Wolves boss Mick McCarthy is backing Sylvan Ebanks-Blake to score goals at Barclays Premier League level after the striker broke his top-flight duck in the home draw with Aston Villa.

Ebanks-Blake was a prolific goalscorer in helping Wolves gain promotion back to the top flight last season. And he kept his nerve in drilling home a late equaliser from the penalty spot to cancel out Gabriel Agbonlahor's sixth goal of the campaign.

McCarthy said: "Sylvan has been desperate to get his first goal. We all believe he can play in the Premier League and score goals in it. Don't anyone underestimate the taking of that penalty in that atmosphere. He has still got to score it and it was a fairly emphatic finish."

McCarthy also felt his side should have had a first-half spot-kick after Villa defender Richard Dunne appeared to hold back Kevin Doyle.

But McCarthy dismissed the notion that a bigger name player than the Republic of Ireland international would have been awarded the penalty.

He said: "If it is a pull of the shirt or a push, it is a penalty and I thought it was. But I think it is unfair to say that a bigger name would have got the penalty."