Wolves earn special praise from Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi despite heavy defeat

Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi had plenty of praise for Wolverhampton Wanderers despite the 4-1 thrashing his side inflicted at Molineux on Saturday afternoon.

Wolves made a good account of themselves in the first half and showed signs of promise but fell apart at the start of the second period, well and truly.

The Seagulls scored three times in the space of 10 minutes, deciding the fate of the match and crushing the previously hopeful atmosphere around the ground.

Supporters flooded out of Molineux in the closing stages and there was a chorus of boos from a small portion of the crowd, likely directed at the ownership.

De Zerbi, who has momentarily directed Brighton to the top of the Premier League, was of course delighted with the result but wanted to make a point to praise the hosts.

“I like Wolves, I think Wolves are a very good team. They showed quality in their performance and we knew it could be a tough game,” De Zerbi told the media post-match.

“In the first half, it was very tough. I think we deserved to score in the second half [but] in terms of the credit of the result, I think it [made us look] better,” De Zerbi admitted.

Wanderers boss Gary O’Neil was in agreement with the Italian as he felt his team created plenty of opportunities, especially in the final half an hour or so of the encounter.

“It wasn’t worlds apart [from the game at Old Trafford],” O’Neil said. “The scoreline will make most people believe it was, but we had a good number of shots and chances.

“You can’t miss that many shots. It was an aggressive game plan, we pressed high and there’s a risk attached to that. When we win the ball back, we have to do better.

“Brighton were clinical on the counter. I’m disappointed that we lost 4-1 but we’re very early in the process against a team that are a long way into theirs,” O’Neil continued.

Wolves slumped to rock bottom of the Premier League following their second successive loss but will be eager to put things right when they face Everton next Saturday.