Vela rescues point for West Brom

WEST BROMWICH, England (AP):

Carlos Vela scored his first goal for West Bromwich Albion in stoppage time yesterday to earn a 1-1 draw against relegation rival Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Mexico striker, who is on loan from Arsenal, netted the rebound after James Morrison's shot was spilled by Wayne Hennessey.

"(Vela) did very, very well - he's very interesting," West Brom coach Roy Hodgson said. "The Arsenal don't make mistakes with talents they sign.

"He's been a bit unlucky at Arsenal from what I can understand, in terms of injuries. He is a good loan signing for West Brom and he looked lively and scored a goal. OK, it was from a rebound and you could say, 'Anyone can score that' - but that's not my experience. You need to be a goalscorer to be in the right position."

The goal denied Jamie O'Hara, who is on loan at Wolves from Arsenal's north London rival Tottenham, from securing three points with his first strike for the club. The English midfielder curled a 20-metre shot past Boaz Myhill in the 39th minute.

While Wolves remain bottom of the Premier League, West Brom are a point and a place clear of the drop zone after Hodgson's first game in charge.

Not an easy team

"We laid siege for long periods on the Wolves goal, but we know they defend well," Hodgson said. "They are not an easy team to break down, even harder when they get the one-goal lead ... the performance told me there is fighting spirit amongst them, that there is a lot of determination and character."

Wolves manager Mick McCarthy wouldn't criticise Hennessey for the late mistake that led to the equalizer.

"It is a bobbly old pitch," McCarthy said. "I don't know whether Wayne should have got it and kept it, but he has been brilliant for us. He has been fabulous.

"I thought we could have got a block on the original shot. Overall, the performance was good. We had a really good spell second half, when we should have got another goal."