A much-changed Wolves side required a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw with Palace in the FA Cup.
McCarthy avoids an upset after prioritising the Premier League
A Wolves side containing seven changes from their last match required a late equaliser to narrowly avoid an upset in a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace at Molineux in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Palace required just three minutes to take the lead in the Midlands when Alan Lee nodded a Darren Ambrose corner past Wayne Hennessey.
But Premier League survival hopefuls Wolves, who had eyes on a top-flight fixture with Liverpool, were back on level terms in the 37th minute when David Jones volleyed a well-taken equaliser.
Palace, though, reclaimed the lead four minutes after half-time when dead-ball specialist Ambrose curled a free-kick beyond the reach of Hennessey.
However, Mick McCarthy's Wolves were not beaten and Ronald Zubar grabbed an 84th minute equaliser to earn a replay against their Championship opponents.
Overall the result was a fair reflection of a stop-start encounter but Neil Warnock will feel he came close to teaching his old apprentice a thing or two, with Wolves boss McCarthy having cleaned his boots during the pair's playing days at Barnsley.
Hennessey, George Elokobi, Christophe Berra, Andrew Surman, Sam Vokes, Jones and Zubar all came in for Wolves from the side that lost 2-0 to Wigan last weekend.
Entertaining opening
Victor Moses, a January target for several top-flight clubs, was included in Palace's line-up as Warnock made two alterations from the 1-0 win at Plymouth. Alassane N'Diaye and Danny Butterfield came in for Clint Hill and the cup-tied Lee Hills.
A half-full Molineux witnessed an entertaining opening as Vokes tested Palace's Argentinian goalkeeper Julian Speroni inside the first minute, before the visitors silenced the home crowd shortly after.
Ambrose whipped in a corner from the right and Lee rose unmarked to power a header high into the middle of the net that had too much purchase for Hennessey to keep out.
With Moses and Ambrose pushing forward to turn a 4-5-1 formation into 4-3-3, Palace were proving more than a match for their edgy opponents.
Lee had a chance to grab a second in the 16th minute but he could only fire straight at Hennessey.
There was soon a five-minute break in proceedings, however, as Claude Davis received treatment following a seemingly innocuous aerial challenge with Vokes.
As many as 10 medical staff were joined on the pitch by Eagles boss Warnock before the Palace centre-back was worryingly carried off on a stretcher.
When the game restarted there remained a lack of urgency within Wolves' play as they searched for a much-needed spark, although Jones twice tested Speroni from range.
Cutting edge
Sylvan Ebanks-Blake wasted a great opening when he opted to shoot well over from 25 yards instead of playing in the unmarked Karl Henry.
But the hosts did pull level in the 37th minute when Kevin Foley floated a cross to the back post after good work from Zubar. The ball was then knocked back by Surman for Jones to finally beat Speroni at the third attempt.
Ambrose whistled a free-kick narrowly wide before referee Chris Foy brought the half to a close.
If Wolves had not paid attention to Ambrose's quality at set-pieces just before the interval then they certainly knew all about it in the 49th minute.
Berra gave away a needless free-kick on the edge of the area for hauling down Lee and the former Newcastle and Charlton man confidently stepped up to accurately curl his effort into the bottom corner.
Wanderers created little as they looked for a way back into the tie, forcing McCarthy to introduce new loan signing Geoffrey Mujangi Bia and Kevin Doyle in a bid to give his side an edge.
And it almost paid off immediately as the latter glanced a header onto the crossbar with his first touch.
Wolves were huffing and puffing as they looked to draw level for a second time, but without seriously threatening.
But their constant pressure was beginning to tell in the closing stages and Berra somehow headed over from two yards when it looked easier to score.
And with 84 minutes on the clock they were finally rewarded. Wolves recycled the ball on the left and Foley sent another crucial cross to the back post which Zubar chested down, turned and then volleyed a sweet effort past Speroni.
The goal proved to be the last action of the encounter, with both sides set to go again on 2nd February.
| Team Name |
Wolverhampton Wanderers |
Crystal Palace |
| Possession |
48% |
52% |
| Goals |
2 |
2 |
| Shots On Target |
8 |
4 |
| Shots Off Target |
7 |
5 |
| Blocked Shots |
0 |
0 |
| Corners |
10 |
4 |
| Fouls Conceded |
11 |
10 |
| Offsides |
5 |
1 |
| Yellow Cards |
0 |
0 |
| Red Cards |
0 |
0 |
|
