Grateful Wolverhampton Wanderers fans flocked around their hero’s car after the game, queueing up eagerly for the autograph of the man who had turned the game their way. Eventually, he apologised and took his leave from the forecourt at Molineux. But Steve Sidwell had done his job.

It is harsh to lampoon the hard-working Aston Villa midfield player but his late tackle on Michael Kightly, inviting Sylvan Ebanks-Blake to crash home the penalty that earned Wolves another honourable and deserved draw against high-level opponents, finally brought the newly promoted team a positive decision in the attacking area.

While Martin O’Neill, the Villa manager, ponders why a side that can merit victories over Chelsea and Liverpool should struggle against Wolves and Wigan Athletic, Mick McCarthy asked his team’s supporters to locate a positive mindset as they seek to establish themselves in the Barclays Premier League.

When the fourth official indicated four additional minutes should be played, even as Brad Friedel’s goal came under a late siege, the home crowd groaned in trepidation. The Wolves manager suggested that they should be cheering and begging for six “because I thought we were the ones who were going to win the game”.

McCarthy said: “That feeling transmits itself on to the field, and suggests we’re hanging on, when we’re not, we’re going the other way.”

The traditional Black Country tendency to consider the pint glass half empty may have been triggered after no penalty was forthcoming when Kevin Doyle was held back by Richard Dunne in the third minute (“It was only a bit of wrestling,” the Villa defender quipped) to follow game-changing decisions against Sunderland, Portsmouth and Everton that have gone against Wolves. At least that trend has ended.

“It has been a long time coming, that penalty,” Doyle said. “Before that, we were thinking, ‘What is it about Wolves that means you can’t get penalties?’ We can’t even get them in training now.

“Steve Coppell used to say it at Reading. When you play bigger teams, when you are against high-profile players and high-profile managers, they make it tough for referees in the back of their minds.”

McCarthy refused to play the “prejudice card”. He added: “I just thought referees had made awful decisions in not giving us them. At least he gave us one today. I do [take heart from playing well against top-six opponents]. We’ve done all right; our performances have been good.”

Buoyed by a 1-1 draw away to Everton, Wolves took the game to Villa, who were not able to find their stride after their brilliant victory over Chelsea. With Karl Henry orchestrating the play composedly, Wolves played a passing game while stifling Villa when the ball was lost. Ebanks-Blake spurned two half-chances and James Milner cleared Doyle’s header from the line, although Gabriel Agbonlahor should have done better when clean through in the first minute and John Carew was also denied a penalty when Christophe Berra grappled him to the ground.

Villa took charge after the interval and Sidwell was out of luck when, with Wayne Hennessey grounded, his shot struck Dunne’s derrière. But Agbonlahor did score when, having started the move, he pivoted on to Emile Heskey’s astute low cross to convert his sixth goal of the season.

It is timely that Agbonlahor should be in prime scoring form because, just when Villa have tightened up defensively, none of his offensive team-mates have scored in open play this season in the league. Their lack of form was epitomised when Carew’s shot span all the way to McCarthy in the Wolves dugout. “Sometimes it is difficult, with Gabby and Ashley [Young] being so quick, you are maybe leaving midfield players behind,” O’Neill said. “But it is a responsibility to try and get more goals and that is what we will try and do.”

Wolverhampton Wanderers (4-4-2): W Hennessey 7 - R Zubar, 7 J Craddock 7, C Berra 6, G Elokobi 5 - D Edwards 5 (sub: N Milijas, 75min), K Henry 8, S Castillo 6, M Kightly 6 (sub: G Halford, 86) - S Ebanks-Blake 6 (sub: C Iwelumo, 86), K Doyle 7. Substitutes not used: M Hahnemann, A Keogh, R Stearman, M Jarvis. Booked: Zubar.

Aston Villa (4-4-2): B Friedel 7 - C Cuéllar 7, J Collins 6, R Dunne 6, S Warnock 6 - J Milner 7, S Sidwell 5, S Petrov 7, A Young 5 - J Carew 5 (sub: E Heskey, 71), G Agbonlahor 6. Substitutes not used: B Guzan, L Young, F Delph, N Reo-Coker, C Gardner, C Clark. Booked: Warnock, Carew.

Referee: P Walton Attendance: 28,734