Brighton 2-2 Wolves: Nuno Espirito Santo's side extend unbeaten run to 11 games

Report and highlights as Wolves move up to sixth in the Premier League table; Brighton stay 12th

Sunday 8 December 2019 20:21, UK

Wolves stretched their unbeaten run in the Premier League to 11 games after a 2-2 draw with Brighton at the Amex Stadium.

Diogo Jota started the scoring, finishing from close range in the 28th minute, but two goals in under two minutes turned the game on its head as Brighton took the lead thanks to goals from Neal Maupay (34) and Davy Propper (36).

Wolves were gifted a way back into the game just before the break when Jota (44) capitalised on some slack passing from the hosts to score his second of the game, but neither side could find a winner in the second half as the points were shared.

The draw sees Wolves, who move up to sixth, miss out on the chance to go above Manchester United into fifth. Meanwhile, the point sees Brighton stay 12th in the table.

How Wolves extended their unbeaten run

The game burst into life when Wolves opened the scoring in the 28th minute. Jota started the move himself, feeding the ball wide for Raul Jimenez, who provided the return pass for the Portuguese forward to apply the finish from close range.

Jota was denied a second by 'keeper Mat Ryan after racing through one-on-one, and the miss quickly proved costly when Brighton launched an astonishing turnaround.

Nuno Espirito Santo's side were 2-1 down within eight minutes of going in front. Maupay drilled home a left-footed strike from distance after latching onto Dale Stephens' long ball and 96 seconds later, Propper headed Brighton into the lead from a Leandro Trossard cross and some good work from Aaron Mooy in the build-up.

Brighton's lead lasted just eight minutes though, as Wolves were back on level terms just before half-time. Propper gifted possession straight to Jonny Otto as the hosts attempted to play out from the back.

Jota then received the ball from Jonny in the centre of the penalty area before turning and sending a strike beyond Ryan and into the far corner.

After the break, Lewis Dunk survived a VAR check after getting in the way of Jota's close-range shot, with Wolves claiming a handball which would have been extremely harsh.

Wolves could have snatched victory late on when Patrick Cutrone got to the byline and pulled the ball back, but fellow sub Pedro Neto was unable to provide the finishing touch as the points were shared.

Live football on Sky Sports this week

What the managers said…

Brighton manager Graham Potter: "It was a good result for us against a really good team on the back of a tough away match against Arsenal. We're happy, although it was not our best performance today.

"We had a bit of luck as they missed a couple of good opportunities, but I can't question the character of the boys, overall 2-2 at half-time was fair. We just needed to carry on and keep going in the second half. Wolves are not easy to break down: they are not 11 games unbeaten in the league for nothing."

Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo:"It was like we expected, a tough game, but it was entertaining
with both teams wanting to really go and score goals. We had very good momentum in the first half, we were in control.

"Then a mistake happened, we didn't defend so well, and Brighton reacted. The second half was well played by both teams, trying to play their football. I think it could have gone either way but we finished on the front foot and
I'm proud of the way my players keep going. Resilience is the word. We never give up. We want to improve and get
better."

On Wolves' unbeaten run, he added: "All the credit (to the players) and our fans because they are always with us. Everybody is embracing this challenge and we want to keep on going."

Man of the Match - Diogo Jota

Opta stats

Wolves have amassed 24 points from their 16 Premier League games this season (W5 D9 L2) - their highest total at this stage of a top-flight campaign since 1979-80 under John Barnwell (25 points).
Brighton had 61.7% possession during their draw with Wolves, the third most for the Seagulls in a Premier League match this season. Indeed, under Graham Potter, Brighton are averaging 55% possession in the top-flight, compared to just 42% during Chris Hughton's tenure.
Nine of Wolves' 16 Premier League games this season have ended level - only Ipswich in 1992/93 and Sunderland in 2014/15 drew more matches at this stage of the competition (10).
Brighton versus Wolves is the third Premier League game this season to see both sides score at least twice during the first half, after Norwich v Chelsea and Liverpool v Everton.

What's next?

Brighton travel to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace on Monday Night Football, live on Sky Sports Premier League; Kick-off 7.45pm.

Wolves now host Besiktas in their final Europa League group stage match at 8pm on Thursday, before hosting Tottenham on Sunday at 2pm in the Premier League.