Brighton & Hove Albion vs Wolverhampton Wanderers – Match Report
Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton and Hove Albion clashed with Gary O’Neil’s Wolverhampton Wanderers in their second Premier League game of the season. Wolves made just a single change after their unfortunate 1-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford last Monday, with Fabio Silva replacing Pablo Sarabia. Meanwhile, Brighton made three changes to their starting lineup, with Julio Enciso, Billy Gilmour, and Adam Webster all joining the starting eleven following their convincing 4-1 win against Luton last week. England manager, Gareth Southgate was in attendance looking at potential candidates for his upcoming England squad.
The standout moment of the game arrived in the 15th minute when Japanese international and fan favourite Kaoru Mitoma took charge of the ball around 40 yards from Wolves’ goal. With an awe-inspiring run, Mitoma breezed past, navigating through defenders before calmly slotting the ball into the bottom corner past goalkeeper Jose Sa.
Wolves responded well though and had a few clear-cut chances on the counterattack. Portuguese forward Fabio Silva found himself in a one-on-one situation with Brighton’s goalkeeper Jason Steele, only to be denied with a crucial save. Rayan Ait-Nouri then blazed over from 8 yards out just before halftime.
Brighton came out rampant in the second half scoring 3 in 10 minutes. The first came less than 60 seconds after the restart, with goal scorer Mitoma pulling the ball back to Pervis Estupinan, who slotted home into the bottom corner with a left-footed finish.
The Seagulls’ third goal came just 5 minutes later, made by a wonderful outside-the-boot pass from last season’s ‘goal of the season’ winner Julio Enciso allowed Solly March to thump home his second in as many games.
Then just another 4 minutes later, the same passage of play, this time from the opposite wing meant March once again converted an Enciso cross.
Wolves looked stunned and Molineux fell silent however Gary O’Neil’s side pulled a goal back courtesy of a Hwang Hee-Chan header from a Pablo Sarabia corner.
Tensions escalated in the end, with Wolverhampton Wanderers struggling to contain Brighton’s onslaught. Matheus Nunes received a second yellow card for pushing goal scorer Estupinan, adding insult to injury for the home side.
Billy Gilmour showcased his impressive skill set on the pitch, displaying accurate passing and composure under pressure whilst also recovering the ball 7 times (the second most for Brighton behind Solly March) showed manager De Zerbi that he could potentially fill the Moises Caicedo-shaped hole in Brighton’s midfield. Solly March’s performance was also one that would impress onlooker Southgate, he didn’t just score two goals, his constant running and ball recovery helped prevent any complacency and secure the win.
Despite Wolverhampton Wanderers having their share of chances at 1-0, Brighton’s relentless start to the second half effectively sealed the 3 points. The Seagulls secured yet another dominant victory and achieved the remarkable feat of winning their opening away game for the fifth consecutive season, a feat matched only by Manchester City. Unlike their unjust 1-0 loss to Manchester United, Wolves could have no complaints about this game, their poor defending and difficulty retaining possession in midfield meant they conceded multiple chances and on another day it could have been more than just 4.
