Brighton & Hove Albion kept their hopes alive for a European qualification by convincingly beating a team destined for relegation to Championship in a 3-0 rout on Saturday afternoon. A match that was pretty much finished off inside five minutes proved what the difference between a team looking for Europe and one that is preparing for life in the Championship actually was.
The Match Action
It seems that if Rob Edwards had any plans in mind to irritate the Seagulls, those were thrown out of the window when they kicked the ball. It took them only 35 seconds after kick-off and Brighton were ahead through Jack Hinshelwood whose clever glance to goal from a Maxime de Cuyper cross found the back of the net.
But before the guests had a chance to settle down, Brighton were already two-nil up. Just five minutes in, a De Cuyper cross was met by Brighton skipper Lewis Dunk, who scored with a thumping header at the far post. From then on, Brighton switched into “ball retention” mode and passed the ball around with such ease that the Wolves appeared to be nothing more than cones used during training drills.
However, there were some glimpses of fight shown by the guests in the latter half. There was a curling effort from Hwang Hee-chan that just missed the outside of the post, while Yerson Mosquera had a header from a corner that hit the crossbar. But, once again, the theme for the year continued as clinical finishing was not something that Wolves could boast about. Brighton wrapped the match up in the 83rd minute when substitute Yankuba Minteh took advantage of a tired Toti Gomes and fired in a deflected shot to beat Dan Bentley and make the scoreline three-nil.
The Aftermath
For Brighton, this was the perfect “professional” performance. They conserved energy while securing three vital points that keep them firmly in the hunt for the top six. For Wolves, the result was another punishing reminder of their defensive frailties. With 66 goals now conceded this season, Rob Edwards faces a monumental task in the summer to rebuild the morale of a squad that has forgotten how to win on the road.
