Leeds draw with Wolves as Rodrigo nets late penalty

Updated: May 17, 2023, 05:03 am

Striker Rodrigo earned Leeds United a 1-1 home draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers as he scored a stoppage time penalty to cancel out Hwang Hee-Chan's early opener for the visitors in the Premier League on Saturday.

It was a scrappy performance by Leeds, who had to dig deep after a toothless display for much of the contest, but they salvaged a point after pegging Wolves back in the closing stages.

The visitors, who stretched their unbeaten league run to four games, having won the previous three, are 10th on 13 points from nine games while Leeds stayed 17th on seven points.

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Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa felt his side deserved to win and praised second half substitute Joe Gelhardt, who made an impact after coming on for Mateusz Klich in the 63rd minute and won the penalty with neat footwork.

"We deserved something more than the draw," Bielsa told Sky Sports. "Apart from some things at the start of both halves, we had the control of the game.

"Progressively we started to get closer and closer to the goal and to have won the game would have been more in accordance with what happened on the pitch.

"Gelhradt... was causing danger constantly, not only the penalty but a few occasions he could have scored."

Leeds United left it late in the game to equalise with Wolves.
OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images

Hwang netted an opportunist 10th-minute goal, steering in a shot with the outside of his foot from close range after Nelson Semedo broke clear and squared the ball to Raul Jimenez, whose effort fell kindly to the South Korea forward.

Leeds dominated the first half but failed to create much up front against a well organised Wolves defence, as visiting keeper Jose Sa smothered a Raphinha shot from long range before Jack Harrison fired well wide from inside the area.

Home keeper Illan Meslier blocked a low Rayan Ait Nouri drive from a tight angle shortly after the break and Leeds struggled to carve out any chances before Sa kept out Gelhardt's shot with a superb save in the 79th minute.

Gelhardt, who came on as a second-half substitute, capped a fine performance when he won the spot kick with a jinking run which forced Semedo to haul him down and Rodrigo made no mistake sending Sa the wrong way.

Wolves, who stretched their unbeaten league run to four games having won the previous three, are 10th on 13 points from nine games while Leeds stayed 17th on seven points.