- Callum Wilson scored twice in the first half for the visitors at Molineux
- Mario Lemina headed home from a corner for Wolves in the first half
- Hwang Hee-Chan earned a point for Gary O’Neil’s men in the second half
Hwang Hee-Chan maintained his record by scoring in every home game this season as Wolves were fueled by a sense of injustice to fight back for a draw.
After Callum Wilson’s sharp finish for Newcastle was canceled out by Mario Lemina’s first goal for Wolves, Wolves were left seething by a controversial penalty converted by Wilson on the stroke of half-time.
Fabian Schar fell as Hwang tried to clear the ball and VAR took a while to send referee Anthony Taylor to the monitor to check his penalty decision.
They didn’t and Wilson tucked away his seventh goal of the season, infuriating Wolves boss Gary O’Neil and causing the home fans to chant “Premier League..corrupt as f***” for the rest of the game.
The anger Wolves felt became a motivator as they pushed for an equalizer, which arrived when Hwang fired home after 71 minutes – his fifth goal in five games at Molineux.
Hwang Hee-Chan scored a second-half equalizer to earn the hosts a point at Molineux
Hwang kept his composure from close range and has scored in every home game this season
It also meant that both teams maintained their unbeaten Premier League runs. Wolves haven’t lost in five, Newcastle in six.
Eddie Howe’s side arrived in the west Midlands without Sandro Tonali as he began a 10-month global ban for breaching gambling rules.
But those in attendance provided an unlikely feast of entertainment.
From the first moment Pedro Neto showed Dan Burn and Fabian Schar a clean pair of heels in the pouring rain, you couldn’t take your eyes off them.
Newcastle’s injury list includes Tonai, Alexander Isak, Sven Botman and Harvey Barnes, but they went for it anyway.
Sean Longstaff wasn’t far away after breaking into the box. Wolves were also dangerous as Mattheus Cunha could not take advantage of a sloppy pass from Kieran Trippier.
The visitors took the lead after 22 minutes, as Wilson showed razor-sharp reflexes.
Callum Wilson scored twice for the visitors in the first half to put them ahead
His first goal was an acrobatic effort after Jose Sa dropped the ball at his feet
The second was a penalty that curled just out of Sa’s grasp and into the net
Jose Sa made a mess as he tried to punch away Antony Gordon’s cross, bumping into Longstaff and his own player Boubacar Traore and spilling the ball.
Wilson saw his first attempt blocked by Toti, but turned to hook the rebound into the corner at chest height.
It was Wilson’s sixth goal of the season and a useful reminder to Gareth Southgate that Ollie Watkins is not the only candidate to be Harry Kane’s understudy for England.
Wolves used their frustration positively. Hwang tested Pope with a decent left-foot strike and from the resulting Neto corner, Lemina curled in a header for the equalizer in the 36th minute.
It was the midfielder’s first goal in a year and a day as he scored for French club Nice and put Neto at number 7 at the top of the Premier League’s assists list for the season.
Newcastle regained the lead under dramatic circumstances. Trippier’s angle to the near post was miscontrolled by Schar, who then raced towards Hwang to try and retrieve it.
As Hwang pulled his foot back to clear, he and Schar made contact, sending the Swiss defender to the ground.
Referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot and VAR stuck with it, even though some angles suggested Schar had stepped on Hwang first.
To rub salt in Wolves’ wound, Sa got a hand on Wilson’s penalty but could not prevent it from going into the net.
In the second half there was more and more danger on a rough field and the home crowd was on fire.
O’Neil sent Tommy Doyle on to Traore to try to pile on the pressure. Neto ran at Dan Burn at every opportunity and from one cutback Pope did well to smother a Cunha shot.
Mario Lemina had brought Wolves level for the first time in the first half with a header
Gary O’Neil will be proud of his side’s fighting qualities as they twice came from behind
It was a frustrating evening for Eddie Howe as his side failed to retain all three points
Burn was booked for holding back Neto as Newcastle tried to hold on to what they had and looked tired from their Champions League efforts against Dortmund in midweek.
When Wolves leveled the roof almost came off Molineux. Toti burst into the area and slipped a pass to Hwang.
The South Korean cut home a sliding challenge from Burn and fired a low finish into Pope’s near post like a confident striker.
There was a sad footnote when the excellent Neto was taken off on a stretcher in the 77th minute after apparently hurting his hamstring. The Portuguese player has suffered serious knee and ankle injuries over the past two years and everyone in the old gold will be hoping it won’t be another long layoff.