Brentford were unable to bring an end to their recent awful form, nor exorcise the ghosts of a recent haunting, nor even impose themselves on opponents a man down after just nine minutes, after Wolves left west London with a deserved draw to take this intriguing tie to a replay.
Nine days previously Gary O’Neil’s side had come to the Gtech Community Stadium and torn their hosts apart, 4-1 in the Premier League. Before the match a video from Thomas Frank implored fans to stick with his team. Still ravaged with injuries, they looked well off their usual boisterous selves and could not hold on to an advantage given to them by Neal Maupay just before half-time.
“It was a missed opportunity, but we can only blame ourselves after playing against 10 for 80 minutes,” Frank said. “There was a lack of quality all over the pitch. We know it’s not easy to play 11 v 10, it’s not like you’re running over teams. So it’s not a miracle by Wolves, but credit to them. A replay is the worst outcome in every aspect.”
For Wolves, meanwhile, this was another performance of trademark English grit delivered by a side still dominated by its Iberian contingent. First among this number is Pedro Neto, who came off the bench to deliver a telling cameo as he continues his return from injury, setting up Tommy Doyle’s powerful equaliser.
“I was really pleased with the performance,” O’Neil said. “A man down and a goal down on the cusp of half-time, it would have been easy for the players to think they could let this one go. But there was none of that. We knew we could win the second half and everyone gave everything they had to achieve that.”
João Gomes was sent off after he injured the Brentford captain Christian Nørgaard with a raking challenge. From the stands, it looked relatively innocuous. On the video replay it looked gruesome and Gomes was followed off the field by Nørgaard, who was hobbling gingerly. Neither manager disagreed with the decision to award a red card, but O’Neil believed Brentford should have had two men dismissed themselves, while Frank bemoaned a game “going away from a contact sport”.
With Wolves locked into a defensive shape following the sending off, Brentford struggled to find the creativity or force that might unpick it. Five minutes before half time, however, and the sort of thing that can happen when a team is a man down, happened. Pablo Sarabia is a creative force but less useful in and around his own penalty box and, forced into defensive action, his lingering slide tackle on Mathias Jensen led to a free kick that the Dane lifted back into the box. Wolves, for the first time in the match, were unable to clear their lines and Maupay seized his opportunity, driving through on the half volley to score from the penalty spot.
Sarabia was withdrawn 10 minutes into the second half, the look on his face that of frustration as he made way for Pedro Neto. Ten minutes later and Wolves were level, the Portuguese at the heart of it. Another magician, Neto is more of a direct runner than Sarabia and his first significant contribution was to win a corner off a counterattack. After his first kick was cleared Neto went short with his second. He then took the return pass, teed up Doyle on the edge of the Brentford box and then watched as the England Under-21 star cut to his left to drive a shot back across goal and into the roof of Thomas Strakosha’s net.
Whatever confidence had been instilled into Frank’s team, immediately slunk away after that. Wolves were the more composed, more dangerous side for the rest of the match. Brentford had the best chance, meanwhile, a double effort no less, but first José Sá then Nélson Semedo put their bodies in the way to keep the score level.
