Molineux misery in FA Cup: Wolves 1-0 Brighton photos
Photos from Molineux normally consist of relatively happy Brighton fans on account of the Albion’s impressive record over Wolves but not so this FA Cup fifth round clash which ended 1-0 to the hosts.
On the one hand, this was a result to be expected. Just one point separates the Old Gold and Brighton in the Premier League standings, suggesting they are two evenly matched teams.
Wolves though had very much the fitness advantage. Whereas the Seagulls arrived in the Black Country missing nine key players, Gary O’Neil had virtually a fully fit squad to chose from.
And yet even with circumstances conspiring against Brighton, elimination still felt like both a disappointment and a missed opportunity.
A winnable quarter final at home against Championship side Coventry City awaited the Albion had they beaten Wolves. The prize for victory over the Sky Blues would then be a return to Wembley for an FA Cup semi final and the chance to avenge last season’s penalty shootout defeat to Manchester United.
Who knows where Brighton may have ended up after that? We know what Roberto De Zerbi was aiming for – the first piece of major silverware in Albion history.
Instead, his Brighton side delivered one of their weakest performances of the campaign. Jason Steele flapped at a cross after only two minutes, gifting Mario Lemina a volley which proved to be the only goal of the game.
The Albion had plenty of possession after that without ever seriously testing Jose Sa in the home goal. It was all rather like watching Brighton under Glow Up Graham Potter, where everybody wanted to pass the ball rather than taking a shot.
Of course, the one glorious chance the Seagulls did fashion fell to Steele of all people. Pushed up for a corner in the 95th minute, a downwards header from Carols Baleba ended up at the feet of the Albion goalkeeper. He could not connect properly and poked the effort wide with only Sa to beat from six yards out.
Still, the Balti pie was nice and those loyal supporters who trekked all the way to Wolverhampton were rewarded with precious loyalty point. A suitable consolation for no goals and only two shots on target, right?
If you have any photos you would like included in our Wolves 1-0 Brighton gallery, please e-mail them to wearebrighton@hotmail.co.uk or tweet them to us @wearebrighton
