Question: what could make a 0-0 draw even more unsatisfying than usual? Answer: a goal being celebrated and then disallowed after a VAR review leads to enforcement of the draconian new interpretation of the handball law. Wolves felt that anguish here: first they rejoiced when Leander Dendoncker lashed the ball into the net in the 53rd minute and then, 98 seconds later, they cursed their misfortune when the referee wiped the scoreboard clean because the ball had struck the arm of Willy Boly in the buildup.
Boly could have done nothing to prevent the ball from hitting him – Dendoncker headed against him from inches away – but that does not matter under the guidance introduced by the Premier League this season, which states: “Any goal scored or created with the use of the hand or arm will be disallowed this season – even if it is accidental.” That, at least, has the virtue of being unambiguous. But the Wolves defender Conor Coady believes it is absurdly impractical. “We are going to have to play with our hands chopped off in future,” he said. “If that is not a goal there is a problem. No one appealed for it.”
The Wolves manager, Nuno Espírito Santo, was more understanding. His grievance was with the amount of time it took for the decision to be reached but he suggested that may be a teething problem. “Everybody is going to speak about this game after game until things settle down and become normal,” he said. “We celebrate and then we don’t celebrate and then the Leicester fans celebrate a non-goal. It’s too much time. It is not the mindset of the game. But I think they are in the right way [but] they want to keep the game flowing.”
His Leicester counterpart, Brendan Rodgers, said he approves of the new system and not just because it went in his team’s favour here. “The rule is pretty clear,” he said. “It was unfortunate for them and it benefited us, but my feeling is VAR is going to work for you some weeks and go against you in others. It’s frustrating if you score and then there’s a wait to be told it’s not a goal but I thought it was dealt with fairly well overall. It’s a part of the game now that everyone will have to make an adjustment and adapt to.”
Dendoncker’s non-goal came after he and Boly outjumped Leicester’s defenders from a corner. An obvious conclusion was that would not have happened if Harry Maguire had not departed for Manchester United; his aerial power was a big factor in Leicester conceding fewer goals from set pieces than anyone else in the Premier League last season. The man tasked with replacing him here, 23-year-old Caglar Soyuncu, is not as dominant in the air. Other than that, however, Soyuncu did a fine job. Leicester’s main problem was, with Jamie Vardy shackled by defenders, they struggled to create clear openings despite having most of the ball. New season, familiar gripe.
Wolves showed no ill-effects of the new challenge they face this season. Their participation in the Europa League meant they came into their opening domestic fixture having already contested three continental ties, most recently on Thursday 3,000 miles away in Armenia. But they started the sharper side here.
Gradually Leicester secured more of the ball but remained unable to prise Wolves open.
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James Maddison and the summer recruit from Newcastle, Ayoze Pérez, flitted about on either side of Vardy in a 4-3-3 formation, with Youri Tielemans tasked with pulling strings in midfield on a platform secured by Wilfred Ndidi and Hamza Choudhury. A nice theory, perhaps, but Wolves did not let the hosts put it into practice.
Frequently Leicester became bogged down out of range of Wolves’ goal. It took a miscued volley by Maddison to catch the visiting defence off-guard in the first half, as the midfielder’s shot landed at the feet of Tielemans near the byline on the right. The Belgian fired the ball across the face of goal but Vardy did not react fast enough to turn it into the net from two yards. Too early in the season, perhaps.
Wolves were dangerous on their infrequent counterattacks. Diogo Jota raced through on goal a few minutes after Dendoncker’s disallowed strike but dragged his shot wide of the far post.
Leicester remained blunt. Harvey Barnes, a thrillingly anarchic runner at times, was sent on after the hour but did not threaten until stoppage time, when he swapped slick passes with Vardy before firing the ball into the danger zone. But Boly made an excellent clearance in front of his own goal to confirm the stalemate.
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