Wolves drew 2-2 with Newcastle United yesterday – and there was another instance of an impressive Tommy Doyle cameo.
Wanderers moved up a place in the Premier League table after taking a point at Molineux.
On paper, it’s a good result.
However, Wolves might have won the game had they had the rub of the green.
Wanderers were again stung by a bad decision. Hwang Hee-chan was adjudged to have fouled Fabian Schar in the penalty area.
Replays showed the defender tumbled, but Hwang had pulled his foot away at the last second.
Somehow, the decision was not overturned by VAR, and O’Neil blasted it as ‘scandalous’ after the game.
There were plenty of positives to take though, and the performance of Doyle was really encouraging once again…
Tommy Doyle made a difference against Newcastle, just like against Bournemouth
Doyle started on the bench again yesterday, with O’Neil going with a two-man midfield of Mario Lemina and Boubacar Traore.
Traore did not have a particularly good outing.
The Malian youngster struggled with the ball at times and had a loose touch in the wet conditions. He was also bypassed a few times, with the ball going beyond him and into Newcastle players between the lines.
Traore was hooked for Doyle in the second-half, and he gave Wolves more control in midfield.
He was very happy to pick the ball up in deep positions and used it much better than the man he replaced Traore.
What was notable about Doyle was that he always looked to get the ball forward, as opposed to safe sideways passes.
Breaking the lines with a pass is always useful, and the youngster was always scanning to see if there was an option for it.
Doyle may have given O’Neil something to think about
It’s now back-to-back impressive cameos off the bench for Doyle.
It’s clear he is a great, technical player and it’s possible he’s given O’Neil a selection headache.
Traore did not take his chance yesterday which is a shame.
But Doyle – described as ‘quality’ by Matt Hobbs upon signing – arguably did, and one wonders if he could now be in line for a start against Sheffield United – the side he spent last season on loan with.
Given he’s played with a lot of their players, O’Neil may well see this as a good opportunity for Doyle.
There is also the notion that Wolves now need someone with quality on set-pieces.
Within just a few minutes of coming on yesterday, Doyle put in a really dangerous free-kick from the left wing.
Pedro Neto looks like he could be out for a while now, so that’s another reason O’Neil may be inclined to get Doyle into the starting XI.