(Reuters) – Newcastle United’s Jacob Murphy struck a clever free kick in the 89th minute to snatch a 1-1 draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers in a hard-fought Premier League encounter yesterday.
Raul Jimenez had given Wolves the lead 10 minutes from time with a thunderous dipping shot from the edge of the area before Murphy left goalkeeper Rui Patricio stranded to equalise.
Daniel Podence set the tone for the home side early on, creating a couple of chances in the opening 10 minutes and Wolves went on to dominate possession throughout the game.
With Newcastle centre-forward Callum Wilson left isolated, the visitors struggled to hold on to the ball and mount decent attacks while Wolves frequently won possession back quickly and began building attacks with their short-passing game.
Pedro Neto and Jimenez had decent chances in the second half but Newcastle’s rearguard stood firm, denying the visitors space in front of goal and packing their penalty are to block shots.
After a frustrating afternoon of struggling to break down Newcastle’s defence, Jimenez finally put Wolves in front when he met a half-cleared free kick with a fine strike.
The hosts looked set for the win until Conor Coady fouled Wilson and Murphy caught out Patricio by curling the free kick around the wall and into the net at the near post.
Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo, a former keeper, told Sky Sports: “I have to see, but the ball cannot go on that side of the wall… if it goes over the wall then we have to deal (with it), but on the side of the wall… it cannot go in”.
