Match Review: Brighton 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
If it’s the sign of a good team to win when you’re not playing well, then Brighton and Hove Albion are a very good team at the minute.
For three games in a row now, the Albion haven’t been particularly good. They’ve been dominated by first West Ham United, then Newcastle United and on now Wolverhampton Wanderers but come away with three points via 1-0 wins on each occasion.
Only someone with the most blue-and-white tinted of spectacles could claim that Wolves weren’t worthy of at least a point. The only reason they didn’t leave the Amex with one was because of some stunning interventions from Maty Ryan.
In our Match Preview, we’d billed this as being Brighton v Jorge Mendes because of Wolves’ links with the Portuguese super agent which has seen them sign the likes of Rui Patricio, Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves for knockdown fees, as well as picking up one of the best young managers in the game, Nuno Espirito Santo.
It actually turned out being Ryan v Mendes. The Australian number one pulled off three stunning saves, the best of which came in stoppage time when he somehow kept out Ryan Bennett’s powerful effort from seven yards with one hand after a scramble in the box.
Before that, he’d readjusted brilliantly to turn away Neves’ shot through a crowded area after a corner wasn’t cleared. Said corner had come about in the first place from Ryan parrying a low Matt Doherty effort around the post.
In front of the exceptional Ryan, Lewis Dunk and Shane Duffy played their part with a number of trademark blocks and clearances. One moment in particular stood out from Dunk when he headed Neves’ goal bound free kick over the bar.
After being called up to the England squad for the UEFA Nations League games with Croatia and Spain having not actually played that well for Brighton at the start of the season, Dunk has been superb throughout October.
It seems to help having Bruno alongside him. We conceded an alarming number of goals during the captains time out of the side in March and early April last year and were averaging two against per game after he’d hobbled off at Watford on the opening day.
It appears as though the captains armband wears heavy on Dunk whenever he is handed it in Bruno’s absence, adversely affecting his performances. That makes Bruno’s place in the team even more important, despite the fact he’s nearly as old as Madonna.
It was Bruno who teed up Glenn Murray for the goals only game with what was Brighton’s only shot on target, a mishit cross falling to Murray at the back post who swept the ball home for his 100th goal in an Albion shirt.
There will be much more written about Murray’s century of goals in the coming days, but there can be no doubting his deserved place at the top table of Brighton strikers alongside Peter Ward and Bobby Zamora now.
He’s outscored both of them and this season alone has notched 40% of the Albion’s goals which have delivered eight points. Had he not recovered from the concussion picked up last week at St James’ Park, then this could’ve been a very different afternoon.
It still could’ve been even with Murray involved had Wolves converted one of their 25 shots on goal. Aside from those saves from Ryan, Doherty had the best chance of the game but he somehow put the ball wide of the post when front and centre of the North Stand goal with only Ryan to beat. It was a chance that even the Queen or Jurgen Locadia could’ve scored. Actually, maybe not Locadia.
Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised at the result. Brighton are Wolves’ bogey team after all and the head-to-head now reads 15 Albion wins in 31 games and seven out of seven in the top flight with only one goal conceded.
Tom from Wanderers fan site Wolves Blog told us in the week that the one thing they’re missing is a striker. He’d love to have Murray playing in the Old Gold and if they had a player of our Centurion’s ilk, then they’d probably have at least a point to show for their efforts in Sussex.
Luckily for us, we’ve got Murray. And Ryan. And Dunk. And Duffy. Its three wins in a row, three clean sheets in a row and 11th spot in a the table. The Seagulls are on the rise.
