A spectacular goal gave Wolves a lifeline and lit up an unspectacular game.

Ronald Zubar’s superb late chest and volley effort was enough to illuminate any match and keep Wolves in the competition for a draw they just about deserved. As boss Mick McCarthy admitted afterwards, it was probably the goal of the round, or perhaps the competition so far.

In the event, it saved his side the confidence-sapping effects of a fourth straight defeat and a reverse to Championship opposition.

But the class of Zubar’s strike only highlighted the lack of quality throughout much of the previous 83 minutes – certainly the first hour until the introduction of Kevin Doyle and new signing Geoffrey Mujangi Bia.

McCarthy’s much-changed team meant this was never going to be much more than a dress rehearsal for the main event against Liverpool tomorrow night.

The manager made seven changes to the side beaten 2-0 by Wigan seven days earlier to give Wolves’ team something of a Championship look – all but Zubar of the starting XI played in the second tier last season.

But if the Wolves boss was hoping for some fresh impetus from the wannabees, he was disappointed as Palace took leads at the start of each half and were the equal of Wolves for the first hour.

Marking was non-existent as Alan Lee planted a powerful header in off the bar from Darren Ambrose’s third minute corner. That gave spirited Palace the incentive and something to hold on to.

Just as they did last week against Wigan, Wolves laboured, struggling to get any fluency or rhythm into their play and failing to seriously trouble goalkeeper Justin Speroni until the enterprising Dave Jones equalised eight minutes before the break.

But they were thankful for the earlier injury to Claude Davis in more ways than one.

The Jamaican colossus, who would have been a formidable defensive barrier had he been able to stay on, was carried off after a six-minute delay with a neck injury sustained in an innocuous-looking aerial challenge with Sam Vokes, scans later revealing no serious damage.

That time-out gave Wolves chance to regroup and crucially, break Palace’s stride.

McCarthy’s side looked short on ideas though and it took all the intelligent probing of the industrious Jones to keep them in it. Indeed, Jones also offered their best route to goal after placing two decent long range efforts too close to Speroni before finally finding his range with a well-worked equaliser.

Palace boss Neil Warnock was still giving the fourth official the ‘hairdryer’ treatment when the ball nestled inside Speroni’s far post. His anger was understandable, as Michael Mancienne’s free kick that started the move for the goal was awarded for a soft foul on Sylvan Ebanks-Blake.

Zubar collected Mancienne’s punt forward before wriggling inside his marker to feed Kevin Foley for a left-footed, floated cross headed down by Andrew Surman for Jones to sweep home on the angle from the edge of the area.

McCarthy admitted afterwards that Jones played himself into his thoughts for tomorrow’s clash against Liverpool and the former Derby man was Wolves’ most impressive player on view.

Even Mancienne continued his recent improvement with another polished display, while up front, Sam Vokes looks a rejuvenated force following his loan spell at Leeds. He may only have scored once in 10 games at Elland Road, but the Wales international seemed quicker and was a constant aerial threat.

His confidence high, Jones followed up his goal with his most ambitious effort, a 22-yard dipping volley that drew a falling save. But Wolves’ frailties at the back returned at the end of the half when giant midfielder Alassane N’Diaye flashed another unmarked header just over.

If the isolated boos that greeted Wolves at half time reflected supporters’ anxiety, those feelings were reinforced within four minutes of the restart when Palace regained the lead.

There could be no complaints as the busy Ambrose curled an impressive free kick into the bottom corner, with goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey’s view seemingly hampered by the bodies in his way.

Apart from a shot from Surman that a deflection took all the power out of as it trickled to Speroni, Wolves continued to struggle to create anything until the arrival of the two substitutes.

Doyle made an immediate impact, sending a header crashing against the bar with his first touch from a free kick taken by Jones, who lashed a foot over with a fierce drive.

Christophe Berra then somehow failed to turn home from a yard out after Vokes headed on Jones’s corner, before Shaun Derry nodded off the line. By then Ebanks-Blake had long departed the scene, his replacement Doyle immediately looking a livewire in his place.

McCarthy had shown another vote of faith by including his number nine, but it made little difference as the man who couldn’t stop scoring in the Championship continued turning up blind alleys.

Ebanks-Blake has never come under so much pressure for his place. But it’s simply not happening for him and, for McCarthy, this must be a huge dilemma. Does he continue to play him and risk his confidence eroding further if he fails to score?

Or does he take him out of the firing line and yes, risk his confidence slipping further because he’s been dropped?

Wolves’ weakened line-up and struggle for supremacy on the pitch was also reflected by apathy in the stands as the game was played out to a half-full Molineux, the attendance of 14,449 being the ground’s lowest ever FA Cup fourth round gate.

It just goes to show that it doesn’t matter how much you reduce prices – and they were fixed at a reasonable £15, £10, £5 and £2 for this game – there is no guarantee of a healthy take-up.

For all the thrills and excitement provided by the upsets caused by Leeds and Reading this season, the magic of the FA Cup doesn’t appear to have travelled.

The riches of the Premier League have seen to that, and that’s why Molineux will be full to the rafters tomorrow night and McCarthy will wheel out his big guns for the visit of Liverpool.

Unfortunately, Premier League survival is the only criteria where McCarthy will be judged – not on whether they can topple Palace and secure a fifth round tie at home to Villa.

By Tim Nash