Wolves 2 (Lopes 4’, Rawlings 76’) 2 Sunderland (Walsh 15’, Whittaker 47’)
Wolves under-21s were forced to settle for a point against Sunderland in the Premier League 2 at the Aggborough Stadium on Monday evening.
With two goals in each half, Leo Lopes got Wolves off to a flying start before efforts from Sunderland’s Rhys Walsh and Jack Whittaker gave the visitors the lead. Luke Rawlings’ timely strike got Wolves level in the final stages of the fixture.
After an intense start in the opening minutes, Lopes’ guided header from close-range in the fourth minute gave James Collins’ side the perfect start.
However, after a swift counter-attack, Walsh’s strike got Sunderland back on level terms.
With momentum then in favour of the Black Cats, Wes Okoduwa and Sebastian Lochhead were reliable in their defensive duties when the pressure increased.
Collins’ side searched to regain their lead but frustration began to grow as Dani Angel was found offside on separate occasions, due to the visitor's brave defensive line.
Alex Brookes pulled out a fantastic driving stop to deny Jack Whittaker’s powerful effort from distance briefly before the break.
Half-time | Wolves 1-1 Sunderland
Jack Whittaker gave Sunderland the lead shortly after the restart, presenting the Old Gold with an uphill task.
Wolves continued to probe the Sunderland defence for a route towards goal, often with Tom Edozie being the outlet on the left side, but with the Black Cats defending in numbers it made it difficult for any clear progression.
That was until the 76th minute when Rawlings was in the perfect position to fire the ball into an unguarded net to get Wolves level.
Full-time | Wolves 2-2 Sunderland
Wolves | Brooks, Lembikisa, Sutherland, Olagunju, Lochhead, Bradbury (Ashworth 71’), Gonzalez, Rawlings, Angel (Griffiths 82’), Edozie (Barnett 71’), Lopes (Okoduwa 63’).
Unused subs | White
Sunderland | Metcalf, Jenson Jones, Kindon, Alese (Holcroft 62’), Hester (Lightfoot 46’), Lenz (Hunt 46’), Jaydon Jones, Dinsdale (Proctor 46’) Walsh, Whittaker, Geragusian (Neill 46’).
By Thomas Gibson
