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Paul Warburton at GetWestLondon |
Wolves (1) 4-4 (3) Fulham
It's hard to avoid the cliche - but if ever there was a game of two halves - it was this one.
Fulham spurned a 3-1 half-time lead to come away with just a point as Wolves came back from the dead to earn a draw.
Just when it looked as if they were about to get nothing because Dave Edwards had netted in the 89th minute for Wolverhampton to go 4-3 ahead, Floyd Ayite rose at the back post in the third minute of injury time to equalise - again.
The Whites winger already scored in the first half to level, with follow-ups from Stefan Johansen and Tom Cairney, each one better than the last.
But the hosts hit back with goals of their own from Matt Doherty and Ivan Cavaleiro to put wind into Wolves' second-half sails.
Early doors, Chris Martin lost his shirt - but the hosts lost a lead as Fulham hit back to hit three in a scintillating first 45 minutes.
The big striker was forced to change his ripped shirt that hung from his back and mad him look like a character out of Pirates from the Caribbean.
But it was the forward's side who eventually plundered.
Wolves went ahead with the one thing likely to rile the Whites boss most - a set piece.
The ball was whipped in from a corner to see Kortney Hause rise and nod in at the near post.
Nouha Dicko should have done a lot better when David Button spilled the ball. However, the Fulham keeper blew a huge sigh of relief as Dicko took the loose ball early and fired wide across the goal.
From what should have been 2-0 for Wolves, they were pegged back.
No sooner had Slavisa Jokanovic calmed down than Ayité got free at the back post to meet a fine cross from Ryan Fredericks to level.
Stefan Johansen will not have hit better when Fredericks again picked him out with a low cross for the midfielder to hammer top left corner and in off the bar.
It was Johansen's turn to provide and his free-kick was met on the edge of the box for Tom Cairney to hit a screamer and high into the goal.
That fabulous hit looked to have knocked the stuffing out of a struggling side.
But presumably on the end of a rollocking from manager Paul Lambert, Doherty's follow-up in a scramble was cleared on the line.
At the other end, rookie keeper Harry Burgoyne made a pair of outstanding saves. First from Cairney and then Sone Aluko on the follow up to deny a 4-1 lead.
And in the same way as Whites hit back when they should have been dead and buried, Wolves breathed life into their cause.
Conor Coady's cross was glanced by Dicko and Doherty was exactly where he needed to be to score from close range.
Cavaleiro fired a thunderous effort beyond Button, Edwards thought he had netted the winner, but wonderful never-say-die Whites and Ayite had the final word.
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