One player scores ‘unacceptable’ 4/10 in ‘worst performance for club’ - Wolves ratings vs Brighton

Wolverhampton Wanderers suffered a crushing 2-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday afternoon, Danny Welbeck’s first-half penalty and Brajan Gruda’s late dink enough to earn the Europe-chasing visitors all three points at Molineux.

Wanderers flattered to deceive for long stretches of the game as they had the lion’s share of possession and enjoyed flurries of attacking activity but were restricted by Brighton’s sturdy back five. Wolves were let down by talisman Matheus Cunha, too, as he gave away the sloppy first-half penalty that sent Albion on their way.

Brighton thought they’d opened the scoring in the 22nd minute as Welbeck latched onto a Matt O’Riley cross and poked home from close range, but the lineman’s flag went up. VAR then confirmed the decision with a lengthy check, concluding that Minteh was in an offside position and “made an obvious action which impacted the ability of the opponent to play the ball”.

It wasn’t long until the Seagulls did make it 1-0, though, as Welbeck converted coolly from the penalty spot in the 28th minute after Cunha fouled Matts Wieffer in the box. It was a horrendous error from Cunha as he was dispossessed cheaply by Wieffer on the edge of his own area and then failed to make amends, lunging in and completely taking out Brighton’s number 27. He was perhaps a little lucky not to be sent off, too, as it looked like a clear goalscoring opportunity.

Wolves dominated possession for the rest of the first half but did very little with it, passing ponderously side to side as Brighton afforded the hosts little space in between the lines. Marshall Munetsi missed a hat-trick of headers, one narrowly over the bar, another saved and the final one wide, but Wanderers were otherwise toothless, much to the frustration of the Molineux faithful.

The hosts tried to lift the tempo after the break and Pereira made a bold quadruple change on the hour mark, but the efforts were in vain as Wolves failed to create many opportunities of note. Cunha went close as he saw a 20-yard effort saved by Bart Verbruggen at full stretch, but the Seagulls were otherwise fairly comfortable defensively.

Super substitute Gruda then put the result beyond doubt as he netted Brighton’s second in the 85th-minute, latching onto Simon Adingra’s through pass and dinking calmly over Jose Sa. Andre should’ve done better for Wolves as his missed interception allowed the ball through to the goalscorer.

After winning six on the bounce, Wolves have now suffered successive defeats and drop to 14th in the Premier League. Here’s how Birmingham World rated the players out of 10 on a disappointing afternoon at Molineux.

Wolves player ratings vs Brighton

Jose Sa - Chipped by Gruda for Albion’s second goal as he came off his line and took the gamble of going low. Dived the wrong way for the Welbeck penalty. 5

Nelson Semedo - Helped limit Brighton’s threat down his side for much of the game but let himself down as he didn’t even make an effort to track Gruda’s run for the second goal. Ineffective at the opposite end of the field, too. 5

Matt Doherty (off 59’) - Was neither here or there, really, as he contained Minteh for the most part but didn’t make any noticeable contributions. 6

Emmanuel Agbadou - Battled hard to reduce the visitors’ output, making a host of clearances and interceptions. Had mixed success passing out from the back, though, as he attempted many long passes that often didn’t pay off. Seemed to struggle with just how incessant Brighton’s press was as many of his first touches were wayward. 6

Toti Gomes - Put under all sorts of pressure by the likes of Lamptey, Gruda and O’Riley but coped well for the most part. Made a couple of really important last-gasp interventions to stop Brighton counter-attacks in the second half. 6

Rayan Ait-Nouri - Showed better determination than most to get forward, giving Wieffer and O’Riley a tough time with his dribbles inside and out. Struggled to deal with Lamptey’s pace at times, though. 7

Andre - Perhaps should’ve done better for Gruda’s goal as he misjudged his interception attempt, allowing Adingra’s pass through. It was a shame as he otherwise broke up the play very well with some big tackles, completing eight all in all. 7

Joao Gomes (off 59’) - Not at his best, as much of what he attempted didn’t pay off. Tried to power forward with the ball on several occasions but met his match in Baleba. 5

Marshall Munetsi - Worked his socks off again to try and force mistakes from Brighton’s defenders and midfielders. Had the most chances out of any player on the pitch, too, as he got in great positions for three headers. They were all missed, but he was at least showing the desire to get there – unlike many others. 6

Goncalo Guedes (off 59’) - Wasted two big chances in the opening 10 minutes, the first volleyed merely inches over the bar and the second blocked by a Brighton defender. Not too involved afterward. 5

Matheus Cunha (off 59’) - Gave away the penalty Welbeck converted and was at fault beforehand, too, as he was dispossessed by Wieffer; an unacceptable error at this level. Looked determined to make amends but wasn’t able to stump up any of his usual magic, often forcing shots from outside the area. Could even go as far as saying it was his worst performance for the club. 4