Premier League: Wolves v Crystal Palace match report

Premier League: Wolves v Crystal Palace match report
Debutant Rayan Ait-Nouri scored to give Wolves the lead

Wolves hosted Crystal Palace at Molineux in Friday’s early night kick-off. Teenage defender Rayan Ait-Nouri made his debut and scored a goal within 18 minutes from the start. He came on a season long loan from Ligue 1 side Angers, with an option to buy earlier in October. Daniel Podence tucked in a corner from Pedro Neto’s cross to double Wolves’s lead and eventually settle the match.

Match Report

This win meant took Wolves to third place, level on points with Everton and Liverpool at first and second respectively. However Everton, Liverpool, Leicester and Tottenham all have a game at hand, while Aston Villa has two at hand. Crystal Palace sits at 9th place in the league after this loss and stand to go down after this week’s fixtures. Wolves next host Leicester City while Leeds United hosts Crystal Palace.

Crystal Palace had a penalty denied when Willy Boly fouled Patrick Van Aanholt, but the latter was offside before the foul. To complicate things further, Luka Milivojevic was sent off in the 86th minute following a VAR review on his challenge on Joao Moutinho. Palace manager Roy Hodgson made it clear that he didn’t think the foul was a red card.

FS Video

Wolves manager Nuno Esprito Santo said that he was very impressed with Rayan Ait-Nouri’s performance. He said that a debut can’t be made more memorable than with a goal. He also lamented the absence of fans in Molineux as the absence required more focus than ever. The edge that is given by fans was missing.

Also read: Premier League: Liverpool v West Ham preview