Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Norwich City. Premier League.
MolineuxAttendance31,219.
Free highlights and match report as Wolves and Norwich City play out a 1-1 draw in the Premier League; Teemu Pukki opened the scoring in the first half; Rayan Ait-Nouri's second-half header earned Wolves a point; the hosts stay in eighth, while Norwich remain bottom of the table
Sunday 15 May 2022 18:43, UK
Rayan Ait-Nouri's second-half header earned Wolves a 1-1 draw with already-relegated Norwich City at Molineux, cancelling out Teemu Pukki's first-half opener.
In a game with very little riding on it, it was the Premier League's bottom side who deservedly opened the scoring eight minutes before half-time through Pukki's well-taken strike.
However, in their final home match of the season, Wolves drew level 10 minutes into the second half when wing-back Ait-Nouri stooped to head home after a scramble in the box.
As a result, Dean Smith's team stay rooted to the foot of the table, while Wolves remain in eighth place.
With both managers ringing the changes after heavy midweek defeats, it was little surprise the contest was disjointed at the start, although it was the visitors who started the brighter, with Pukki spurning two chances to open the scoring.
However, faced with just John Ruddy to beat on both occasions, the Canaries' top scorer firstly missed the target, before the former Norwich goalkeeper then denied him with an excellent block, as well as some help from new boy Toti, who was on hand to make a vital clearance before Kieran Dowell could knock in the rebound.
The Finland international's clever runs were causing the home defence all kinds of problems before the break and so it was no surprise when the striker gave Norwich a 37th-minute lead, despite there initially appearing little danger when he collected Max Aaron's lofted pass into the channel.
But with both Willy Boly and Conor Coady backing off, Pukki took full advantage by dribbling into the box and firing a low shot through the Wolves captain's legs and into the bottom corner of the net, leaving Ruddy helpless at his near post.
Coady paid for that hesitant defending with the hook at half-time, replaced by young Portugal winger Chiquinho, whose introduction breathed new life into the hosts with his driving runs down the right.
In fact, it was the substitute's quick feet in a tight spot near the touchline that won his side the free-kick from which they levelled matters after 55 minutes as Boly rose highest to meet Joao Moutinho's inviting centre and after Norwich failed to clear their lines, Ait-Nouri cleverly cushioned a header into the far corner.
And Wolves very nearly turned the game on its head minutes later after more good wing play by Chiquinho, only for Gunn to produce one of the saves of the season to somehow get fingertips to turn over Pedro Neto's close-range header.
However, neither team deserved to take all three points as Wolves' once promising early-season campaign fizzled out, with Lage's team now unable to catch West Ham in seventh.
● Wolves are winless in their last six Premier League games (D2 L4), their longest run without victory within a single season in the competition since January 2021 (8 games, D3 L5).
● Wolves remain unbeaten against Norwich in their last six league encounters (W3 D3), drawing home and away against the Canaries in a league season for the first time since 1998-99 (0-0 and 2-2 in the second tier).
● Norwich are winless in their last three away league games against Wolves (D2 L1), while winning just one of their last 17 such league games (D7 L9), while the Canaries remain winless in 11 top-flight away matches against the Wanderers (D3 L8).
● Rayan Ait-Nouri scored his second Premier League goal for Wolves, his first in 42 appearances since netting on his debut in the competition in October 2020 (against Crystal Palace).
● Conor Coady made his 150th Premier League appearance for Wolves, the first player to reach this milestone in the competition for the club.
Analysis by Sky Sports' Richard Morgan:
One shudders to think just how much worse Norwich City's already demoralising season would have been but for Teemu Pukki.
The Finland international earned his side a deserved point at Wolves on Sunday afternoon after a fine solo goal - his 11th in the Premier League so far this campaign in 36 matches easily making him the Canaries top scorer, and that's not including three assists as well to his name.
In fact, the striker has now been directly involved in 61 per cent (14/23) of all already-relegated Norwich's goals in the top flight this season, with only Alan Shearer (62% for Blackburn in 1995-96) and Matt Le Tissier (69% for Southampton in 1993-94) having ever been involved in a higher share of their team's goals in a single campaign in the competition.
Numbers which surely make it vital manager Dean Smith and the club keep hold of the 32-year-old this summer if they harbor any ambitions to come straight back up next season.
Wolves manager Bruno Lage:
Boss Bruno Lage insists Wolves are singing from the same hymn sheet with their desire to keep Ruben Neves.
Fans serenaded the midfielder as they chanted for him to stay amid links to Arsenal and Manchester United during Sunday's 1-1 draw with Norwich, singing "don't sell Neves".
"I don't know what they sung but if you tell me I will sing the same things," said Lage.
"I understand when we are losing the rumours come from anywhere but I don't have any problem with any of them (players) since day one, this is because the club built top professionals.
"It is so hard to find players like this, Ruben is one of them. He has worked hard since the first day.
"We know how the market is and when these kind of players are in a good way some teams can appear and pay. The club have lost players before but last year it was the same, everyone talked about Ruben and nothing appeared.
"I want the best for Ruben and I want the best for the club. If Ruben stays I will be very happy."
Norwich manager Dean Smith:
"I enjoyed it, it was a good disciplined performance," said Smith. "We needed to stop the bleeding, we had been giving away too many big chances and goals since we got relegated so we put an extra man in defence.
"I thought it worked well, we restricted them. One thing Teemu will be disappointed with is he could have had the match ball at half-time.
"He has 11 Premier League goals this season and he'll be eager to get more against Tottenham (on the final day).
"I was annoyed with their goal because it was never a free-kick. It was a poor decision and from that they scored and it gave them a lift. We grew back into the game and restricted their chances again. We never ran out of gas."
The Finland international was a thorn in the Wolves defence all afternoon long and on another day, may have left Molineux with a hat-trick to his name.
However, a combination of good goalkeeping from former Canaries team-mate John Ruddy and some uncharacteristically wayward finishing from the man himself meant he had just the one goal.
The striker still gave his side the lead, though, after a brilliant solo run and finish for his 11th Premier League goal of the campaign, as well as three assists, a total that easily makes him Norwich's top scorer.
Wolves travel to Liverpool and Norwich host Tottenham on the final day of the Premier League season on Sunday at 4pm.
