Morgan Gibbs-White scored in the last minute when the young Wolves came back from a goal down to beat ten men in Brighton. Who has to wait now to defend the Premier League.
In a stunning finish at Molineux, the midfielder caught the best ball in the net. With just seconds of standard time left to reward the Wolves. And punish Albion with a Lewis Dunk red card in the second half.
Dunk was in the middle of the race, rising to send a long header into the corner to give the Seagulls the rightful lead in the first half.
Where the center-back at the time helped save a solid defensive performance.
But his post was worth it. He came to pull the shirt off Fabio Silva after the striker had started with him.
He changed the intensity of the competition with a bit of help from the introduction of Adam Traore.
The winger participated in a fine 14-minute finish to go to the second half. The home team had been working hard despite the individual win.
After that, Morgan Gibbs won it, making repairs to the painful misses earlier. By finishing well to secure his first Premier League goal.
Wolves came to rub the salt on Brighton’s wounds. Striker Neal Maupay received a red card for his second team in the afternoon. After the final whistle following a clash with referee Jonathan Moss.
The win takes the Wolves 45 points. Brighton is 10 points behind 18th-placed Fulham and needs one result to strengthen their Premier League position in 2021-22.
The wolves gave a glimpse of a brighter future.
After promotion, seventh place finished. And European adventure, the campaign represents the backing of the Wolves, a low-key 4-0 win over Burnley in their last home game.
There are mitigating circumstances, not least of the additional 18-month demands imposed by Covid.
That has put them in a minor position than the loss of top striker Raul Jimenez in a fractured skull at the end of November.
Some of the Wanderers players are reaching the end of their lives on the natural shelf at the club. But Nuno Espirito Santo is now finding that some of his minor offenses have the potential to win.
At 24 years and 209 days, the start of the XI on Sunday was the Wolves’ youngest game in a Premier League. The game since October 2009, which included five players under the age of 21 and three youngsters.
They were very nervous in the first half against experienced and physically fit Brighton.
Still, they got given a big room to strengthen themselves in the second and showed stability and behavior to please their manager.
Silva has struggled from time to time this season but has shown signs that it is too late for him to get used to the break-up. And play a vital role in the second half, first drawing Dunk’s error which changed the game.
He then played a double cleaner, with Traore setting up a winger for equalizing.
Gibbs-White has shown the light of his ability, but not the necessary consensus.
The 21-year-old has started a loan move to Swansea for the Championship. But now that he is back with his parent club, he can start building on his undoubted promise.
After a few weeks, when it looked like the Wolves were coming to the end of the season. They now have the first signs of a brighter future.
Brighton postponed unfinished work.
In the results and the league alone, you can get forgiven for thinking that—so much progress made in Brighton in their four seasons in the Premier League. Sunday’s results are some of the worst that will be added to the list.
However, there has been a clear shift in philosophy at the club with signs that Graham Potter is building something more substantial. And more intelligent than his current management at Amex Stadium.
With the full complement of the players, they were the best team in Molineux, blending well with the modern desire to play backward. And the old school qualities of head-to-head scoring from the backs of management.
Even with ten men, the team was well-bound enough to limit the home side in the chances of half the second half.
They were losing two well-intentioned goals as they played for more than 30 minutes. A low man is not something to worry unduly, even if it means a delay in closing their inevitable survival.
The other thing about the loss of discipline is Maupay in full. The defeat means Albion will now be without its leading striker and their captain by the suspension.
