Nottingham Forest stopped the rot with a battling point at Wolves to give Steve Cooper an early birthday present in the fight for his job.
The under-fire Forest boss, who turns 44 on Sunday, saw his side scrap to a deserved 1-1 draw to end a run of four straight defeats.
Harry Toffolo headed in the opener only for Matheus Cunha to level in the first half at Molineux.
Toffolo missed a fine second-half chance to win it but Forest at least claimed a first away point in two months.
It kept them 16th, five points above the Premier League’s relegation zone, while Wolves sit 12th after stretching their unbeaten home run to six.
Wednesday’s 5-0 thumping at Fulham had pushed Cooper closer to the brink at Forest, with former Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui a contender to replace him.
Defeat at Molineux would reportedly cost him his job and Forest fans unveiled a flag of the boss in support before the game – and they had more to celebrate after 14 minutes.
Cheikhou Kouyate initially won the ball in midfield and, after swapping passes with Morgan Gibbs-White, found Neco Williams on the right.
His excellent delivery reached Toffolo at the far post and the defender’s downward header beat Jose Sa and Craig Dawson’s desperate attempt to clear on the line.
Forest had something to cling to. Cooper had made seven changes from the hammering at Craven Cottage and the much-changed visitors were prepared to dig in and frustrate Wolves.
The hosts pressed with little initial impact, bossing possession, with only Cunha’s tame effort to show for their efforts – until the forward levelled after 32 minutes.
An incisive move cut through Forest with Nelson Semedo and Mario Lemina involved before Pablo Sarabia was slipped in to cut back for Cunha, who steered in his fifth goal of the season from six yards.
Forest’s ambition had seemingly been to protect their lead but, with parity restored, they needed to some more attacking impetus – which only arrived when Wolves gifted them an opening just before the break.
Kouyate seized on Max Kilman’s dawdling and was suddenly clean through but his low shot was saved by Sa’s outstretched leg.
Before that, Wolves had continued to probe without further success and Forest emerged for the second half with the momentum which previously eluded them.
Anthony Elanga rattled the bar from close range, although the flag went up almost immediately, and Cooper’s frustrations boiled over with the boss booked after a decision went against his side.
His mood would have darkened further when Toffolo missed a golden chance to restore Forest’s lead after 69 minutes.
Williams dispossessed Matt Doherty and sent in another excellent delivery only for Toffolo to head over from three yards, to leave Cooper with his head in his hands.
It would have got worse had Matt Turner not saved Cunha’s shot after the striker bundled his way through with 15 minutes left. But, with a point in the bag, Cooper left the pitch being serenaded by the travelling supporters at the end.
The latest round of Premier League fixtures brings the respective battles at both ends of the table into sharp focus.
Leaders Arsenal go head-to-head with surprise package Aston Villa and reigning champions Manchester City attempt to end a rare barren period at the top, while, towards the foot, Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper finds himself in the limelight for the wrong reasons.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the talking points surrounding the weekend’s games.
Familiar face
Mikel Arteta may not be pitch-side at Aston Villa on Saturday as he serves a touchline ban, but another Spaniard who is well known to Arsenal will be. Unai Emery was in charge at the Emirates Stadium between May 2018 and November 2019, when the Gunners dispensed with his services after a disappointing run of results. Emery returned to England in October last year and has since guided Villa into the top three, just four points adrift of his former employers at the top of the table and a genuine threat on home soil.
Timing is everything
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When Luton secured their promotion to the Premier League via last season’s Sky Bet Championship play-off final, their fans were able to dream of the days when English football’s aristocrats would head for Kenilworth Road. They could be forgiven for watching through their fingers when Manchester City make the trip on Sunday. City, for the first time in seven years, have not won in four league games, but the Hatters have managed only two top-flight victories all season. Few will give the hosts much chance of improving on that statistic this weekend.
Away the lads
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Newcastle travel to Tottenham on Sunday desperately searching for form away from St James’ Park. The Magpies, who won eight times on the road last season as they surged to a fourth-place finish, have collected three points away from Tyneside only once in seven attempts so far this season, courtesy of an 8-0 drubbing of Sheffield United. Spurs have lost their last three games on their own pitch to Chelsea, Aston Villa and West Ham. Something seemingly has to give.
