Danny Ings stopped Wolves spoiling World Cup hero Emiliano Martinez’s homecoming with a late equaliser for Aston Villa to ensure this hard-fought derby ended all square.
Villa would consider selling Ings this month but they may be having second thoughts after he arrived as a substitute to prevent the visitors collecting all three points.
Martinez made a decisive late save of his own to keep out Wolves substitute Rayan Ait-Nouri before Leon Bailey produced a remarkable stoppage time miss for Villa with the goal at his mercy and keeper Jose Sa stranded. Bailey was inconsolable at full-time and had to be lifted from the turf by Ings.
Danny Ings earned Aston Villa a point after cancelling out Daniel Podence’s opener
Leon Bailey was inconsolable at full-time after a remarkable stoppage time miss
Emi Martinez was back in the starting line-up for the first time since winning the World Cup and showed off his winners medal and the Golden Glove award to supporters at Villa Park
After helping his country to glory in Qatar last month, Martinez was given a superb reception before kick-off by Villa fans as he toured the pitch with his winner’s medal and Golden Glove award for the tournament’s best keeper.
Yet 12 minutes into his comeback, Martinez was beaten by Daniel Podence and Wolves could have been out of sight by half-time, so superior were Julen Lopetegui’s men.
At that stage, Wolves looked certain to claim their second consecutive away win and haul themselves out of the drop zone, while condemning Emery to another home defeat after the loss here against Liverpool on Boxing Day. Villa were booed at half-time.
Daniel Podence opened the scoring after skipping away from Douglas Luiz and firing home
Podence celebrates with his team-mates after giving Wolves the lead after 12 minutes
Wolves’ lead was coming after Nathan Collins header was cleared off the line by Ezri Konsa
For Wolves, meanwhile, this was one of the best displays of the season and will give Lopetegui considerable heart, though they were desperately disappointed to let the win slip away. Both they and Villa are expected to be very busy during the coming weeks as Emery and Lopetegui demand improvements to their squad.
After that reception for their World Cup hero, Villa fans craved an opening to match and they should have been ahead inside three minutes.
Ruben Neves’ pass was blocked by Ashley Young into the path of Douglas Luiz, whose clever flick sent Bailey racing into the box. With time and space, Bailey drilled his effort wide.
That was about as good as it got for Villa in the first half as Wolves took control, their midfield trio of Neves, Joao Moutinho and Matheus Nunes outnumbering Luiz and Boubacar Kamara.
Nathan Collins’ header from Moutinho’s cross was blocked on the line by Ezri Konsa with Martinez looking shaky, and in the 12th minute he was retrieving the ball from his net.
Podence’s swift exchange with Moutinho on the right took Matty Cash out of the game, allowing Podence to tiptoe around Luiz’s slack challenge and send his shot arrowing into the far corner. Soon afterwards, Villa looked uncertain again at the back as Max Kilman’s header from Moutinho’s cross was hacked away.
Villa boss Unai Emery was not enjoying this one bit and Bailey felt the full force of his fury as he struggled to follow his manager’s instructions.
His fellow Basque Julen Lopetegui was far more chipper in the opposite dugout and nearly saw his side score a second soon after Emery’s outburst. Nunes started the move and when Hugo Bueno’s deflected cross fell perfectly to him, he was denied a goal only by Martinez’s shin.
After a rare Villa attack, Lucas Digne nearly surprised Jose Sa with a free-kick before at the other end, Tyrone Mings sliced Bueno’s cross over his own bar. By this time Emery was slumped in his seat, looking grumpier by the minute.
The Villa Park crowd can be an unforgiving bunch as in only his fifth league game – and after wins over Manchester United, Brighton and Tottenham in his previous four – Emery heard his team booed off at the interval.
Wolves could have doubled their lead with Matheus Nunes denied from a tight angle
Martinez made a number of saves to stop a dominant Wolves from extending their advantage
Emery had seen enough and for the second half replaced Young with Philippe Coutinho, moving Cash to his usual spot at right-back. Podence was also forced off for Wolves, who sent on Adama Traore.
Villa were far more assertive on the ball than they had been before the break, though struggled to create a clear chance in the early stages as Wolves held firm.
The visitors were now able to use Traore’s pace on the break and soon after Diego Costa had been booked for a foul on Mings, the winger’s cross was palmed away by Martinez as Costa lurked.
Villa equalised after Ings lifted the ball over Jose Sa after an excellent ball by Tyrone Mings
Bailey had his head in the turf following his late miss with Ings going over to console him
Martinez made a decisive late save and then dropped to his knees after Bailey’s miss
Emiliano Buendia was having a frustrating night and had to be stopped from confronting Nunes by Bailey as he felt the Portuguese midfielder was timewasting.
Lopetegui sent on loan signing Matheus Cunha for Costa and moments after Emery responded with a triple change of his own, Traore roared past Mings before firing over. Then Cunha ran clear but failed to pick out fellow sub Rayan Ait-Nouri in the centre.
Wolves were nearly made to pay by another sub, Ludwig Augustinsson, whose goalbound volley was headed off the line by Kilman.
After defending superbly for most of the game, Wolves switched off for a minute and allowed Mings’ straight ball to find Ings, who finished expertly over the onrushing Sa.
Then came Martinez’s stop from Ait-Nouri and the incredible late error from Bailey, who was presented with an open goal after a mix-up between Kilman and Sa but somehow shot wide.
Matheus Cunha made his debut for Wolves coming on as a second-half substitute
Unai Emery’s side were made to work hard against Wolves following their win over Tottenham
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