Adama Traore’s first Premier League goal of the season wasn’t enough for a result in the capital for Wolves, who suffered a second-half Crystal Palace comeback to confirm a third straight defeat away from home.
Wolves impressed before the break, and Traore headed home full debutant Hugo Bueno’s cross to cap a fine team move, and Ruben Neves hit the post when looking to make that lead more comfortable on the stroke of half-time.
It proved a key moment, as Eberechi Eze equalised straight after the break and Wilfried Zaha fired home the winner when left free inside the Wolves box, leaving Wolves frustrated come full-time, with their good work in the opening period counting for nothing.
Wolves have found life on the road tough of late, but Steve Davis couldn’t have asked for much more than what he saw from his side during the opening 45 minutes at Selhurst Park, when Wolves took the lead and were good value for it.
A lively opening greeted those travelling old gold supporters in south London, as they watched Palace midfielder Cheick Doucoure strike the foot of the post from distance and Diego Costa be denied by Vicente Guaita, after turning Daniel Podence’s pass but not connecting with his effort cleanly enough.
England defender Marc Guehi glanced a header wide of Jose Sa’s goal for the hosts, who comfortably watched on as Neves fired wide from distance, following one of a number of slick moves Wolves produced during the opening period.
And it was from the next move the opening goal arrived. Neves sent Bueno free down the left and, on his full debut, the Spaniard looked up and brilliantly picked out his compatriot Adama at the back post, and he did the rest, thumping a header between Guaita and his near post for 1-0.
Like on Saturday, Adama was a constant threat down the Wolves right, and once he was chopped down by Doucoure on the counter attack, up stepped Neves, whose free-kick curled around the wall, but cannoned back off the post, much to the skipper’s agony on the stroke of half-time.
Half-time | Palace 0-1 Wolves
While the first-half ran smoothly for the visitors, the second couldn’t have started any rougher. Michael Olise was given the space out wide to cut in on his left foot and swing a cross in to Eze, who’d come in on the blind side of Semedo to nod home at the back post within the opening minute.
Frustratingly, that set the tone for a very different second-half, where Palace were the sharper and Wolves lacked the desired quality in both boxes. After riding the home storm to keep the score at 1-1, Podence did test Guaita in the Palace goal, but couldn’t pick out a corner.
A triple change around the hour did little to spark Wolves into life, unfortunately, and Odsonne Edouard’s overhead kick was watched wide by Sa, who could do nothing about the winner, which Edouard set up after picking up Eze’s pass and finding a free Zaha to fire past the exposed goalkeeper.
Wolves sent bodies forward in search of an equaliser, and Neves tested Guaita with a deflected effort, while Nathan Collins missed from close range, unaware that Goncalo Guedes was offside in the build-up, providing the final talking point of an eventually disappointing trip to the capital.
Full-time | Palace 2-1 Wolves
Palace | Guaita, Ward, Guehi, Andersen, Mitchell, Doucoure, Schlupp, Eze (Riedewald 90), Olise (Ayew 80), Zaha, Edouard (Mateta 81).
Unused subs | Johnstone, Goodman, Milivojevic, Tomkins, Ebiowei, Balmer.
Wolves | Sa, Semedo, Collins, Kilman, Bueno, Neves, B Traore (Moutinho 58), Nunes (Hodge 58), A Traore (Guedes 58), Podence, Costa (Hwang 75).
Unused subs | Sarkic, Jonny, Mosquera, Ronan, Campbell.
