A teenager making his first-team debut has blown the Premier League title race wide open — and he didn’t even know he had scored until after the match had ended.
Tom Edozie, a 19-year-old midfielder at Wolves, had only been on the pitch for around 10 minutes before his stoppage-time equaliser against Arsenal saw the Premier League’s bottom club complete a remarkable comeback from 2-0 down.
It was initially given as an own goal courtesy of Riccardo Calafiori, only for it to be awarded to Edozie after the final whistle.
Mateus Mane’s cross from the left flank was not cleared by Arsenal — with defender Gabriel getting in front of goalkeeper David Raya when he attempted to punch the ball away — before it then fell to the teenager, who was alert and struck a first-time right-footed strike on target.
Gabriel and David Raya collide (MB Media/Getty Images)
It firstly hit Gabriel, which deflected the ball onto the post, only for it to then strike a helpless Calafiori and bounce into the back of the net, leading to Edozie celebrating with a knee slide before getting back to his feet and pumping his fists in front of a delirious home crowd.
“Playing football as a kid, you dream of things like this,” a jubilant Edozie told Sky Sports after the match. “I’m just so thankful to Rob (Edwards, the Wolves head coach) for even putting me on the pitch in the first place. Hopefully it is my goal, but, yeah, it’s just a dream come true.”
It was during Edozie’s post-match interview that he found out the goal had been given to him, something he said “means the world” to him.
“I trained hard as a kid, I’ve been playing football my whole life, so to score, and to score on my Premier League debut, is just a feeling I can’t describe,” he added. “It’s just amazing.”
Edozie’s equaliser means Arsenal are now only five points ahead of Manchester City in second place. Pep Guardiola’s side have a game in hand and host Arsenal in the Premier League on April 18, meaning City will be champions if they win all their remaining games this season.
Edozie joined Wolves’ academy in September 2022, arriving on a free transfer from a grassroots team in London, before going on to sign a professional contract with the club in August 2024.
At the time he signed his first senior contract, Jon Hunter-Barrett, Wolves’ academy manager for football, remarked how the teenager’s “attitude” and “intent to manage the ball in tight areas to get out and create really excites us”.
“He’s got a change of speed once he gets away and evades pressure, to create chances for himself and his team-mates,” Hunter-Barrett told the club’s official website.
Tom Edozie (left) had a senior debut to remember (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)
Edwards had named Edozie on the bench for their recent games against Nottingham Forest and Chelsea, but waited until the 84th minute on Wednesday night to give him his first taste of Premier League football.
“He didn’t know he was going to get that opportunity tonight, then it came along, and he won’t be able to see anything else for a night or two which is nice,” Edwards told reporters in his post-match press conference.
And this was backed up by Edozie, who was initially in disbelief that he was being summoned to get ready by Edwards.
“I didn’t think he said my name at first!” he added in his Sky Sports interview. “My heart just started beating, but I was just ready to get on the pitch and do what I can and try and help the team do as best as they can.”
The teenager was only the seventh player to score on his Premier League debut against the side which started the day leading the division, according to Opta.
Tom Edozie enjoys the applause of the crowd (MB Media/Getty Images)
Edozie’s brother, Samuel, used to play in Manchester City’s academy before signing for Southampton’s first team in September 2022, the same month Tom joined Wolves’ Under-18s.
“Having an older brother that plays football is good because I have a role model I can look up to and see what it takes to get there,” Edozie added.
Although he did not mention if Samuel was at Molineux for his late heroics, Edozie said his father was in attendance.
Even though the midfielder’s late goal will unlikely boost Wolves’ chances of Premier League survival — they are rooted to the bottom of the table, 17 points behind 17th-place Nottingham Forest — what it has done for the title race could be seismic.
“It also shows if you’re a young lad or young girl and you’ve got dreams, don’t give up,” Edwards said of the importance of the good scouting that led to Wolves signing Edozie. “Keep fighting. You never know when someone is watching you and you can get that opportunity.”
