Wolverhampton Wanderers v Crystal Palace Live Commentary & Result, 25/04/2023, Premier League

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	PTS	Form
1	MCI Manchester City	38	28	5	5	94	33	+61	89	L D W W W
2	ARS Arsenal	38	26	6	6	88	43	+45	84	W L L W W
3	MUN Manchester United	38	23	6	9	58	43	+15	75	W W W W L
4	NEW Newcastle United	38	19	14	5	68	33	+35	71	D D W D L
5	LIV Liverpool	38	19	10	9	75	47	+28	67	D D W W W
6	BHA Brighton & Hove Albion	38	18	8	12	72	53	+19	62	L D W L W
7	AVL Aston Villa	38	18	7	13	51	46	+5	61	W D W L L
8	TOT Tottenham Hotspur	38	18	6	14	70	63	+7	60	W L L W L
9	BRE Brentford	38	15	14	9	58	46	+12	59	W W W L W
10	FUL Fulham	38	15	7	16	55	53	+2	52	L D W W L
11	CRY Crystal Palace	38	11	12	15	40	49	-9	45	D D W L W
12	CHE Chelsea	38	11	11	16	38	47	-9	44	D L L D W
13	WOL Wolverhampton Wanderers	38	11	8	19	31	58	-27	41	L D L W L
14	WHU West Ham United	38	11	7	20	42	55	-13	40	L W L W L
15	BOU AFC Bournemouth	38	11	6	21	37	71	-34	39	L L L L W
16	NFO Nottingham Forest	38	9	11	18	38	68	-30	38	D W D W L
17	EVE Everton	38	8	12	18	34	57	-23	36	W D L W D
18	LEI Leicester City	38	9	7	22	51	68	-17	34	W D L L D
19	LEE Leeds United	38	7	10	21	48	78	-30	31	L L D L L
20	SOU Southampton	38	6	7	25	36	73	-37	25	D L L L L

That's all for today, goodbye!

Wolves move up one place to 13th, but they're now nine points clear of the relegation zone, the same as Palace. They travel to Brighton and Hove Albion at the weekend. Palace stay in 12th and they'll be looking to get back to winning ways against West Ham on Saturday.

Wolves end Hodgson's unbeaten return to Palace with a 2-0 win. They made a dream start to the game when Neves' corner was inadvertently turned in by Andersen off the bottom of the bar. They found themselves under a lot of pressure in the second half though as Palace searched for an equaliser, with Sa making a couple of brilliant saves to keep out Lokonga and Eze. In the end, a lapse of concentration from Johnstone meant he gave away a penalty in stoppage time, and Neves fired it home to seal the points.

90' + 6' FULL-TIME: WOLVES 2-0 CRYSTAL PALACE.

Rúben Neves

Yellow Card

90' + 4' Neves took his shirt off in celebration and he picks up a late booking.

Rúben Neves

Penalty Goal

90' + 4' NEVES SCORES! Cool as you like from the Wolves captain as he fires it in! He gets a lot of power on the spot-kick and drills his low shot into the bottom right corner. Johnstone goes the right way, but he can't keep it out. 2-0 Wolves!

João Gomes

Yellow Card

90' + 2' Gomes has also had his name taken by the referee for his reaction to the tackle.

S. Johnstone

Yellow Card

90' + 2' Johnstone is protesting his innocence, claiming he got the ball, but it was a bad tackle and he's booked for it.

90' + 2' PENALTY TO WOLVES! It's a poor touch from Johnstone when it comes back to him and he lunges towards the ball, his foot bouncing off the top of it and he catches Neto. The referee is in no doubt as he points straight to the spot.

90' + 1' Into five minutes of stoppage time here and it's Wolves that are on the attack at the moment. Neves manages to poke it forward for Neto down the right, but he can't get it out of his feet before Guehi gets across to him.

J. Mateta

W. Hughes

89' Palace are also making their last substitution as Mateta comes on for Hughes.

Pedro Neto

Matheus Nunes

89' And Neto is on in place of Nunes.

N. Collins

Diego Costa

89' Final changes for the hosts now. Costa is being replaced by Collins.

