Tolu Arokodare endured a frustrating afternoon as Wolverhampton Wanderers slipped to a narrow Premier League defeat away to Crystal Palace, with the Nigerian forward seeing a crucial penalty saved.
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The decisive moment of the first half came after a VAR intervention. Initially waved on, play was halted for a review over a potential foul in the Palace area. Following a check, the referee upheld the decision and awarded Wolves a penalty in the 42nd minute.
Arokodare stepped up in the 43rd minute with a golden opportunity to hand the visitors the lead. However, Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson guessed correctly, diving to his left to deny the striker and preserve parity heading into the break.
Palace were later handed a numerical advantage in the 61st minute when Ladislav Krejci received his second yellow card for kicking the ball away in frustration, reducing Wolves to ten men.
With the setback and extra man, Palace struck decisively in the dying moments of the contest. In the 90th minute, Evann Guessand found the net with a composed right-footed finish, sealing all three points for the hosts.
For Arokodare, it was a missed opportunity on a night where margins proved decisive. Wolves will now look to regroup quickly as they continue their fight for consistency in a tightly contested Premier League campaign.