Everton back in business
Everton’s response to the 10-point penalty which has left them fighting for their top-flight lives has been hugely impressive. Thursday night’s 3-0 victory over Newcastle – their fourth in six league outings – lifted them out of the bottom three and proved the perfect preparation for Chelsea’s visit to Goodison Park on Sunday. The Blues currently lie in 10th place with 19 points, one fewer than the total the Toffees would have had but for their punishment.
Cooper over a barrel?
Spare a thought for Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper. He has bullishly played down suggestions he could be out of a job if Forest lose a fifth successive league game when they head for Wolves on Saturday. The Welshman guided the club back into the Premier League at the end of the 2021-22 campaign and kept them there last season with four points to spare, the same margin they currently enjoy over the bottom three.
Glenn Hoddle was appointed manager of Wolves on this day in 2004 .
The former England boss had been out of a job since leaving Tottenham in September 2003 and had previous managerial experience with Swindon, Chelsea and Southampton.
Hoddle took charge, succeeding manager Dave Jones for a second time having previously replaced him at Southampton.
Jones was sacked at the start of November following the club’s relegation to the Championship and a miserable start to the new season saw them languishing in 17th when Hoddle took over.
“I’m delighted to be here. I saw the massive potential Wolverhampton have got; their ambition paralleled my thoughts,” Hoddle said.
“Wolves are a Premiership outfit with the fan base and ambition – they’ve already had a taste, and it’s very clear to me that is where they want to be put back again.
“It’s a very big challenge. We’re not sitting on top of the league – there’s a lot of work to be done.
“That (the Premier League) is where everybody at this club wants to go. I picked that up very quickly, and that’s where I want to go. I’m delighted to be back in football as well.”
Hoddle steered the club to a ninth-placed finish in the 2004-05 season, but Wolves missed out on the play-offs by eight points the following season with a seventh-placed finish.
He resigned as manager in July 2006 and it remains his last job in management, excluding a short spell as coach at QPR under Harry Redknapp in 2014-15.
Gary O’Neil hailed match-winner Hwang Hee-chan after Wolves edged out Burnley.
The striker’s first-half goal – his ninth of the season – condemned the Clarets to a 1-0 defeat at Molineux on Tuesday evening.
Wolves moved 11 points clear of the Premier League’s relegation zone with South Korea international Hwang earning praise from the boss.
“The numbers are incredibly impressive,” Boss O’Neil said. “Everything about him is impressive, will he continue at this rate for the rest of the season? I hope so. If the team can keep performing.
“When the ball falls to him in the penalty area I have a really good feeling he will be in the right area.
“It’s no fluke he has as many goals as he has, he’s bought in fully to what we’re trying to do. He arrives in good areas time and time again.
“It was a massive win for us. They are a good side, maybe it’s disrespectful to say ‘job done’ because they won the Championship by a long way last season, were the sixth or seventh biggest spenders in the summer. They have every right to be competitive, I’m really pleased as it’s a big win.”
Pablo Sarabia twice went close before Dan Bentley saved from Sander Berge and Josh Brownhill.
But Burnley shot themselves in the foot three minutes before the break to gift Wolves a winner.
James Trafford and Dara O’Shea played out of the back to find Berge, but the midfielder’s heavy touch allowed Sarabia to steal in and find Matheus Cunha.
He then picked out the unmarked Hwang who beat Trafford with a low finish for his ninth goal of the season.
From then Burnley struggled to create, with Bentley never troubled, as Wolves earned a first clean sheet since August and are now five unbeaten at home.
Burnley remain in the drop zone after a 12th defeat in 15 games and are three points from the safety line having beaten Sheffield United 5-0 on Saturday, but failed to follow it up.
Boss Vincent Kompany said: “It’s decided in moments, we had ours, didn’t take them and in one of the few chances we conceded, we concede a goal.
“I looked at it quickly but we’ll have to do an analysis. If something went wrong it wasn’t just decided by this one moment, we can look at ourselves and say we should have scored.
“We have been in games for quite some time now, we have to believe this will give us the results.
