ADAMA TRAORE’S last-gasp wonder goal sent Fulham a step closer to the Premier League trap door.
The Spaniard raced into the box in stoppage time and blasted the ball past a despairing Alphonse Areola.
It was a crushing blow for Scott Parker’s side who are three points from 17th-placed Newcastle.
But crucially Steve Bruce’s Magpies have two games in hand.
Fulham knew a win here would lift them out of the bottom three, momentarily at least, on goal difference.
But they rarely threatened and were lucky not to fall behind when Willian Jose was robbed of a first Wolves goal just before half-time by VAR.
The video assistant had adjudged Daniel Podence’s armpit to have been offside in the build-up in one of those Stockley Park decisions that sends everyone into a frenzy.
Yet the hosts did not get away with it as the jet-heeled Traore made them pay in the dying seconds with his thunderbolt to leave Parker stunned.
The Cottagers chief had responded to three, error-strewn defeats by breaking up his central-defensive partnership.
Skipper Joachim Andersen and ex-Manchester City kid Tosin had been inseparable since November 2.
Yet Parker reverted to a back three, benching Tosin for Terence Kongolo, despite the injury-plagued Dutchman having just 67 minutes of action this season.
Fulham were also severely hampered by the absence of their creator-in-chief Ademola Lookman, having not recovered in time from a hamstring complaint.
There was a two-minute silence before kick-off to mark Friday’s sad passing of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, while all players, staff and officials wore black armbands.
With no Lookman, Fulham’s main route to attack was firing booming long balls out wide to the wing-backs who then looked to cross for Aleksandar Mitrovic in the box.
It almost paid off just before the half hour, but instead of Mitrovic, it was Ruben Loftus-Cheek who rose to meet an Antonee Robinson delivery.
The Chelsea loanee made a fine connection but his effort went just the wrong side of the post.
Wolves suffered a huge blow soon after as key man Pedro Neto came off injured with what looked like a recurrence of the knock he suffered for Portugal at the end of last month.
Mitrovic, who himself had a productive international break with five goals for Serbia, then headed wide another Robinson cross.
Parker will have been desperate for his side to keep their focus as half-time approached.
But they went to sleep as Nelson Semedo played through Podence, who crossed for Jose to power home what he thought was his first Wolves goal since joining on loan from Sociedad.
Parker and his lax side were given a huge reprieve as David Coote over in Stockley Park adjudged Podence’s armpit to be offside by millimeters and the goal was chalked off.
Nuno Espirito Santo was raging and gave ref Jon Moss both barrels as the two sides walked in for half-time.
The second half provided even fewer chances than the first, not helped by Wolves reverting to a back three when Neto went off.
Romain Saiss blasted a free-kick over and Bobby DeCordova-Reid curled wide from the edge of the area were the main chances until Traore took centre stage.
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The ex-Middlesbrough man raced past the Fulham backline, into the box and unleashed an unstoppable drive into the roof of the net.
Defeat was possibly harsh on Parker’s side but they did not deserve to win either.
And with only six games to go – and two home games left – time is running out on the West Londoners if they are to avoid an instant return to the Championship.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
