 6.5

Cunha: His partnership with Silva through the middle definitely has potential but he didn’t get much change out of the Palace defence until his late header. 6

Silva: Fired wide with a first-half shot on the turn. He’ll have better afternoons than this. 5

Subs: Hwang (Sarabia, 60), Traore (Silva, 73), Kalajdzic (Gomes, 81), Bueno (Ait-Nouri, 81)