“We play against teams with quality, we have to stay in positions where we can get results and today was close. This is where we need to step it up.”
Gary O’Neil hailed match-winner Hwang Hee-chan after Wolves edged out Burnley.
The striker’s first-half goal – his ninth of the season – condemned the Clarets to a 1-0 defeat at Molineux on Tuesday evening.
Wolves moved 11 points clear of the Premier League’s relegation zone with South Korea international Hwang earning praise from the boss.
“The numbers are incredibly impressive,” Boss O’Neil said. “Everything about him is impressive, will he continue at this rate for the rest of the season? I hope so. If the team can keep performing.
“When the ball falls to him in the penalty area I have a really good feeling he will be in the right area.
“It’s no fluke he has as many goals as he has, he’s bought in fully to what we’re trying to do. He arrives in good areas time and time again, keeps going and eight (league) goals is a really impressive return.
“It was a massive win for us. They are a good side, maybe it’s disrespectful to say ‘job done’ because they won the Championship by a long way last season, were the sixth or seventh biggest spenders in the summer. They have every right to be competitive, I’m really pleased as it’s a big win.”
Pablo Sarabia twice went close before Dan Bentley saved from Sander Berge and Josh Brownhill.
But Burnley shot themselves in the foot three minutes before the break to gift Wolves a winner.
James Trafford and Dara O’Shea played out of the back to find Berge, but the midfielder’s heavy touch allowed Sarabia to steal in and find Matheus Cunha.
He then picked out the unmarked Hwang who beat Trafford with a low finish for his ninth goal of the season.
From then Burnley struggled to create, with Bentley never troubled, as Wolves earned a first clean sheet since August and are now five unbeaten at home.
Burnley remain in the drop zone after a 12th defeat in 15 games and are three points from the safety line having beaten Sheffield United 5-0 on Saturday, but failed to follow it up.
Boss Vincent Kompany said: “It’s decided in moments, we had ours, didn’t take them and in one of the few chances we conceded, we concede a goal.
“I looked at it quickly but we’ll have to do an analysis. If something went wrong it wasn’t just decided by this one moment, we can look at ourselves and say we should have scored.
“We have been in games for quite some time now, we have to believe this will give us the results.
“We play against teams with quality, we have to stay in positions where we can get results and today was close. This is where we need to step it up.”
Hwang Hee-chan fired Wolves to a narrow win over struggling Burnley.
The forward’s ninth goal of the season earned the hosts a 1-0 victory at Molineux.
Dan Bentley denied Josh Brownhill and Sander Berge in the first half, but the Clarets remain second bottom while Wolves – who recorded a first clean sheet since August – climb to 12th, 11 points above the relegation zone.
Fresh from their 5-0 thumping of Sheffield United, which ended a seven-game losing run, the Clarets looked to control the game.
But it was Pablo Sarabia who had the first real chance when his deflected strike was tipped over by James Trafford before the midfielder volleyed over.
All of Wolves’ home games this term had come against the top eight – which had seen them beat Manchester City and Tottenham – but against relegation-threatened Burnley there was added expectation.
Yet they struggled to find their fluid best as the visitors bossed first-half possession with Zeki Amdouni testing Bentley from distance.
With growing momentum, the visitors found further confidence and Jacob Bruun Larsen fired over before Bentley bailed Wolves out six minutes before the break.
Joao Gomes lost out to Amdouni and Johann Gudmundsson as he tried to see the ball behind with the latter crossing to Berge.
His shot was blocked by Bentley and the goalkeeper then produced a better save to turn Brownhill’s volleyed follow up wide.
But, despite Burnley’s pressing, the soft centre which has now seen them lose 12 of their 15 games cost them again after 42 minutes.
It was sloppy as Trafford and Dara O’Shea played out from the back before Berge’s heavy touch allowed Sarabia to nip in and find Matheus Cunha.
The striker picked out the unmarked Hwang in the area who kept his composure to roll past Trafford.
Kompany’s men only had themselves to blame and could have fallen further behind when Mario Lemina nodded over two minutes into the second half.
The dynamic had shifted and it was now Wolves in the ascendancy with Trafford palming Sarabia’s free-kick away just after the hour.
