Brighton vs Wolves Player Ratings as Matheus Cunha rallies a late comeback for the Wolves

An under-pressure Gary O’Neil and Wolverhampton Wanderers mounted a brave comeback in the closing stages of the game against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday. Having had to face each of the top 5 teams, only 9 games into the season, it has been an abysmal start to the season for the Wolves. That said, their brave performance on the night, fighting back from 2-0 down in the 85th minute, Wolves showed great heart and character to put their second point on the board for the season. Although it is not much, O’Neil’s men will feel much better considering the relatively easier fixtures that await them.

As for Brighton, the high-flying Seagulls nearly kept their solid start to the season going as their frontmen, Danny Welbeck delivering yet again, and Evan Ferguson opening his account for the season, put them ahead. Whilst Fabian Hurzeler may have started to make preparations to shut up shop, his side unfortunately lost sight of the finish line, conceding twice within a span of 5 minutes. With back-to-back games against Liverpool followed by a showdown with the defending champions Manchester City, the draw today will certainly play a part in their confidence before going into the difficult run-in.

Brighton & Hove Albion Player Ratings vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

Goalkeeper

Bart Verbruggen: 7/10 – A solid performance from the Brighton no.1 who was called into action on a few occasions. Commanded his box well and was fairly accurate with his long balls and passing. All in all a very standard performance from the keeper, who was quite unlucky with both goals.

Defenders

Pervis Estupiñán: 7/10 – A mostly solid performance from the high-flying left back who, despite being out of position during a couple of counter-attacks more than made up for it, marshalling his flank well.

Igor Júlio: 6/10 – Stepping in at the eleventh hour for Lewis Dunk, Igor was warmly welcomed by the Seagull fans. Barring a couple of frantic moments, the Brazilian had a rather calm and measured performance, even dribbling out of trouble with some sleek footwork on one occasion.

Jan Paul van Hecke: 6/10 – An average day’s work for van Hecke, who up until his team conceded, had done well to keep up with the Wolves attack. Although he wasn’t necessarily at fault for either goal, there was a feeling that the Dutchman could have organized his teammates better.

Joël Veltman: 5/10 – Quite possibly the poorest of the backline and the entire team, Veltman was seemingly the target for most of Wolves’ attack in the second half. With a substitute brought on to help reinforce his side, it still did not pay off in the end.

Midfielders

Kaoru Mitoma: 6/10 – A mixed-bag performance from the Japanese winger, he was electric at times yet mostly kept in check by Nelson Semedo. Losing possession on 12 instances throughout the game, Mitoma’s performance on the night was more wasteful than what we have come to expect from him.

Yasin Ayari: 6/10 – Another middle-of-the-pack performance from Ayari, who did put in a few good crosses during the set pieces. Although his team dominated the middle of the park for most of the game, the 21-year-old was often wasteful in possession.

Carlos Baleba: 9/10 – Arguably the best Brighton player on the evening, Baleba was ever present in the midfield, pulling the strings and even letting rip a couple of shots on goal. Perhaps having just a singular lapse of concentration all game, the young midfielder was constantly breaking up play with his tackles and interceptions.

Ferdi Kadıoğlu: 6/10 – Playing much higher up than usual, the Turkish fullback was given the freedom of the right flank for the most part. Although he did well on a couple of occasions, playing a key role in the first goal as well, the new Seagull signee quickly faded in the second half.

Attackers

Danny Welbeck (c): 8/10 – Leading the line (and his team today) and delivering in consecutive games, Danny Welbeck is looking to make up for lost time this season. With a bright start, the veteran frontman will look to break into double digits this season.

Georginio Rutter: 7/10 – Although he is still setting in to life at the Amex, the Seagull fans have taken a liking to Rutter, who yet again popped up with an assist for Welbeck’s goal. Whilst he could have presented more of a threat, Rutter did well to use his physicality to cause problems in the Wolves defense.

Substitutes

Evan Ferguson: 8/10 – Stepped onto the pitch and scored less than 10 minutes later, it was a near-perfect cameo from Ferguson. Took his goal well and looked like a threat the second he stepped on.

Tariq Lamptey: 7/10 – Brought in to support Veltman on the right-hand side, Lamptey did well to venture further forward and find Ferguson for Brighton’s second goal.

Brajan Gruda: N/A

Mats Wieffer: N/A

Julio Enciso: N/A

Manager

Fabian Hurzeler: 7/10 – Although he had most of the game play out how he would have wanted, a few decisions regarding the substitutions may have cost him the game today. Regardless, it will be good learning for the difficult games against the Top 2 next.

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Wolverhampton Wanderers Player Ratings vs Brighton & Hove Albion

Goalkeeper

José Sá: 6/10 – Started off quite solid but made a rather unnecessary error which led to the Brighton opener. Aside from the mistake, it was yet another average performance from the Portuguese keeper.

Defenders

Toti Gomes: 6/10 – Didn’t really have the best game and was unable to recover in time for Brighton’sopener. Although his performance was nothing calamitous, it was interesting to see the manager take him off at half-time.

Craig Dawson: 7/10 – Mostly rock solid at the heart of the defense, Dawson was put in a precarious situation for the first goal. Aside from that, he did well to command the troops as they mounted the late comeback.

Santiago Bueno: 6/10 – A rather shaky performance from Bueno who found himself outdone by the Brighton attackers at the time. Notably, Welbeck would have likely added to his tally after getting past the centre-back, if not for an unintentional touch.

Midfielders

Rayan Aït Nouri: 7/10 – A typical performance as we have come to expect from the wingback, who once again was lacking defensively, but made up for it with the goal that started the comeback. Also took up good positions to try and further the odd Wolves attack during the first half.

Mario Lemina (c): 6/10 – A quite average performance from the captain who was surprisingly subbed off at halftime. Although it is unknown whether it was due to injury or not, Lemina seemed like one of the few with any fight during the first half.

Tommy Doyle: 6.5/10 – Put in a good shift overall, missing a vital chance in the first half. Ran his socks off in the second and was slightly unlucky to come up against Ferguson for the second goal.

João Gomes: 6/10 – A slightly strange performance, playing higher up in the second half before returning to his usual position in the second. Did not really offer too much stability in either half of the pitch.

Nélson Semedo: 7/10 – Quite possibly one of his best defensive showings, Semedo did well to repel the tricky Mitoma, often winning out the 1v1 against his man. Whilst he did venture further up the field, he missed out on the chance to create something substantial.

Attackers

Matheus Cunha: 9/10 – Made the most of a statuesque Brighton defense for the equalizer. Was lively in both halves and truly gave his all throughout the entire game.

Jørgen Strand Larsen: 6/10 – A rather slow and fatigued performance from the number 9, who was unable to hold up the play or bring his teammates into the game. Had a few difficult chances but did not help himself by trying to impose his strength on the opposite defenders.

Substitutes

Pablo Sarabia: 6/10 – Effectively brought in to help create something substantial in the final third, Sarabia started well but faded as the game went on. Played his part in getting the team upfield for the second goal.

Carlos Forbes: 6/10 – Brought in to bring some spark into the attack, Forbes was often indecisive with his movements. Whilst he seems to be a capable attacker, he is yet to develop the defensive prowess required to function in a Wolves side.

André: N/A

Rodrigo Gomes: N/A

Gonçalo Guedes: N/A

Manager

Gary O’Neil: 7/10- Although the game did not initially play out as he would have hoped, O’Neil’s willingness to make the changes and put all caution in the wind for a fightback must be commended. Despite the difficult start, the players clearly believe and trust his vision.

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