LONDON, ENGLAND — Evann Guessand etched his name into Selhurst Park folklore, rifling home from the centre of the box in the 90th minute to hand Crystal Palace a hard-fought 1-0 Premier League victory over a dogged but ultimately depleted Wolverhampton Wanderers side. Tyrick Mitchell's perfectly weighted cross found Guessand, who had only entered the fray as a substitute in the 72nd minute, and the striker made no mistake, drilling the ball to the bottom left corner to send the home faithful into raptures.
Crystal Palace dominated the ball with 60.6% possession, pinning Wolverhampton Wanderers back for long stretches, yet the scoreline remained goalless deep into the second half as Wolves' stubborn defensive shape frustrated Oliver Glasner's men. Despite 14 attempts, Crystal Palace managed just 3 on target — a wastefulness that nearly cost them dearly against a side that, for long periods, looked every bit as dangerous on the counter.
The first half was a cagey affair, with Palace's territorial advantage failing to translate into clear-cut chances. Wolves, sitting bottom of the Premier League with just 10 points, showed the kind of desperate resilience that their precarious position demands. The visitors' best moment came in the 26th minute when Tolu Arokodare latched onto Mateus Mané's delivery and fired a right-footed effort from the left side of the box, only for Dean Henderson to smother it comfortably in the centre of the goal.
The second half brought greater intensity — and significantly greater controversy. Ladislav Krejčí, already on a yellow card, was shown a second booking in the 61st minute, reducing Wolves to ten men and fundamentally altering the complexion of the contest. Palace, who had struggled to break down a compact Wolves backline, now had the numerical advantage to exploit. Yet even then, the breakthrough proved elusive. Yéremy Pino tested José Sá from outside the box in the 77th minute, but the Wolves goalkeeper gathered comfortably in the centre of the goal before Pino was replaced by Brennan Johnson moments later.
Crystal Palace's goalkeeper was kept busy throughout, making 7 saves in what amounted to a heroic individual performance. Henderson's most crucial intervention came in the 73rd minute when he flung himself to his right to deny Arokodare's header from the centre of the box, a stop that kept the scores level and preserved Palace's hopes of finding a winner. Tyrick Mitchell also tested Sá from the left side of the box in the 56th minute, only to see his effort tipped onto the crossbar.
The referee was busy throughout a feisty affair, brandishing 7 cards in total — five yellow cards for Crystal Palace and one yellow and one red for Wolverhampton Wanderers. Wolverhampton Wanderers were reduced to 9 men in the dying stages when André received a yellow card in the 90th-plus-third minute for a bad foul, compounding an already miserable evening for the visitors. The numerical disadvantage ultimately proved fatal as Mitchell's cross from the left found Guessand unmarked in the box, and the substitute did the rest.
The statistics told an interesting story beyond the scoreline. Wolves registered 12 shots to Palace's 14, and their 7 shots on target actually exceeded Palace's 3 — a remarkable figure for the losing side that underlines just how vital Henderson's contributions were. Wolves also won 7 corners to Palace's 3, suggesting that for all their defensive frailties this season, Vitor Pereira's side created genuine moments of threat. The foul count was equally telling: Palace committed 19 fouls to Wolves' 13, reflecting the home side's occasional desperation to maintain control.
Elation meets frustration as both clubs turn to their next fixtures. Crystal Palace travel to face Manchester United on February 28, while Wolverhampton Wanderers — still searching for the points that could keep their Premier League survival hopes alive — host Aston Villa on February 27 in what is rapidly becoming a must-win encounter.