Burnley were blunt and hardly tested Bentley, although Vitinho drove over from the edge of the box with 13 minutes left, but with their fading threat went their chances of recovery.
Gabriel Martinelli is determined to ensure Arsenal stay at the Premier League summit after the Gunners’ narrow victory over Wolves guaranteed them top spot heading into the midweek fixtures.
Mikel Arteta’s side ran out 2-1 winners at the Emirates Stadium as early strikes from Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard were enough to seal the points despite a nervy end after Matheus Cunha halved the deficit late on.
Having moved top with victory at Brentford the previous weekend, the Gunners are now where they want to be.
Last season Arsenal were top of the table for 248 days before being caught by eventual champions Manchester City in the closing stages.
It is the longest period a side has been at the Premier League summit without going on to win the title – and this time Martinelli does not want any slip ups.
“We know we are top of the Premier League now,” he said.
“We want to be there; we want to be top of the Premier League for the rest of the season. We’ll try our best.
“We tried our best (against Wolves), we kept going, we didn’t start to play like it was already won.
“As I said, we tried our best to score another goal, but we didn’t score. But the most important thing is three points.”
Wolves have already beaten City and Tottenham this season and recovered from two early blows to run Arsenal close.
Gary O’Neil’s side have amassed 15 points from their 14 games to date and host Burnley on Tuesday night.
“We need to keep working because on Tuesday we have another game and we need to think positive and prepare the next game well. We play at home, so we will go with everything,” said Toti.
The centre-back also felt Wolves put in a good shift in north London, despite ultimately coming away empty-handed.
“We knew we were having a tough match,” he told the club’s official website.
“It’s not easy to come here, play against Arsenal and leave with a good result, but I think we did our best.
“It’s not easy to suffer those two goals at the beginning, but we had to stick together after those two goals so we could not concede more.”
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta praised his side as they scored two early goals to down Wolves and open up a four-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
With closest challengers and reigning champions Manchester City not in action until Sunday, Mikel Arteta’s side took full advantage as Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard struck in the opening 16 minutes before a nervy ending brought about by Matheus Cunha’s strike.
The Gunners ultimately ran out 2-1 winners on an afternoon where their early goals were the peak of a performance that promised more than it provided.
Having thrashed Lens here 6-0 on Wednesday to ensure safe passage into the last 16 of the Champions League, Wolves proved they were made of sterner stuff and stayed in the contest until the last.
But despite seeing his side labour after racing ahead, Arteta was still left pleased with the performance.
“I can only praise the players,” he said.
“They were excellent. We played against a really good side and generated so much and conceded almost nothing. The scoreline should have been very different. We were very unlucky because we hit the post three times I think.
“At the end we made an error close to the goal – in the Premier League you get punished big time for that. Then at the end, it’s game on. Overall I’m really happy with how he performed again.”
Arteta also backed Oleksandr Zinchenko – the full-back having made a number of minor errors during the game, including losing possession for Cunha’s consolation.
The Ukraine international had earlier set up Odegaard for the crucial second and Arteta was in no mood to criticise the former Manchester City man.
“You have to love him, how he is,” added the Spaniard.
“Every player has strengths and weaknesses. Alex has many more strengths. This happened and it can happen to any player.
“We have to learn from it because there are certain areas where it’s a big no to play, especially after certain things in the previous phase. That’s it. We will get better.”
While Wolves left north London empty-handed, manager Gary O’Neil was pleased that his team did not capitulate after such a poor start.
“When you concede two early goals, you know it might be a long afternoon,” he said.
“We knew we’d suffer against Arsenal because everybody does.
“The first goal was disappointing. There were so many bodies around Saka. For him to wriggle through and for us to look hesitant in the penalty area is disappointing.
“The second goal was a great goal. We should have prevented it, but it happens. We stuck to the plan, tried to be aggressive and maybe didn’t carry as much of a threat as we would have liked, but not many teams do against Arsenal.
“We managed to hang in and create a bit of a scare, and the lads should take a lot from that.”
Arsenal opened up a four-point lead at the top of the Premier League as two early goals proved just enough to see off Wolves at the Emirates Stadium.