88' It's Semedo that cuts out Palace's latest attempt at an attack, but there's just no way out for Wolves. He sends it long upfield, but none of his team-mates are there and it comes straight back.

86' Wolves are still standing firm in defence as Palace come again. Olise breezes past Toti this time, but once more, the cross lets him down as Nunes makes the block.

Toti

Yellow Card

84' Olise is threatening to break down the right until Toti takes one for the team by dragging him back by his shirt and getting a booking.

83' Palace loose the ball in the centre circle and Toti's quick thinking sets Traore on the charge down the left. He can't shake Mitchell though, and his blocked cross ends up rebounding out him for a goal-kick.

81' Neves is everywhere at the moment as he breaks up three attempts by Palace to get it into the Wolves box. The visitors eventually switch it out to the right to try and get away from him, but Olise can't pick out a cross.

Toti

Hugo Bueno

79' And Bueno is also taken off and replaced by Toti.

Adama Traoré

Hwang Hee-Chan

79' Double change for Wolves now, and Hwang is the first to make way, with Traore on for him.

78' Palace are trying to up the pressure again here, but they're stopped from taking a quick throw-in by the Wolves fans refusing to give the ball back. When Mitchell does take it, Ayew swiftly loses possession.

José Sá

Yellow Card

76' Sa catches Guehi's header and looks to set his side on a quick counter. The defender runs across the back of him to stop it, and the hosts think that should be a booking, but instead, Sa is shown the yellow card for dissent.

Diego Costa

Yellow Card

75' Costa is the latest Wolves player to give away a corner, and he boots the ball away to stop Palace from taking it quickly. He's booked for dissent.

74' CLOSE! Yet again, Olise's corner picks out a Wolves man first, and it drops to Hughes on the edge of the box this time. He lays it off to Eze, who tries his luck from range again, but this one loops over after hitting Kilman's shoulder.

73' GREAT SAVE! Another corner for Palace is cleared by Kilman, but he only gets it as far as Eze. He takes on the shot from range and it drops invitingly to hit on the volley. It's dipping under the bar until Sa's deft touch sends it over.

72' BLOCK! Ayew drops deep to win the ball back on the left before surging forward and cutting inside. He knocks it onto Schlupp as he makes the overlap and Dawson slides in with a brilliant tackle to block his shot.

J. Schlupp

Yellow Card

70' Schlupp got away with a crunching tackle a moment ago, but he crashes into Lemina very late from behind. He can have no arguments with that yellow card.

João Gomes

Matheus Cunha

68' Wolves are making their first change now as Gomes comes on for Cunha.

67' Another free-kick for Palace, this time on the left and Eze swings in another good delivery. He's looking for Edouard in the middle, but it's just out of his reach.

J. Schlupp

L. Milivojević

65' And Milivojevic is also taken off, with Schlupp on to replace him.

O. Édouard

A. Lokonga

65' It's a double change for Palace this time. Lokonga is the first to go off, with Edouard on in his place.

64' OVER! Neves swings a deep free-kick in from the right, but Ward gets there just ahead of Costa to put it out for a corner. Bueno swings that into the near post, but Dawson's header is thumped over.

62' Hughes' dink doesn't come off, but he picks out Ayew with the second attempt. His cross is blocked by Kilman, and Hwang just gets to the loose ball ahead of Olise to clear it.

60' It's another good break from Palace, as Ward gets away from Costa to spread it out to Eze in space on the left. He has space to run into but tries to curl an early cross into Ayew instead. It's blocked by Dawson.

58' Eze just caught Hwang on the shin as he tried to turn away from him. He stays down in need of treatment but will be able to carry on.

56' Wolves are still trying to find their rhythm again here as Sa goes long with his clearance. Lemina darts through the middle before he finds his route blocked by Richards.

54' Palace are without a win in their last six Premier League games when one goal down at half-time (D1 L5), last winning when a goal behind at the break against Wolves in October (2-1).

52' Nunes squares it to Costa on the edge of the box and he rides two challenges from Palace defenders before helping it onto Cunha. He can't get it out of his feet quickly enough though, and Neves' long-range strike is straight at Johnstone.

