VAR disallowed Leander Dendoncker’s second-half effort to deny Wolves all three points in their 2019/20 Premier League opener against Leicester City.
In a repeat of Wolves’ first away fixture of the season from last year, the Belgian’s effort could have proved all the difference in a game of few clear-cut chances for either side at the King Power Stadium.
Nuno Espirito Santo made two changes to the Wolves side which started in the 4-0 win over FC Pyunik in Yerevan in Thursday’s Europa League third qualifying round first leg, with Jonny Otto and Ruben Neves and replacing Ruben Vinagre and Romain Saiss respectively.
It didn’t take long for Wolves to find their rhythm from the last Premier League campaign, with Dendoncker coming close to opening the scoring with just two minutes on the clock after Jonny did well to break up a Leicester attack before fining Diogo Jota on the left wing.
The forward skipped past several Leicester bodies before attempting to lay the ball off to Raul Jimenez, but instead it fell to Dendoncker, however the Belgian could only blaze high and wide from 25 yards.
Leicester had a chance of their own a few minutes later when a free-kick swung into the box by James Maddison was headed clear by Willy Boly, but only as far as Hamza Choudhury, who from 20-yards out tried a shot at goal that was cleared out of play by Jonny. Ben Chilwell then fired an effort well wide of Rui Patricio’s left upright from the edge of the box.
In an evenly matched first-half, both teams showed their attacking prowess, but it was Leicester who were getting their shots away, however, Wilfred Ndidi’s effort from 25-yards out after the ball had found its way out to the Leicester man, didn’t trouble Patricio.
Wolves almost got the opening goal with ten minutes of the first-half remaining. A free-kick from deep ended up on the head of Ryan Bennett inside the Leicester box, but when the home side couldn’t clear the ball away, Bennett had a second chance, but he could only fire over.
Moments later, Jota found himself racing at the Leicester defence, and with Jonny unmarked on the left, the forward – who netted a hat-trick the last time the two sides met – decided to go for goal himself but could only drag his shot wide of the post.
Jota was annoyed at himself on the stroke of half-time when he found himself through on goal after outmuscling the Leicester defence, but just as he was about to let fly at goal, he stumbled to the floor and the home side were able to clear the danger.
Half-time: Leicester 0 Wolves 0
Wolves began the second-half like they started the first 45, with a chance to open the scoring. Neves found Jimenez, who neatly beat the offside trap with a run from his own half, with a raking 40-yard Crossfield ball, but when in on goal, the Mexican could only fire straight at Kasper Schmeichel.
With Wolves on top, they thought they had taken the lead just moments later. A corner from Joao Moutinho landed on the head of Boly, before falling to the feet of the Belgian who fired home from six yards out.
However, VAR intervened, and the goal was disallowed after the ball was adjudged to hit Boly’s arm before ending up at the feet of Dendoncker.
The disallowed goal did not hold Wolves back, and Jota had another chance to put his side ahead when he found space over the top of the Leicester defence, but the Portuguese forward could not get his effort on target.
With 15 minutes of the match remaining, new signing Patrick Cutrone made his Premier League bow, replacing the tiring Jota, and he was immediately into the action, attempting to set Jimenez on his way to goal.
There were chances at both ends as the game entered the dying moments, firstly Barnes tested Patricio with a dipping long-range effort, before Jimenez gave Schmeichel a scare from the edge of the Leicester box, but the Foxes’ keeper was able to gather the deflected effort.
In a game of few clear-cut chances, the game fizzled out towards the end of the 90 minutes, with both sides having to settle for a point from the first game of the new campaign.
Full-time: Leicester 0 Wolves 0
Leicester: Schmeichel, Pereira, Evans, Soyuncu, Chilwell, Ndidi, Perez (Albrighton 76), Tielemans, Choudhury (Barnes 61), Maddison, Vardy.
Unused subs: Justin, Morgan, Albrighton, Ward, Iheanacho, Praet.
Wolves: Patricio, Doherty, Bennett, Coady, Boly, Jonny, Neves (Saiss 81), Dendoncker, Moutinho, Jota (Cutrone 76), Jimenez.
Unused subs: Ruddy, Traore, Vinagre, Gibbs-White, Neto.
Referee: Andre Marriner
Attendance: 32,050
