Mixu Paatelainen kept Wolves' FA Cup hopes alive with a second-half equaliser at Wimbledon in a fifth round tie that only came to life in the last 25 minutes.

The Premiership side took the lead at Selhurst Park after 13 minutes with Jason Euell's second goal in three games since returning from three months out through injury.

And their defence stood up resolutely to Wolves' attempts to get back into the game until the 67th minute when Finnish international Paatelainen equalised from short range to set up the most exciting period of a strangely lifeless game.

Both sides pressed for the winner in the closing stages, with perhaps Wolves looking the most likely to score again, but when the final whistle blew the visitors had done enough to earn a replay at Molineux a week on Wednesday.

Earlier, the quiet start to the game had been in stark contrast to the noisy reception given to Wolves by their estimated 7,000 fans who had made the trip from the Black Country and almost out-numbered the home fans as they greeted their team with a sea of gold and black balloons.

Striker Don Goodman headed over twice and saw Dons' keeper Neil Sullivan just beat him to a flick on from Paatelainen in the early exchanges.

But Wimbledon soon took the lead when the visitors' defence froze and allowed Euell to capitalise on a flick-on from Stewart Castledine and head virtually unchallenged past keeper Mike Stowell after the 21-year-old striker had himself put Peter Fear clear on the left to set up the cross.

Wolves started to exert more pressure after falling behind, with Dean Richards showing poise when he brought the ball out of defence but the home side always seemed to be able to just deflect or boot the ball to safety as they restricted Wolves to hopeful long-range efforts.

The First Division side were playing with commitment but a lack of incisiveness and it was keeper Stowell who kept them in the game twice at the start of the second half.

The best Wimbledon effort came from an unlikely source - captain Vinnie Jones hitting a powerful shot from all of 30 yards out that seemed destined for the top corner until Stowell dived high to his right to tip it away.

He then reproduced his heroics when Castledine turned on a rebound in the area and drove in a shot from point-blank range that the Wolves keeper somehow managed to block.

Wolves manager Mark McGhee, already without injured strikers Robbie Keane and Steve Bull, had to change something and he responded by bringing on former Crystal Palace forward Dougie Freedman for midfielder Steve Sedgley on 63 minutes to boost his attacking options.

Within five minutes Wolves were level with Paatelainen claiming to have steered Carl Robinson's cross past Sullivan, although there was more than a suspicion that defender Duncan Jupp had the final touch as the two players went for the ball together in the six-yard box.

Fear had Stowell frantically rushing back towards his goal-line as he returned a clearance with interest from the halfway line only to see his audacious effort booted clear at the last minute, while Keith Curle, returning to his former club, headed off the line on 76 minutes.

Then Freedman almost made an immediate impact on the ground where he secured Palace's play-off victory over Wolves last season, when he chipped Sullivan from 20 yards out only for the ball to just clear the bar and deny him a fairytale winner.

Teams

Wimbledon: Sullivan, Jones, Blackwell, Thatcher, Perry, Ardley, Castledine, Jupp, Euell, Fear, Cort (Clarke 78).

Subs Not Used: Kimble, Heald, Reeves, Francis.

Goals: Euell 14.

Wolverhampton: Stowell, Atkins, Naylor, Sedgley (Freedman 63), Richards, Curle, Goodman, Simpson, Paatelainen (Williams 90), Robinson, Osborn.

Subs Not Used: Murray, Daley, Crowe.

Goals: Paatelainen 67.

Att: 15,322

Ref: U D Rennie (Sheffield).