Brighton 0 Wolves 1 - Report

Bruno Lage's side put in a largely underwhelming first-half performance while after the break, they failed to make the most of a wave of opportunities.

Ultimately, one goal was all they needed and fantastic servant Saiss was the unlikely hero.

Set up in exquisite fashion, the Moroccan's perfectly-placed volley gave Wolves their first away triumph since the fightback against Villa in the middle of October.

This was not a brilliant performance from Lage's men. On the attacking front, they are still short of a proper cutting edge.

The backline, though, continue to catch the eye.

The Seagulls tried to find a way through but simply could not outwit Wolves' well-drilled defensive unit.

Skipper Conor Coady led by example once more while Max Kilman's rise to prominence has been nothing short of excellent.

With Saiss chipping in with the winner, too, you could not have asked for more from the defenders.

There is work to do in front of goal but as long as they prove so difficult to break down, results will inevitably follow. They are ever so solid.

Report

A lot had been said about Brighton's Covid and injury disruptions in the build-up.

Wolves would encounter a couple of issues early on at the Amex as well.

Rayan Ait-Nouri had originally been named in the starting line-up but having picked up a knock in the warm-up, Fernando Marcal was brought in as a last-minute replacement.

Hwang Hee-chan also limped off just a quarter of an hour into the clash, with Adama Traore entering the fray.

Wolves struggled to get going amid those enforced changes while the Seagulls, despite their problems, looked fairly sharp.

They were without key men Lewis Dunk and Neal Maupay but dominated possession for large parts of the first half.

Midfielders Yves Bissouma and Enock Mwepu were particularly busy. Wolves, conversely, had nobody making a real influence.

Brighton should have scored as Mwepu slipped in Solly March.

He had escaped the attention of Marcal but proceeded to fluff his lines, scuffing his strike wide of the near post. They would go on to rue that miss, too.

Wolves, in the main, had been very passive throughout the first period. The interchanging front three of Traore, Daniel Podence and Francisco Trincao were quiet - the latter especially.

Ruben Neves, though, was on hand to provide a moment of true quality to help them take the lead.

The Portuguese had come up with Wolves' only other notable effort, testing Robert Sanchez from long range, before punishing a Seagulls mistake.

Bissouma's attempted clearance from a corner fell right at the feet of the midfield maestro, and his beautiful lofted through-ball was smartly finished by Saiss for an unlikely lead.

Brighton, barely believing they were behind, were then left in a state of utter shock as Mwepu spurned a sitter.

Jose Sa had done well to keep out Leandro Trossard's effort before Mwepu, from just a couple of yards out, somehow blazed his shot well over the crossbar.

Wolves very much seemed to have Lady Luck on their side. They almost grabbed a fortunate second after the restart as well. Podence found the advancing Marcal, whose intended cross struck the woodwork.

In fairness to Lage's charges, their overall play had improved considerably.

A long break in play due to the referee's electrical kit malfunctioning proved frustrating for both sides, but Wolves created a succession of openings either side of that delay.

The first saw Traore drive through the middle and play a well-timed pass through to Trincao, who was kept out by Sanchez.

Saiss then looked to get in on the act again with another volley, forcing the Seagulls keeper into a fine reaction save.

Wolves, while they had not done much wrong with either of those chances, soon started to show a lack of ruthlessness.

Podence was released but took too many touches and could not find the net from an acute angle.

He then had the opportunity to make amends after being teed up by Traore, but he could only shoot straight into the grateful arms of Sanchez.

Wolves, make no mistake, should have been out of sight by this point.

They have hardly been free-scoring all season, though, and without the suspended Raul Jimenez, their shortcomings in the final third did not come as a massive surprise.

Brighton made a series of attacking changes in an attempt to grab a leveller. Alexis Mac Allister and Adam Lallana were both brought on.

Wolves' defenders, however, have impressed all season long and stood firm once again.

The Seagulls, after that lengthy referee stoppage, had a whopping 11 minutes of added time to try to find a winner but could not get past the defensive wall.

Although not a classic, this was a welcome three points for Lage and his troops. Their first victory in five.

Teams

Brighton (4-3-3): Sanchez; Lamptey, Veltman, Burn (c), Cucurella; Mwepu (Richards, 82), Bissouma (Lallana, 82), Moder; March, Connolly (Mac Allister, 60), Trossard

Subs not used: Scherpen (gk), Alzate, Roberts, Leonard, Turns, Ferguson

Wolves (3-4-3): Sa; Kilman, Coady (c), Saiss; Semedo, Moutinho, Neves, Marcal; Trincao (Dendoncker, 90+4), Hwang (Traore, 15) (Silva, 90+11), Podence

Subs not used: Moulden (gk), Ruddy (gk), Hoever, Boly, Cundle

Goal: Saiss (45)

Referee: Tony Harrington