With closest challengers and reigning champions Manchester City not in action until Sunday, Mikel Arteta’s side took full advantage as Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard struck in the opening 16 minutes before a nervy ending brought about by Matheus Cunha’s strike.
The Gunners ultimately ran out 2-1 winners on an afternoon where their early goals were the peak of a performance that promised more than it provided.
Having thrashed Lens here 6-0 on Wednesday to ensure safe passage into the last 16 of the Champions League, Wolves proved they were made of sterner stuff and stayed in the contest until the last.
Saka needed less than six minutes to put the home side ahead as Arsenal scored their earliest Premier League goal of the campaign so far.
It is something manager Mikel Arteta has been keen to improve on, stopping sides being able to sit deep and defend in numbers.
Gabriel Jesus fed Takehiro Tomiyasu, who slipped in for Saka to coolly convert and continue what is fast becoming a fine season for the England forward.
Saka’s speedy opener gave Arsenal a platform to build on and they doubled their lead just seven minutes later.
Jesus was again involved, this time playing in Oleksandr Zinchenko down the left with the full-back then squaring for Odegaard to sweep home and finish off another eye-catching move.
Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa appeared to pick up an injury attempting to keep out Odegaard’s effort but was on had to bravely block a Leandro Trossard shot as Arsenal continued to turn the screw.
That turned out to be Sa’s final contribution, however, as he limped off to be replaced by Dan Bentley.
The visitors enjoyed more of the ball but created very little before being caught on a counter-attack that ended with Gabriel Martinelli hitting the base of Bentley’s post with a curling strike.
Jesus then failed to finish a difficult chance at the back post as Saka’s ball in was deflected into the Brazilian’s path.
Wolves finally had a telling chance in the dying embers of first-half stoppage time but Hwang Hee-chan could not take full advantage of Zinchenko’s weak backpass as David Raya rushed off his line to block.
Cunha stung the palms of the Arsenal goalkeeper early in the second half just after Jesus had a penalty claim turned down at the other end.
Declan Rice drilled wide and Saka bent a long-range strike inches over the crossbar as the game seemed to be petering out to a conclusion.
Tomiyasu was forced off with what appeared to be a calf injury as Ben White replaced the Japan international for the final 12 minutes.
Trossard should have added a third moments later but could not finish when played in on goal as Bentley made a smart stop to deny both the Belgian and Saka, who followed up the initial effort.
Instead though, it was Wolves who would reduced the arrears and set up a nervy ending for the hosts as Nelson Semedo nipped the ball off the toes of Zinchenko and Cunha slammed home.
Arsenal should have immediately re-established their two-goal cushion but substitute Eddie Nketiah hit a post when presented with a fine opportunity.
The Gunners, though, hung on to seal the win and put a gap between themselves and the chasing pack ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Luton.
Mikel Arteta has called for patience with VAR and wants to see the technology remain in the Premier League despite the Arsenal boss facing a Football Association charge following recent criticism of the system.
After last month’s 1-0 loss at Newcastle, Arteta labelled the decision to award Anthony Gordon’s matchwinner “embarrassing” and a “disgrace” while Arsenal followed up his comments with an official statement backing his take.
Arteta has since been charged by the FA and will find out if he faces any punishment for his comments next week.
Arsenal, who sit top of the Premier League after a late win at Brentford last weekend, host Wolves on Saturday – themselves having been stung by controversial VAR calls this season.
Having already been told of incorrect decisions going against his side this term, Wolves boss Gary O’Neil turned on VAR after their 3-2 loss at Fulham on Monday.
Fulham were awarded two penalties which O’Neil was not happy with and he asked “what is the point” of VAR – but Arteta has urged tolerance despite his own misgivings over the technology.
“I think we can improve it and we are trying to do that,” Arteta said.
“All those things that are happening I think are probably necessary to improve it and we have to take it that way. It has been a big change.
“Technology is taking a huge responsibility in games and it needs time. If we use it the right way, we are listening to people, we are open, we are humble and we are trying to be constructive, I think we will get to a really, really good place.”
Arteta also revealed that recent VAR issues have been leading conversations between managers, with Newcastle boss Eddie Howe the latest to be left fuming following a late penalty award in their Champions League draw at Paris St Germain.
