Wolves had to settle for a point from an entertaining encounter with Sunderland at Molineux this evening.

The home side opened the scoring, with a great strike from Jemal Johnson, just two minutes before half-time. Wanderers again looked lively after the interval, but the Black Cats found an equaliser after a period of pressure inside the last 20 minutes.

First-half:

Sunderland started brightly, and Connolly was wide with the game's first shot on goal, in the fourth minute.

Leadbitter saw a shot saved by Murray four minutes later when a clearance by Clapham rebounded off a Sunderland man and the ball fell for the midfielder to shoot, but his effort struck the goalkeeper to clear. Moments later Johnson shot wide for Wolves.

Johnson was again involved in the action when Wolves broke in the 19^th minute. The striker raced down the wing and saw a shot blocked by D. Collins for an unproductive corner.

Craddock almost opened the scoring in the 26^th minute, when he got on the end of a Gobern free-kick to head on target, but keeper Ward parried his effort. Moments later a Jones cross was cleared by the keeper.

Henry was unlucky not to find the net in spectacular fashion, on the half hour mark. The midfielder struck a shot from 25-yards which sailed narrowly over the bar.

Connolly was just as unlucky in the 33^rd minute when a Wallace corner fell for him, but he slipped as he went to shoot.

Wolves looked to have found the net with 40 minutes gone, but no goal was given. Craddock latched on to Gobern's corner and he appeared to have beaten Ward with his strike, but the keeper dived to smother, with the question remaining as to whether the ball crossed the line. Nyatanga then managed to clear.

But there was no question to answer three minutes later. Bothroyd nodded down to Johnson and the striker hit an impressive shot into the top left corner of Sunderland's goal from 20-yards to give Wolves the lead as the game neared half-time.

Half-time: Wolves 1 Sunderland 0

Sunderland made their first change at the restart, with Yorke replaced by Hysen.

Johnson almost found his second goal of the evening two minutes after the interval, when a clearance fell for Gobern to cross, but the striker's effort was wide of the target.

Gobern was unlucky not to find the net himself, in the 53^rd minute. He rounded the visitors' defence and hit a shot from the edge of the area, but it flew narrowly wide.

Murray dived to smother a shot from Elliott in the 59^th minute.

A minute later Ward had to react quickly to dive and parry a strike from Bothroyd on the edge of the area.

Jones received a yellow card in the 62^nd minute for a foul on Wallace.

Wolves made their first change as the game moved into the 64^th minute, with Clarke replacing Bothroyd.

Five minutes after entering the game, Clarke got on the end of a good cross from Jones but he headed over Ward's goal.

Murray maintained Wolves' advantage by diving at the feet of Hysen as the substitute moved to shoot, in the 73^rd minute.

But the action soon moved back to the other end. Clarke had a golden opportunity to increase Wolves' advantage in the 74^th minute, when a Gobern cross found the striker unmarked with only the keeper to beat, but his effort was straight at Ward, who managed to parry. Clarke raced to reach the loose ball, but his follow up shot was wide of the target.

Murray made two great saves to deny Sunderland an equaliser, in the 79^th minute. Elliott struck from the edge of the area, but the keeper parried for a corner from which Murray was again called into action.

But the danger never passed, and from the keeper's clearance the ball bounced around a packed penalty area before it broke loose to Elliott, whose shot hit Little on the way past Murray to draw the visitors level.

C. Davies entered the game in place of Johnson in the 84^th minute.

Leadbitter could have given Sunderland the lead inside the final minute of normal time, when his free-kick from just outside the area rounded the wall and forced Murray to parry for an unproductive corner.

Full-time: Wolves 1 Sunderland 1

A full report and post-match comments will follow.