Wolves 1-1 Reading (4-2 pens): Home side win dramatic penalty shootout
- Published
- comments
Bruno Jordao went off injured just 14 minutes after scoring on his first team debut
Wolves beat Reading in a penalty shoutout as John Swift and Lucas Boyle missed their spot kicks - after the pair combined to score a 99th-minute equaliser for the visitors.
Swift's sensational 'rabona' cross set up Boyle to head in deep in added time of the Carabao Cup third-round tie.
Wolves debutant Bruno Jordao gave the hosts a 1-0 lead but was later taken off on a stretcher before half-time.
Ruben Vinagre scored the decisive fourth penalty to win the shootout.
Wolves travel to Aston Villa in the fourth round.
Midfielder Jordao's strike from 25 yards slipped through Reading keeper Joao Virginia's arms in the first half as Wolves led for 72 minutes at Molineux.
But Championship side Reading fought until the end to produce a dramatic climax.
Midfielder Yakou Meite was denied by a goal-line clearance from Wolves' defender Ryan Bennett shortly after the restart but the visitors eventually got the equaliser they needed to set-up a penalty shootout finale.
And some equaliser it was too - Swift deceiving the full-back with a skillful 'rabona' which Boyle duly dispatched before the heroes turned to villains in the shootout.
Wolves keeper John Ruddy made a smart save low to his left to deny Swift and Boyle blasted over the bar as Wolves netted all four of their spot kicks.
It was an encouraging victory for Wolves, who sit 19th in the Premier League and are winless after six top-flight matches.
They have now progressed from each of their last 10 domestic cup ties against teams from a lower division.
Wolves also avoided a third successive penalty shootout defeat in the competition - losing to Manchester City in 2017-18 and Leicester in 2018-19.
But there will be concern for Wolves debutants Meritan Shabani and Jordao, who both left the pitch on a stretcher.
German midfielder Shabani, who came on as a 74th-minute substitute, went off 15 minutes later, leaving Wolves playing the final stages with 10 men.
'It looks bad' - what the managers said
Wolves boss Nuno Esperito Santo: "Shabani looks like a long one, he is now being analysed by the doctor, then we will know what happened but it looks bad. We don't know yet.
"Jordao's is a different situation - someone fell on him and he twisted his ankle.
"The second half was not so good and after, when we went to 10 men, and Reading were pushing, it becomes harder."
Reading manager Jose Gomes: "He (Virginia) did good things but we cannot hide the way we conceded that goal so we need to help him recover to be better in the future.
"The second half was completely different. We controlled the game and created a lot of chances and recovered the ball very quickly.
"We could have scored before the goal but we didn't. Wolverhampton were better at us in the penalties."