Aston Villa boss Unai Emery supported Leon Bailey, who left the field in tears after a terrible miss.
Villa drew 1-1 with the Wolves as the forward missed an open goal in stoppage time.
After Danny Ings’ leveler snatched a point at the underperforming hosts – no matter how lucky – Villa denied the victory.
Daniel Podence’s opener gave the Wolves a well-deserved lead, but they were stuck in the Premier League relegation zone.
Bailey has struggled for form and fitness since a £25m transfer from Bayer Leverkusen in 2021, but Emery still thinks he’s performing.
“I’m happy with him, he was crying but it’s good because he felt it. He was taking responsibility for scoring and he didn’t. He can feel this responsibility.
I am very happy with his commitment and performance, he was playing indoors and out. It was nice to learn more with him.
“We finally had a great opportunity to score and win with Leon Bailey, we can be happy because we created it. They (players) were supporting him and trying to improve him for the next games where he would have the same chance.”
Bailey wrote on Instagram, “I’m really sorry Villans, I feel guilty for not getting all three points tonight. It’s really hard to admit and I’m so disappointed with myself. It’s definitely going to be hard to sleep tonight but I’ll try to keep my head up.”
Emery has also insisted he plans to hire striker Ings this month, following interest from Southampton and Everton.
Danny is a very good actor. I spoke to some of the players in the leaving position, but not him. The goal is to keep him in the squad.”
The Wolves started well and Podence exchanged passes with Joao Moutinho, passing Douglas Luiz and taking the corner to give them a class lead in the 12th minute.
Villa was devastated and continued to offer the Wolves a chance, with Emiliano Martinez – in the starting 11 after his World Cup success with Argentina – saving at the feet of Matheus Nunes.
The hosts, however, found a leveler three minutes later when Tyrone Mings’ long ball smashed the Wolves’ defence, when Jose Sa hesitated and slipped and Ings scored his seventh goal of the season.
Rayan Ait-Nouri shot at Martinez, but should have scored when Bailey ran to Ings’ pass and rounded Sa. He just had to roll the ball into the empty net, but it pitifully eroded his shot.
Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui said: “We were a little disappointed, but that’s a good thing for us. We’re developing more confidently and ready for a long and tough race.
“We have to be ready at the last minute, we have to believe in ourselves, we know it will be very difficult, but we will continue to improve step by step.
“We were in control for 60 minutes but at halftime we lost Podence and without the ball we felt tired and had less control.
“He’s a very, very important person. I hope it’s a minor injury, but we have to wait for the tests.
They had a chance to win, but we made three very clear counterattacks to close the game. They had this moment, but for most of the game, we overcame Aston Villa.”