Wolves Fans' Verdict v Brighton: A remarkable comeback!

John Lalley

It takes some doing to spurn a four against one break with the profligacy Brighton displayed with the game there for the taking.

So, Wolves got lucky but I defy anyone to begrudge them a belated rub of the green. We’ve been a poor outfit all season, the evidence is indisputable but we haven’t enjoyed a scintilla of good fortune and this unexpected reward is well overdue.

Credit to the team for manufacturing a decent point from the most unpromising circumstances and it’s undoubtedly a morale booster, but talk of turning points and watershed moments is a huge overstatement.

Over the next fortnight Wolves face two of the most definitive games that they will have played in a long time.

The time for extenuating circumstances, whether it be talk of a horrendously challenging run of difficult fixtures, misfortune with VAR, injuries, lack of investment or any other caveat to explain our dismal start to the season, all are rendered irrelevant.

There really cannot be any further excuses; should the team flop against Crystal Palace and Southampton, then surely a change of direction will become an absolute necessity.

Conversely, a six- point return surely would be a platform to at least suggest that there is a realistic possibility that this dreadful record hanging around our neck might be lifted. It’s a highly significant time for the club; we have to deliver.

Clive Smith

Wow...where to begin, the 88th minute, the end or the start? What a mixed up game it was. The ‘highs and lows’ doesn’t come close to describing the swinging emotions throughout.

The opening half saw Brighton’s impressive passing seemingly always able to find an open man, whether it was wide left, right or through the middle. We’ve seen this before and still have the scars from a recent encounter.

Our back five (hurray) held firm throughout, restricting clear cut chances as we had done v City. Sa had made one full length save from a long range shot, but as the half came to a close he misdirected a kick that was in our net within seconds.

Having worked so hard to preserve our clean sheet it was annoying to present such an opportunity and be punished clinically. I think at least 95 per cent of us wanted Sa to start and it was his only mistake. Hard to crucify him for that, given the several mistakes others made, but this one sure ruined our spirits during the interval.

We’d been second best in the half but did fashion the best opening that saw Doyle shoot over from an excellent pass from Cunha. Besides that Semedo provided our best attacking option, constantly having lots of space with Mitoma not keen on defending at all.

Instead of making the most of this our attacks tended to go down the left side. Toti and Ait-Nouri however offered very little going forward.

We’re not used to expecting the unexpected but a back four (really?) and the introduction of Sarabia and Forbs was certainly a surprising way to start the second half.

We played at a much higher tempo, a partial press, were slightly less wasteful with our passing and managed to play the game very much further forward. We looked more likely to score than we had, but equally we looked just as likely to concede again.