“I have sympathy with all my colleagues because I know how beautiful and how challenging the job is,” added the Spaniard.
“Those moments in front of the camera are not easy ones. You see that in many, many situations already this season as well as last season. We’re here to make the game better and make clubs better. We all need to win to do that.
“It’s a topic that comes up for sure. We talk about many things but that’s one of those as well because at the end it has a huge impact on results and our job depends on that.”
Having thrashed Lens 6-0 on Wednesday to seal their place in the last 16 of the Champions League, Arteta is expecting an altogether different challenge as Arsenal look to move four points clear at the top of the Premier League with victory over Wolves.
“It will be different, it won’t be the same. We cannot expect the same,” he said.
“This team is going to be different to last season and hopefully very different to the season next. That’s part of the evolution. Leaving some of the things in the past to the new things. That has a transition. We want to still be competitive and win matches and I think the team is competing really well.
“They have a lot of quality over there. It’s not a coincidence what they’re doing. They perform really well against the top sides and that says a lot about the coaching staff, what Gary is doing, the way they have prepared and how they control opponents.”
VAR will have to be removed from football if officials cannot find ways to use the technology more effectively, says former England midfielder Darren Anderton.
The use of video assistant referees has come under the spotlight this season, with a series of high-profile errors marring games in the Premier League and across Europe.
In September, Luis Diaz was incorrectly denied a goal in Liverpool's loss to Tottenham due to a "significant human error" which refereeing body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) subsequently apologised for.
Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta made headlines when he described the decision to allow Newcastle United's winning goal against Arsenal as a "disgrace", while Wolves boss Gary O'Neil said he had "finally turned against VAR" on Monday after Fulham were awarded two highly contentious penalties against his team.
There was also controversy in the Champions League on Tuesday as Newcastle's Tino Livramento was harshly penalised for handball, allowing Kylian Mbappe to score a stoppage-time equaliser from the spot as Paris Saint-Germain rescued a 1-1 draw against the Magpies.
While Anderton believes VAR was brought in for the right reasons, he cited frustrating delays after goals and repeated mistakes as reasons why many wish to see the back of it.
"I would have [liked VAR] in the FA Cup semi-final in 1993 when I got brought down!" Anderton, who was part of a Tottenham side beaten by Arsenal on that occasion, told Stats Perform.
"I think it's a good thing and the idea of it is good, to make the right decisions, but it's not happening and that's a problem.
"There is nothing better than scoring a goal and you should be able to celebrate it and not worry that it's going to be chalked off.
"I feel like it's almost at a point now that whenever there's a goal scored, you're looking for something for it to be ruled out. I think that's sad.
"I think that's sad for players to have to be that way because the adrenaline of scoring a goal in a Premier League game or for your country... there is no better feeling.
"If it's taken away, it's taken away, but when you've got to stand there for three minutes, four minutes, you've got to be able to celebrate those moments. They're what you play the game for.
"So unless it gets better, they're going to have to get rid of it, and that's wrong, because you do want the right decisions in football games."
While the International Football Association Board (IFAB) has been discussing expanding VAR's remit to include other incidents such as yellow cards and corners, Anderton has a different idea.
He suggested VAR should be part of a challenge system similar to that used in the NFL, saying: "I don't know whether you just go to a point where now, like in American football, managers get a challenge.
"You get two or three challenges in the match so it doesn't become a hundred-minute football match. It's pretty crazy, and it's frustrating to watch. I'm with everyone on that."
Gary O’Neil asked “what is the point in VAR?” after his Wolves side conceded a controversial late penalty during a 3-2 defeat at Craven Cottage.
VAR sent referee Michael Salisbury to the screen to award a penalty after Joao Gomes brought Harry Wilson down in the box, Willian scoring his second spot kick of the game to seal all three points for Fulham.
O’Neil highlighted the decisions involving the late penalty, Carlos Vinicius’ alleged headbutt on Max Kilman and why Tim Ream did not receive a second yellow for a foul on Hwan Hee-Chang.
The Wolves boss criticised the decisions during the game and believes VAR has not helped the referee.
