Wolves boss Gary O’Neil called the decision to award Newcastle a first-half penalty in their 2-2 draw at Molineux “scandalous”.
O’Neil was delighted by the way his players battled back, twice coming from a goal down to earn an impressive point through Hwang Hee-chan’s equaliser, but Wolves were once again left fuming at the officials on a busy afternoon for referee Anthony Taylor and VAR Jarred Gillett.
The game was at 1-1, with Mario Lemina’s first Wolves goal cancelling out Callum Wilson’s opener, when Taylor pointed to the spot on the stroke of half-time.
Hwang had been guilty of a heavy touch inside his own box, inviting Fabian Schar to challenge for the ball, but the Newcastle man appeared to kick the turf and looked to already be on his way down before any contact.
There was a lengthy VAR check but the on-field decision stood, and Wilson kept his cool to put Newcastle back in front.
“It was a scandalous decision,” O’Neil said. “It was a terrible on-field decision, and terrible that VAR didn’t intervene so I thought they got it badly wrong.
“(Hwang) has a big touch…and then goes to clear the ball. He makes such minimal contact with Schar, hardly any, a glance of the boot.
“Schar’s is already on the way down and the ball actually hits ‘Channy’ on the other foot before he even makes contact with Schar so technically he gets the ball before he makes contact with Schar, so that’s why it’s a terrible decision.”
Wolves seemed to use their sense of injustice as fuel in the second half, and it was fitting that Hwang got the equaliser with his seventh goal of the season.
“There’s never any question marks from me on his mentality, his willingness to work, his ability to refocus and get going again,” O’Neil said of the Korean.
“Obviously he’s a threat, obviously his goalscoring this season for us has been a big plus and he gets another important one today.”
The draw extends Wolves’ unbeaten run to five games, and O’Neil said: “I’m really pleased with the group. We suffered some setbacks and I think everyone could be proud of their work-rate, the quality and the resilience.”
Eddie Howe was frustrated that Newcastle, playing for the first time since Sandro Tonali started a 10-month ban for betting offences, could not hold on for a win having twice led, but was happy with how they finished the match despite fatigue creeping in after Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund.
“It was probably a fair result,” he said. “Two good teams. It was a really good spectacle. It’s frustrating having led not to get over the line and win the game but it was a really impressive end when the home crowd is up.
“We’ve had a tough week with the Sandro situation and injuries to key players but it was a really good response.”
Wilson’s brace, including an acrobatic opener to tidy up his own rebound, took him to seven goals from nine appearances, encouraging news for Howe with Alexander Isak facing a spell on the sidelines.
“It was a massive contribution from Callum,” Howe said. “His first goal was hugely impressive, the first chance was the easier than the second but that’s typical Callum.
“He took the penalty well and was probably frustrated he didn’t get the match ball with a chance at the end, but they were priceless goals for us.”
[(FC Seoul) Strength]: 1. Marko Dugandzic, Anderson de Oliveira, and Yazan Al-Arab all contributed in the last friendly against Barcelona. The team's foreign players performed well on offense.2. FC Seoul won 1-0 over Daejeon Hana Citizen in the last league game, securing 3 wins in the last 4 league matches.[(FC Seoul) Neutral]: 1. FC Seoul had BTTS in 2 of the previous 3 games, showing a high like...
[(Los Angeles Galaxy) Strength]: 1. Los Angeles Galaxy currently rank 8th in Group B of the Leagues Cup. Facing Santos Laguna who are bottom 3rd in Group A, Los Angeles Galaxy are aiming for three points and are highly motivated.2. Los Angeles Galaxy forward Gabriel Chaves has scored 4 goals in the last 3 games, demonstrating a very high goal-scoring efficiency.3. Los Angeles Galaxy have remained ...
[(Cruz Azul) Strength]: 1. Cruz Azul's attacking methods are diverse and plentiful, including intricate passing from the midfield, crosses from flank breakthroughs, and long-range shots.[(Cruz Azul) Neutral]: 1. Both sides have never met before, so there were no records to reference.[(Cruz Azul) Weakness]: 1. Cruz Azul are 14th in the Leagues Cup Group Stable- Liga MX table. They were winless in t...
[(Estudiantes La Plata) Strength]: 1. Estudiantes La Plata beat Racing Club de Avellaneda in the last game, securing a 2-game winning streak in the league and showing a rebound in form.2. Estudiantes La Plata conceded 3 goals in the last 5 home games, boasting excellent defense at home.3. Estudiantes La Plata received 6 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses in the last 10 home games, with a win rate of 60%....
[(Monterrey) Strength]: 1. Monterrey scored 7 goals in the previous 4 competitive games, averaging nearly 2 goals per game, which demonstrates outstanding attack.[(Monterrey) Weakness]: 1. Monterrey performed poorly in this edition of the Leagues Cup and have confirmed to miss the knockout stage. Thus, their motivation is in doubt.2. Monterrey were winless in two Leagues Cup games with only 1 draw...
[(FC Cincinnati) Strength]: 1. FC Cincinnati are ranked 2nd in the MLS Eastern Conference, showing outstanding overall form. They received 15 wins, 4 draws, and 6 losses in the regular season so far, with a win rate of 60%.2. FC Cincinnati were unbeaten in two Leagues Cup games so far, recording 1 win and 1 draw.3. FC Cincinnati showed excellent attack in the previous two Leagues Cup games, scorin...
[(Servette) Strength]: 1. Servette were narrowly defeated 3-2 on aggregate in two legs of the second qualifying round of this season's Champions League, and now they will unfortunately have to play in the Europa League qualification. This match will be the first leg of the third qualifying round at home, and they are highly motivated.2. Servette forward Slovakian Samuel Mraz is in fit form this se...
[(FC Bayern Munich) Strength]: 1. As the Bundesliga giants, FC Bayern Munich still aim to win the titles across all competitions this season. As a preseason warm-up tournament, FC Bayern Munich will adjust their form and fine-tune their squad in the Germany Telekom Cup. They are highly motivated to secure a big win to build confidence for the new season.2. In the summer window, FC Bayern Munich si...
[(Zrinjski Mostar) Strength]: 1. Zrinjski Mostar are undoubtedly motivated to win this home game to take the initiative of advancing.2. The Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in which Zrinjski Mostar play, has not yet started, giving them more time to prepare for their European football matches.3. Zrinjski Mostar won 14 of the previous 20 home games across all competitions, showing decent h...
[(Panathinaikos) Strength]: 1. Panathinaikos are still in the league offseason and only focus on the Cup, revealing superior fitness.2. Panathinaikos performed impressively at home as they lost only one of the last 19 home matches.[(Panathinaikos) Neutral]: 1. As the traditional giants in the Super League Greece, Panathinaikos currently have a total squad value of over 100 million Euros.2. In Pana...
- 1 Bayern Munich confirm Palhinha "transfer negotiations" as Spurs move closer
- 2 TIPS - Real Salt Lake VS Atletico San Luis
- 3 TIPS - FCSB VS KF Drita Gjilan
- 4 Daily Laugh - Raya nair
- 5 TIPS - Lincoln Red Imps VS FC Noah
- 6 TIPS - Rigas Futbola Skola VS KuPS
- 7 Man Utd, Newcastle turn to Stuttgart striker Woltemade
- 8 PSG Willing to Sell Lucas Beraldo – But Only If Two Demands Are Met Amid Premier League Interest
- 9 TIPS - FC Kairat Almaty VS SK Slovan Bratislava
- 10 Transfer rumors, news: Chelsea face dilemma over Simons