Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 Bolton Wanderers 1: match report

05 December 2009 17:46
Thrill-seekers may gravitate towards the bowels of the Premier League for their kicks this season rather than hone in on a seemingly mundane title tussle. [LNB]The anxiety of relegation allows scant breathing space for flamboyant football but plenty of scope to absorb neutrals not enamoured by Chelsea and Manchester United's eminence and the scramble for Champions League places. [LNB] Related ArticlesPremier League tablePremier League actionTelegraph player raterPremier League fixturesSport on televisionPortsmouth's victory over Burnley earlier in the day had forced Wolverhampton Wanderers to the foot of the table but victory over Bolton took them clear of it. Both clubs remain in the relegation zone. [LNB]This encounter reinforced the idea that struggling clubs will fail to satisfy aesthetes but generate intense excitement through their predicament. Assured football was lacking and chaotic play took hold. Fortune played its part too. [LNB]Jody Craddock, emerging as Wolves' expert marksman, slammed in his fourth league goal of the season after Nenad Milijas' free-kick was flicked on by Christophe Berra. Craddock had drifted into an offside position when converting the chance. [LNB]A scintillating strike from the delightful Milijas in the second half sealed the points but both clubs, alongside several others, appear destined to remain in the morass this term. [LNB]Chances materialised through panic rather than calculated ingenuity. After Craddock's goal Wolves pressed. Sylvan Ebanks-Blake's fierce shot was blocked by Gary Cahill's lunge. Richard Stearman fluffed a chance from the ensuing corner. [LNB]No inch was given. Gavin McCann thundered into a tackle on Kevin Doyle, drawing Chris Foy's whistle, before Milijas crashed in a shot which was grasped by Jussi Jaaskelainen. Bolton, driven on by a similar sense of desperation, responded. Marcus Hahnemann plunged down to stop an Ivan Klasnic strike. [LNB]Neither side had a grip on an encounter veering one way, then the next. Chung-Yong Lee beat Karl Henry, cut the ball back to Klasnic who, with time and space, fired over just before half time. [LNB]There was no relenting. Barely a minute into the second period, the woeful McCann lost possession outside his box and Cahill deflected Milijas' shot wide. Crosses into the box continued to create consternation. [LNB]Then came a goal to savour. McCann was brushed aside by Kevin Doyle, who found Milijas. The Serbian left Hahnemann clutching thin air. Perhaps Milijas will adorn the World Cup in South Africa with such spectacular thunderbolts. [LNB]The Wolves faithful directed cries of 'you're getting sacked in the morning' towards Gary Megson. There was much to concern Mick McCarthy too. [LNB]Hahnemann dived to his left and flicked Klasnic's shot around the post. From the resulting corner, Johan Elmander bundled a goal back. [LNB]Substitute Stefan Maierhofer might have eased an edginess swamping the stadium but woefully miscued when the delightful Milijas played him in. The tension gripped. [LNB]Klasnic raced onto another long punt into the Wolves box but could not finish. Erratic football took the breath away. [LNB]

Source: Telegraph