Wolves 3 Brighton 3 - analysis and pictures

Fans, players, manager and the "new way" which is experiencing a difficult birth at Molineux...it all made a lot more sense after Solbakken's Wolves cleared a path through a whole heap of adversity and emerged stronger and more together as a result.

On another day, they may have eked out a one-goal win which would have brought a better points haul. But it is possible the club took even more from a 3-3 draw achieved with 10 men after a riled Molineux was mobilised by a deep sense of grievance.

No quotes, no reactions, no need for weighty reflection. For once, the story of the game tells us all we need to know about its impact.

A slumbering match was sent spinning towards its dramatic climax by a fateful few minutes just before the end of a first half in which Wolves had established a comfortable control after yet another goal of fine quality by Bakary Sako on 22 minutes.

His finish was exquisite but this was no one-man spectacular. The movement of Jermaine Pennant and exchange between the scorer and Kevin Doyle, which created the opportunity, symbolised everything Solbakken is seeking even as he waits for more suitable components in the transfer windows to come.

Indeed, it was Brighton who were cast in the role Wolves have assumed on more than one occasion this season – keeping possession but without threatening to strike a punishing blow.

But then some carelessly-conceded possession by Sako opened their guard for Craig Mackail-Smith to equalise with an impressive finish of his own and, with the home dug-out still rattling to the fury of Solbakken's punch of maddened frustration, the damage doubled.

An over-zealous Karl Henry lunged into a full-stretch challenge on Liam Bridcutt and gave referee Scott Mathieson no choice but to issue a red card. There have been far too many long afternoons for Wolves fans in 2012 but one more now stretched before them at a time when the first questions were being raised about the wisdom of the path the club has taken with their new manager.

By the end of it, however, a sense of togetherness had been restored. As the first waves of Brighton's now dominant possession were repelled, the South Bank rallied to provide an inspirational cacophony which sent Tongo Doumbia charging through midfield to score with a shot of Sako-like power after an hour.

Wolves clung to their advantage, happy perhaps to be back in the territory of a game with which they are more comfortable and familiar – a McCarthy-like, backs-to-the-wall scrap. But Brighton's relentless possession had to pay off at some point and, sure enough, they fashioned another quality goal, taken by Will Buckley with aplomb.

The scorer instantly seized the ball from behind Carl Ikeme in a clear signal of Brighton's intent. Nearly 20 minutes left; they were coming back for the kill.

Molineux's volume rose with the defiance of their team which by now was circulating around the once-compromised figure of Roger Johnson. Headers on to the bar, last-ditch clearances off the line, Ikeme heroics, intense tackling and covering from full-backs Kevin Foley and the excellent Stephen Ward all punctuated by occasional forays led by Doyle, Sako or – looking fitter, faster and fresher than previously seen – Bjorn Sigurdarson. Could Wolves reach the finish line with a point for this huge effort?

They were so nearly there when a clever back-heel by Stephen Dobbie flipped up and struck the arm of the unsuspecting Ward directly behind him.

The referee's penalty call may have been technically correct but it felt like getting nicked for doing 41 in 40mph zone with nine points on your licence.

Dobbie scored with heartless certainty – but an enraged Wolves utilised their fury for one final, momentous assault at Brighton's goal. Incredibly, Doumbia was defied by a goal-line clearance but, one minute into stoppage time, Sako's free-kick found Johnson veering in at the far post to steer home a sideways header.

As he sprinted away in celebration, he offered the image of a man who had at last found redemption in his first goal for the club and a performance of real substance.

As his team-mates shared the moment, we at last saw a new identity emerging from so much change on Molineux's turbulent landscape.

Nine times this season Wolves have been unable to find a second goal with 11 men. In one half, they had scored twice with 10.

In doing so, they may have discovered so much more than an end to such a troubling statistic.

By Martin Swain