50' It's a great run from Olise down the right again as he surges past Nunes and Bueno before seeing his cross blocked by Kilman. He takes the resulting corner which is cleared as far as Eze, but he fires wide of the near post.

48' Palace have started the second half on the front foot, and it's spread out to Olise on the right. He pulls it back to Lokonga instead of cutting inside, but his first-time shot sails over the bar.

46' Wolves get us back underway for the second half!

J. Ward

J. Andersen

46' There's a change at the break for Palace, and it's an enforced one. Andersen isn't coming back up after picking up an injury at the end of the first half. Ward replaces him.

Lopetegui will be fairly pleased with what he's seen so far - their early pressure paid off, and they dominated the majority of the half, but without creating too many clear-cut chances. Palace took a while to grow into the game but improved as the half went on, and Hodgson will be looking for much more as they look to get back into it after the break.

Wolves lead Palace 1-0 at the break thanks to an early own goal. It was a dream start for the hosts, who went ahead just under three minutes into the game as Neves' corner was inadvertently turned in by Andersen off the underside of the bar. Johnstone had already been forced into a good save by that point, though wasn't troubled too much after that. Sa also made a brilliant stop at the other end, reacting to tip Lokonga's half-volley wide.

45' + 4' HALF-TIME: WOLVES 1-0 CRYSTAL PALACE.

45' + 2' Hwang wins another corner off Mitchell and Neves whips a good cross into the near post. Kilman loses his marker and thumps a header on, but it flies over the bar.

45' Lemina was down holding his ankle, but he was able to get up without treatment. At the same time, Palace's physio comes on to help Andersen, who is down with what looks like a muscle problem. He can carry on.

43' Palace are really starting to up the pressure here and Wolves can't get out of their own half. Mitchell fizzes a dangerous cross into the six-yard box which the defenders daren't touch, but Ayew doesn't get to it either.

41' Olise swings two corners into the box, both of which are cleared by the hosts. Richards picks it up on the halfway line and sends it forward once more, but Lokonga can't bring it down.

39' GREAT SAVE! Olise's cross is chested down by Eze on the far side into Milivojevic's feet on the edge of the D. His low, drilled shot is blocked by Hughes, but his touch bounces to Lokonga, whose half-volley is tipped wide by Sa.

38' Richards is given the freedom to leisurely bring the ball into Wolves' half, but he doesn't have a lot of options ahead of him. The hosts drop deep into their shape, closing off all the space.

A. Lokonga

Yellow Card

36' Wolves attempt to break quickly after Eze gives the ball away and Hwang looks to set Neves away through the middle. Lokonga slides in late on him from behind, picking up a booking.

34' Richards' attempted clearance hits Nunes and bounces straight to Bueno off the corner flag. He wriggles his way into the box before pulling it back to Lemina, but his shot curls high and wide of the far top corner.

32' Ayew is judged to have fouled Kilman as he held up the ball, and Wolves go straight down the other end from the free-kick. Semedo still has acres of space down the right, but can't pick out a cross this time.

30' SAVE! Mitchell touches it infield to Eze and he drifts past two Wolves players to open up some space just outside the D. He gets some power behind the shot, but it's straight down the middle at Sa.

28' There are big shouts for handball from the home fans and Semedo as they're claiming it hit Mitchell's arm when it bounced up. Any possible contact came well outside the box and it's only a corner for Wolves.

26' Palace almost play themselves into trouble at the back as Mitchell knocks it back to Johnstone while Costa is hovering. The forward rushes to try and reach it, but it's cleared just before he gets there.

24' SAVE! Semedo's cross is too high for Costa in the middle, but Bueno recycles it on the far side. Johnstone reaches his deflected ball first to push it away and Hwang scuffs at the volley as it drops.

23' This is the third time that Palace have conceded first in a Premier League game under Hodgson this season (his fifth game), but they came back to win the previous two (2-1 v Leicester and 5-1 v Leeds United).

21' Wolves are back on the attack again here, with Neves once more looking to their right side. Lemina can't find any space on the wing though, with Mitchell sticking tight to him.

19' Dawson easily beats Ayew in an aerial challenge, but the forward crashes into him as he does. Ayew slowly gets back to his feet without needing treatment, and Palace's free-kick comes to nothing.