O’Neil said: “I don’t think it’s helped the game,
“I think the ref would have done a better job on his own. I don’t think VAR helped him but in fact it hindered him.
“Sending him to the screen for one and not to the other, not advising him there is a headbutt or that Tim Ream should receive a red card. What is the point in VAR?
“They said they got the Harry Wilson one right (last penalty decision). There’s minimal contact and I don’t think there’s enough.”
O’Neil, who spoke to the referee after the match, also felt aggrieved about Fulham’s first penalty awarded for a foul by Nelson Semedo on Tom Cairney.
He told Sky Sports: “Nelson plays the ball, doesn’t touch Tom Cairney. I watched it back with the referee, and to be fair to him he says he thinks they’ve got that wrong and he should have been sent to the monitor.”
Fulham boss Marco Silva lauded his side’s mentality to end a run of four games without a win and to go ahead in the game on three separate occasions.
He said: “We knew Wolves would show resilience tonight again and they brought it back twice and we showed team spirit and I really believed we deserved three points.
“It is important to express ourselves on the pitch. We had some very good spells in some times in the game.
“But the mentality, team spirit and it was a game we had to win and we did it.”
Willian scored his second and third of the season from the spot and Silva praised the experienced 35-year-old.
“He is really important for us and we know the quality of Willian,” Silva added.
“My decision last season to change the taker because he is a player who needs more importance and confidence and it was nice to see him take responsibility with two very good moments from him.
“Overall his performance was very good. Two chances he must score and he did it in very good style, I must say.”
Gary O’Neil admitted Wolves’ 3-2 defeat at Fulham may have ‘finally turned him against VAR’ following a number of controversial calls.
Willian scored two penalties – including a stoppage-time winner – at Craven Cottage, while Alex Iwobi’s early strike was cancelled out by Matheus Cunha and Wolves’ Hwang Hee-chan also scored from the spot.
The Cottagers won their first penalty after Tom Cairney beat Nelson Semedo to the ball and was brought down in the box, and a VAR check ruled the incident to have happened inside the area, with Willian stuttering in his run-up and sending Jose Sa the wrong way
After reviewing the decision with referee Michael Salisbury after the match, O’Neil told Sky Sports: “Nelson plays the ball, doesn’t touch Tom Cairney. I watched it back with the referee, and to be fair to him he says he thinks they’ve got that wrong and he should have been sent to the monitor.
“Doesn’t help me. It doesn’t help all the fans that have travelled all this way to watch the team. Doesn’t help the players who are feeling frustrated again. The Nelson one has pretty much been admitted by the referee that (there was) a mistake.”
Willian’s winner sparked more debate, O’Neil maintaining the second penalty, issued after Joao Gomes was deemed to have brought down Harry Wilson in the box, was “soft”, but Salisbury in that case stood by his decision to ultimately award the penalty – the result of VAR Stuart Attwell encouraging him to check the pitchside monitor.
O’Neil, who has seen his side emerge on the wrong end of decisions before, said: “It’s bad luck that it keeps going against us, but there are bad refereeing decisions in there.
“I’ve had a real grown-up conversation in there with him, I’m trying to remain calm. I’m not angry with anybody. I’m not in there abusing people. It’s literally a conversation around, ‘come on, guys, it’s six, seven points now that have gone against us, I’m managing a big football club here, and the difference that you’re making to my reputation, to the club’s progression up the league, to people’s livelihoods is huge’.
“It can’t be that with all the technology and all the time and the biggest league in the world that we’re getting so many wrong. It can’t be OK.
“I’ve always been for VAR but I think it’s causing a big problem at the moment. Maybe tonight has finally turned me against VAR when I thought it would probably help, but it doesn’t seem to be.”
Fulham boss Marco Silva, meanwhile, was relieved to have secured a first victory in five matches.
He told Sky Sports: “It’s a really important win for us. We wanted a reaction from the last, back-to-back defeats. Of course it is always tough for us. It is something that we are not used to.
“I really wanted to see that quality, that intensity, the pace, the will to go. The team showed very good spirit. Overall it was a balanced game but we were always trying to do more to win than Wolves, I believe.”
