Wolverhampton beats Palace 2-0 to boost survival hopes
Wolverhampton Wanderers' Hwang Hee-chan, left, and Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Wolverhampton Wanderer's and Crystal Palace at Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, England, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. Credit: AP/David Davies
WOLVERHAMPTON, England — Wolverhampton's relegation fears were eased after a 2-0 win against Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Tuesday.
A Joachim Andersen own goal after three minutes and a stoppage time penalty from Ruben Neves secured the crucial victory at Molineux and opened up a nine-point gap to the drop zone.
Julen Lopetegui's team quickly bounced back from the 2-1 loss against Leicester on Saturday to move up to 13th in the table.
Wolverhampton got off to the perfect start when Neves’ corner bounced in the area and fired off Andersen’s knee before hitting the bar and crossing the line.
Palace has been revitalized under interim manager Roy Hodgson, winning three of his four games in charge and drawing the other before Tuesday's loss.
But any hopes of maintaining that unbeaten run were ended when Neves doubled Wolverhampton's lead in the 94th from the spot after goalkeeper Sam Johnstone brought down Pedro Neto in the box.
Wolverhampton is now level on points with Palace and in a strong position to secure a sixth straight season in the top flight.
Crystal Palace's Albert Sambi Lokonga, left, and Wolverhampton Wanderers' Mario Lemina battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Wolverhampton Wanderer's and Crystal Palace at Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, England, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. Credit: AP/Nick Potts
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