17' The Wolves defenders are drawn to Hughes on the left of the box, so he squares it to Olise. Lokonga has space to his right and looks for him, but the Belgian loses his footing and ends up completely missing the ball.

15' Neves spins before playing another great pass over the top to look for Hwang's run down the right. He leaves Mitchell well behind him but is stopped by the linesman's flag.

L. Milivojević

Yellow Card

13' Olise plays a blind pass towards the halfway line, and Cunha is there to latch onto it. Milivojevic takes one for the team by pushing him aside, and picks up an early yellow card.

11' It's a poor pass from Eze to try and pick out Ayew's run, allowing Dawson to get across and clear it. Olise cuts it out, but again, can't pick out a team-mate ahead of him.

9' Palace are pressing much higher upfield now and making it difficult for Wolves to play out from the back. Sa is forced to go long to Semedo, who takes a loose touch, but Milivojevic can't pick out Eze for a counter.

7' It's better from Palace, who get out of their own half for the first time in this game. Eze threads it through to Ayew in the box, and the angle is against him, but he takes on the shot, firing it against Dawson.

5' GOOD SAVE! Wolves are on the attack again, this time pushing forward down their right. Costa holds it up before spreading it out to Semedo on the right. Cunha misses it at the near post, and Johnstone stretches out a leg to get it away.

J. Andersen

Own Goal

3' OWN GOAL! What a start for Wolves! It's a brilliant delivery from Neves on the corner and Cunha glances it on at the near post. As Andersen tries to get back, it bounces off his knee, and it bounces just over the line off the underside of the crossbar before Johnstone can react. 1-0 Wolves!

2' GOOD SAVE! It's lovely work from Bueno out on the left and he clips a wonderful cross towards the back post. Costa brings it down on his chest before firing towards goal, and Johnstone quickly pushes it wide.

1' Olise gets the game underway for Palace!

The teams are out on the pitch now, with kick-off just moments away!

Palace have won their last four Premier League games against Wolves - they've never won five in a row against an opponent in the competition before.

Hodgson makes four changes to the side that drew with Everton on Saturday. Richards, Lokonga, Milivojevic and Hughes come in, which will allow Eze to play in a more advanced role. Ward, Doucoure, Schlupp and Edouard start on the bench.

Julen Lopetegui makes just three changes from the defeat to Leicester last time out. Bueno, Neves and Hwang are all brought in, and Lemina has recovered from a hamstring problem he picked up in that game to retain his place. Toti, Sarabia and Gomes all drop to the bench.

CRYSTAL PALACE SUBS: Vicente Guaita, Jairo Riedewald, Odsonne Edouard, James McArthur, James Tomkins, Cheick Doucoure, Jeffrey Schlupp, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Joel Ward.

CRYSTAL PALACE STARTING XI (4-3-3): Sam Johnstone; Chris Richards, Joachim Andersen, Marc Guehi, Tyrick Mitchell; Albert Sambi Lokonga, Luka Milivojevic, Will Hughes; Michael Olise, Jordan Ayew, Eberechi Eze.

WOLVES SUBS: Joao Moutinho, Nathan Collins, Toti, Daniel Podence, Pablo Sarabia, Pedro Neto, Joao Gomes, Adama Traore, Daniel Bentley.

WOLVES STARTING XI (4-4-2): Jose Sa; Nelson Semedo, Craig Dawson, Maximilian Kilman, Hugo Bueno; Matheus Nunes, Ruben Neves, Mario Lemina, Hwang Hee-Chan; Metheus Cunha, Diego Costa.

Both sides have edged away from the relegation zone due to their results in recent weeks but will want a win here to move them even closer to safety. Palace are still unbeaten since Roy Hodgson's return to the club at the end of March (W3 D1), though they did drop their first points under him in a goalless draw with Everton last time out. As for Wolves, their own three-match unbeaten run (W2 D1) came to an end last time out as they squandered a lead to lose 2-1 to Leicester City on Saturday.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Premier League meeting between Wolves and Crystal Palace at Molineux!

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Crystal Palace Live Commentary, 25/04/2023

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