This was a memorable performance for Gary O’Neil, although Wolves were unable to make it a flawless night for their manager and fans by achieving their fourth consecutive victory in the top flight for the first time in over 50 years.
In August, the two teams played at Molineux and Brighton dominated the game. Roberto De Zerbi’s side was winning 4-0 after only 55 minutes. However, in the five months since then, Wolves have shown significant improvement under former Bournemouth manager. They have only been surpassed by league leaders Liverpool in terms of points since the start of December. In the end, Wolves could have potentially won the game if their forwards had been more precise in the final minutes.
O’Neil stated that our team showed unity at a challenging venue, and we will face West Brom in a Black Country derby in the FA Cup this weekend. He emphasized the significance of this game to anyone who may not already realize it, and assured that they will understand its importance by Sunday.
However, even though James Milner has now made the second most Premier League appearances, Brighton struggled to score and had to settle for another draw in the Premier League. Despite setting a new top-flight record of nine consecutive unbeaten matches, this was still a significant missed chance.
“I am let down – our performance was not the greatest, but we put in the effort to secure a victory,” stated De Zerbi, acknowledging the challenges his team is facing with a significant number of injured players. “Considering the difficulties we have faced this season, being in seventh place is something to be proud of.”
Milner starting in the game means that he has now played in more Premier League games than anyone except Gareth Barry. Barry is currently at 633 appearances since his debut for Leeds on November 10, 2002 at the age of 16. With only 20 more games to go before he catches up to Barry, it is likely that he will achieve this feat. Milner stated, “I hope to continue playing for a few more years. I have been lucky, worked hard, and it takes enjoyment to put in the work every day. I have been fortunate to play for some fantastic clubs.”
With Kaoru Mitoma and Simon Adingra away for international duties, De Zerbi had to position the ex-England player on the left side. However, even Milner himself would admit that his days as a powerful winger are behind him. Against a well-coordinated Wolves team, Brighton struggled to make offensive plays. Wolves capitalized on Pedro Neto’s impressive speed on the counterattack, as he played in a new role as a central striker for the first time since October.
O’Neil had acknowledged beforehand that this game would be a test of whether his side can push “towards the next level” after a season that has so far exceeded expectations. Having weathered an early storm when Milner came close to getting on the end of cross at the back post and Facundo Buonanotte then somehow failed to direct his header on target from a similar position after Danny Welbeck’s flick on found him unmarked, Neto was inches away from giving Wolves the lead with a curling shot from outside the box.
During the match, there was a tense exchange between Craig Dawson and Billy Gilmour right before half-time. De Zerbi briefly got involved in the confrontation with O’Neil, but the situation was quickly calmed down. However, Matheus Cunha only added to the tension by receiving a yellow card for kicking out at Gilmour and continuing to argue as the players left the field.
Bypass the advertisement for the newsletter.
after newsletter promotion
The forward from Brazil nearly started the second half with a strong response after a skillful run from Neto set him up, but Jason Steele stopped the first shot and was grateful to see him shoot over from a short distance. It took a desperate tackle from Nélson Semedo to prevent João Pedro from getting a chance to shoot before Max Kilman deflected a cross from Jack Hinshelwood onto his own post, despite the Brighton defender potentially being in an offside position.
De Zerbi’s team has completed the most passes out of all the teams in the Premier League this season, but they still struggle with creating opportunities – a criticism that cannot be applied to Neto. He consistently posed a threat on the counterattack, and Steele had to be on high alert to redirect his cross from a difficult angle and keep it out of harm’s way.
Milner was replaced by Adam Lallana with 20 minutes remaining in the game, but it was Wolves who had opportunities to secure a late win as Brighton pushed forward in pursuit of a goal.
Neto missed his shot to the side of the goal after repeatedly finding openings on the right side, while Mario Lemina received a pass from Matheus Cunha but was unable to score against Steele, unable to replicate Bill McGarry’s 1972 team.
Source: theguardian.com
