Leeds United 1 Wolves 1 - Joe Gelhardt brilliance rescues Whites point after Raphinha is forced off injured - YEP 23/10/21

Joe Gelhardt's brilliance won a 94th-minute penalty which was converted by record signing Rodrigo to give Leeds United a dramatic 1-1 draw in Saturday's Premier League clash against Wolves at Eland Road.

By Lee Sobot

Wolves went ahead with their first attack as Hwang Hee-Chan notched his fourth goal of the season when prodding home from inside the box in the tenth minute after a Nelson Semedo cross from the right.

Leeds kept pressing in search of an equaliser, especially in the second half in which star winger Raphinha was forced off injured.

United looked set to fall to a fifth defeat of the season but teen substitute Gelhardt produced a brilliant run into the box deep in stoppage time and was knocked down for a penalty which Rodrigo slammed home to send Elland Road wild.

United began brightly and fashioned their first chance in the seventh minute when a Pascal Struijk header to a Raphinha corner was deflected over the bar.

From the second corner, Rodrigo glanced a header wide of the far post.

But Wolves went ahead in the tenth minute when Semedo beat Jack Harrison down the right and sent in a low cross that was eventually prodded home by Hwang Hee-Chan after an initial attempt from Raul Jimninez was deflected by Jamie Shackleton.

Leeds looked to respond and a bullet of a low shot from Raphinha from the edge of the box was well held by Josa Sa.

Dan James, playing upfront, then threaded a neat pass through to Mateusz Klich whose curling effort from just inside the box was easily saved by Sa.

Jack Harrison was the next to try his luck when racing away down the left and unleashing a shot which could only hit the side netting.

Raphinha then cut in from the right and curled a shot wide and the half ended with Shackleton storming into the box from the right before being sent tumbling by Rayan Ait-Nouri who had got a touch on the ball.

Tyler Roberts was then brought on for Harrison during the interval and moved upfront as James switched to the left flank.

The first effort of the second half came from Raphinha who fired well wide from the edge of the box but Wolves threatened in the 49th minute when Ait-Nouri's shot from a tight angle was turned behind by Illan Meslier.

But the Whites were then dealt a huge blow two minutes later when Romain Saiss caught Raphinha who immediately looked in trouble and had to be helped down the tunnel after hoping off the pitch, 19-year-old winger Crysencio Summerville taking his place.

The free-kick awarded for the foul was headed over by Diego Llorente and Whites head coach Marcelo Bielsa then made his final change three minutes after the hour as 19-year-old forward Gelhardt replaced Klich.

A lovely cross from James was set to pick out Summerville until a last-gasp clearance before Joao Moutinho sent a free kick from the edge of the box over at the other end.

A Rodrigo cross from the left was then flicked wide by Roberts and Leeds were then denied an equaliser via a fine save from Sa who tipped a fierce rising drive from Gelhardt over the bar.

Gelhardt was presented with another chance in the 84th minute as a loose ball dropped at his feet but the teen sent his rising effort wide.

The Whites kept pressing in search for an equaliser but looked set to fall to a fifth defeat of the season until Gelhardt's brilliance deep in added time.

The teen produced a brilliant run into the box deep in stoppage time and was knocked down for a penalty which Rodrigo slammed home to send Elland Road wild and even then Leeds nearly bagged a winner as Gelhardt's shot was deflected just wide.

The point kept Leeds three points clear of the drop zone after third-bottom Newcastle United's 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace and second-bottom Burnley's 2-2 draw at Southampton.