October 05, (THEWILL) — Wolverhampton Wanderers surrendered a precious opportunity to claim their first English Premier League win of the campaign after conceding a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Brighton at Molineux. The result extended the West Midlands side’s winless streak against the Seagulls to eight top-flight encounters, a run that now includes three draws and five defeats.
Manager Vitor Pereira was sent to the stands during the first half, apparently for his protests over a denied free-kick decision, but his team still managed to edge ahead before the interval. Marshall Munetsi broke the deadlock with a spectacular volley that struck the crossbar off Bart Verbruggen’s fingertips before rebounding in off the goalkeeper’s back. The goal came after Jorgen Strand Larsen had flicked on a delivery, and Danny Welbeck failed to clear adequately.
Verbruggen was immediately forced into another save from Ladislav Krejci’s header, while Brighton threatened briefly when Brajan Gruda nearly punished Jackson Tchatchoua’s loose pass to Sam Johnstone. Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler introduced Georginio Rutter at half-time in place of Carlos Baleba, but Wolves carved out the opening chance of the second period when Jhon Arias blazed over from Hugo Bueno’s cutback. Johnstone produced an outstanding save to deny Rutter after Yankuba Minteh’s cross, prompting Wolves to send on Emmanuel Agbadou for Hwang Hee-chan in an attempt to strengthen their defensive shape.
The substitution appeared to invite further pressure from the visitors, though Brighton struggled to turn possession into clear-cut opportunities. Strand Larsen struck the post against the flow of play, a moment that proved costly when Wolves lost concentration from a short corner routine late in the match. Jan Paul van Hecke rose to meet substitute Maxim De Cuyper’s cross and headed past Johnstone to level the scores, sparking frustration among the home support who had witnessed their side concede another goal in the closing stages just days after being pegged back by Tottenham Hotspur.
Brighton climbed to 12th place with the point, extending their unbeaten run across all competitions to four matches with two wins and two draws. Wolves, meanwhile, remain rooted in the bottom and face mounting concern over their inability to protect leads, having now dropped points from winning positions in consecutive EPL fixtures.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
