Fabian Hurzeler's Brighton & Hove Albion took one step closer to a top-half finish in the Premier League by beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 at Molineux on Saturday afternoon.
The hosts may have had almost three times as many shots as their opponents in the opening 45, but it was the visitors that had the ball in the back of the net first, though Danny Welbeck's 26th-minute strike was disallowed due to Yankuba Minteh interfering with play from an offside position.
However, the 34-year-old striker had his goal just moments later when Matheus Cunha's foul on Mats Wieffer gave him the chance to dispatch a penalty, and the Seagulls went into the break with a lead having produced less than 0.1 xG from open play.
Wolves continued to control possession in the first 15 minutes of the second half but also continued to lack real threat, so Vitor Pereira opted to make four changes around the hour mark, most notably replacing star man Cunha with striker Jorgen Strand Larsen.
The substitute striker then became the target for the hosts' attacks, with Rayan Ait Nouri attempting to pick him out with a number of crosses, but Brighton's own attacking reinforcement, Brajan Gruda, sealed all three points for the visitors with a late chip over Jose Sa.
SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT
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Wolves boss Pereira completely revitalised his side since his arrival and impressively guided them to safety with a six-game winning streak across March and April, but he will still be disappointed to lose back-to-back matches at the tail end of the season.
The Old Gold are now 14th in the table with 41 points, and with two games to play, they will be aiming to catch David Moyes's Everton, who are just one point ahead.
As for Brighton, Saturday's triumph represented only their second win in nine matches across all competitions, a spell that has seen them lose four and draw the other three over the last two months.
Hurzeler will be pleased with the resilience that his team showed to hold out against a home side that, while lacking a cutting edge, still managed to produce 10 shots, and the division's youngest head coach will also be thankful for the decisive finishing that Welbeck and Gruda used to score twice.
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS VS. BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION HIGHLIGHTS
26th min: Danny Welbeck (Brighton & Hove Albion) disallowed goal
28th min: Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-1 Brighton & Hove Albion (Danny Welbeck)
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Wolves' talismanic forward Matheus Cunha brings down Wieffer in the box, and just moments after having a goal ruled out, Welbeck steps to the ball with a short run up, sends the goalkeeper the wrong way and slots into the bottom-right corner from 12 yards.
85th min: Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-2 Brighton & Hove Albion (Brajan Gruda)
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Simon Adingra drives towards the Wolves box before sliding a pass through to Gruda on the left-hand side of the area, and the former Mainz 05 man deftly chips the ball over Jose Sa to score his first Premier League goal.
The Brighton sub secures the victory for his side!
MAN OF THE MATCH - DANNY WELBECK
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The Premier League veteran had the ball in the back of the net twice in the first half, and his decisiveness in front of goal made the difference for a Brighton side that did not create that many chances over the 90 minutes.
Reaching 10 goals for the first time after 17 top-flight seasons is a commendable achievement, and the striker will be hoping that his numbers can help the Seagulls finish in the top 10.
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS VS. BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION MATCH STATS
Possession: Wolverhampton Wanderers 56%-44% Brighton & Hove Albion
Shots: Wolverhampton Wanderers 10-7 Brighton & Hove Albion
Shots on target: Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-2 Brighton & Hove Albion
Corners: Wolverhampton Wanderers 7-4 Brighton & Hove Albion
Fouls: Wolverhampton Wanderers 8-11 Brighton & Hove Albion
BEST STATS
Danny Welbeck reaches 10 goals in a single Premier League campaign for the first time 🤩 pic.twitter.com/En1gLvx7E1
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 10, 2025
For the first time ever in the Premier League, Brighton have had multiple players score 10+ league goals in a single season.
— Squawka (@Squawka) May 10, 2025
◉ 11 - Joao Pedro
◉ 10 - Danny Welbeck
And Kaoru Mitoma is one goal away from joining them. 😀 pic.twitter.com/MuOVk5iyv1
WHAT NEXT?
Up next for Wolves is a trip to London to face Crystal Palace on May 20, while Brighton will host champions Liverpool at the Amex a day earlier.
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