Willian completed his brace with a dramatic stoppage-time winner from the penalty spot as Fulham held off Wolves to claim all three points in a thrilling 3-2 victory at Craven Cottage.
The experienced 35-year-old scored two penalties, while Alex Iwobi’s early strike was cancelled out by Matheus Cunha and Wolves’ Hwang Hee-chan also netted from the spot.
The winger’s double took his tally to three for the season as the Cottagers claimed their first victory in four games.
A golden chance was presented to the hosts after 40 seconds. The creative Andreas Pereira whipped a dangerous ball into the box and Fulham striker Raul Jimenez swung his boot but failed to convert his second in as many games.
But Pereira’s efforts were rewarded in the seventh minute when he set up the opening goal of the game.
The Brazilian was everywhere. He drifted onto the left before he beat his marker and delivered another perfect drilled low pass, this time to the alert Iwobi who gave Fulham a deserved 1-0 lead.
The Cottagers looked to strike again through Jimenez, who failed to tap home before Wolves keeper Jose Sa denied Tom Cairney’s powerful effort moments later.
Wolves grew into the game and were unfortunate not to score a goal of their own.
Mario Lemina started positively against his old side and drove forward before unleashing Korean striker Hwang, who was denied by the crossbar.
And Wolves got the goal they needed in the 22nd minute through Cunha after a magical moment of individual play in the build-up.
It started through tricky Frenchman Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, who toyed with Antonee Robinson on the left flank, before he jinked outside and delivered a delightful cross to the head of Cunha in front of the empty net.
The minutes before the goal suggested it was coming and Marco Silva’s side yet again paid the price for not taking their chances.
Individual mistakes were a big theme of the first half and goalkeeper Bernd Leno was called into action after a defensive error in the 36th minute where Timothy Castagne dealt with a cross which would have seen Cunha claim his second at the back post.
Cunha started Wolves’ first big chance in the second half when he slipped strike partner Hwang wide but his cross to Matt Doherty was kept out of danger by Castagne, who replicated his earlier heroics.
But typical of the end-to-end game, Fulham won a penalty after Cairney beat Nelson Semedo to the ball and was brought down in the box.
A VAR check ruled the incident to have happened inside the area and Willian stuttered in his run-up and sent Sa the wrong way, stroking his effort into the bottom right corner to restore Fulham’s lead.
A deft flick on from Jimenez set Iwobi through but the Nigeria international was denied his brace by Sa who tipped his effort over before the Wolves keeper stopped another effort not long after to keep his side in the contest with 20 to go.
And Wolves converted a penalty of their own in the 75th minute through Hwang.
Fulham skipper Tim Ream bundled Hwang to the ground and the striker stepped up and blasted his effort down the middle to make it 2-2 in front of Wolves’ travelling supporters.
In dramatic fashion Fulham won another penalty in added time after Joao Gomes was deemed to have brought down Harry Wilson in the box.
The clinical Willian calmly stepped up and buried his effort past Sa to give the hosts an important 3-2 win.
The Premier League has been defeated in its bid to ban loan transfers between associated party clubs in January.
The move was designed to prevent a club like Newcastle loaning a player from another club owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund – they have been linked with a temporary switch for Ruben Neves from Saudi club Al-Hilal.
The Premier League needed 14 out of 20 clubs to vote for the ban at the shareholders’ meeting in London on Tuesday afternoon.
But the PA news agency understands the vote finished 13-7 in favour of a ban, short of the threshold to push the motion through.
Injury-hit Newcastle will now, if they wish, be able to bring in former Wolves midfielder Neves on loan to replace Sandro Tonali following his 10-month ban for breaking rules on gambling.
Similarly, Manchester City would be able to loan players from other clubs owned by the City Football Group.
In another blow to the Premier League, the clubs were unable to approve the terms of the so-called ‘New Deal’, a £900million settlement between it and clubs in the English Football League.
The Premier League had hoped to confirm the package at Tuesday’s meeting, but it is understood no vote took place.
Despite a three-hour discussion there remains a sticking point surrounding new cost control measures for both Premier League and EFL clubs.
The Premier League wants the matter resolved before the new independent regulator in English football is put in place.
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