Superb Brighton thrash Wolves 6-0 as Undav, Gross and Welbeck all double up
Brighton ended a difficult week on a major high by emphatically reigniting their European push and making history with a 6-0 demolition of Wolves at the Amex Stadium.
Doubles from Deniz Undav, Pascal Gross and Danny Welbeck helped the rampant hosts rip apart their opponents en route to registering their biggest Premier League success, with Roberto De Zerbi saying: “I think it’s the best performance in my career as a coach.”
His side came into the game having suffered an agonising FA Cup semi-final loss to Manchester United last Sunday before a meek midweek defeat at Nottingham Forest. But the eighth-placed Seagulls stylishly set aside those setbacks to move on to a club-record 52 Premier League points – two behind Tottenham in fifth – with a spellbinding performance in the Sussex sunshine. A stunned Wolves offered little on a chastening afternoon as they slipped to a resounding loss that keeps them looking over their shoulders in the battle to avoid relegation.
De Zerbi added: “We scored six goals but if we speak about the level of the play, the style of the play, the quality of the play, I think we are playing a very high level of football.
“This victory started in Wembley, not today, because today we showed pride, we played well.
“We suffered a lot after Wembley because we deserved to win, we suffered a lot in Nottingham because we played the Nottingham game with the heads still in Wembley and today you watched the reaction. The players are not like the players on the PlayStation or robots. They gave soul, heart and in those five days they suffered a lot.”
The manager had called for Brighton’s fans to be a 12th man after five successive games on the road. Fearing fatigue amid a hectic fixture list, the Italian made the drastic decision to begin with the influential trio of Moisés Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister and Kaoru Mitoma on the bench. The surprising selection did not remain a talking point for long as the reshuffled Brighton, who made five changes in total, made a blistering start and led inside six minutes.
Joël Veltman’s low cross from the right was flicked on by Welbeck for Undav to slot home his first Premier League goal from the edge of the sixyard box.
After a lengthy VAR check for offside, the strike stood before play was briefly halted again minutes later as Stockley Park reviewed a tussle between Diego Costa and Adam Webster before concluding the former was not guilty of violent conduct.
The Wolves manager, Julen Lopetegui, this week claimed Brighton’s eyecatching style of play is the best in world football. But his lacklustre side were culpable of giving the swashbuckling hosts a major helping hand as Brighton’s rapid start swiftly turned into an unassailable advantage.
The second goal arrived in the 13th minute when Wolves sloppily conceded possession in midfield, allowing Julio Enciso to drive forward and slip in Gross, who lifted the ball high into the net beyond José Sá.
Gross’s second of the afternoon – in the 26th minute – was a stunner. The German midfielder sprayed a pass wide to Enciso on the left and, after receiving the ball back, unleashed a dipping volley into the right corner after his first touch looped into the air.
In between those strikes, Welbeck rifled over as he attempted to capitalise on a poor pass from Sá, while Matheus Nunes tested the Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele during a rare attack for the stunned visitors.
The former England international Welbeck would not be denied for long. The forward increased their lead to 4-0 six minutes before the break by climbing highest at the back post to nod in Pervis Estupiñán’s cross from the left.
Lopetegui responded to a dismal opening period by making three halftime substitutions. But the alterations had little, if any, impact and Brighton scored again minutes into the second period when Welbeck’s leftfooted effort from the edge of the D found the bottom-left corner.
Solly March, who missed the crucial penalty in last weekend’s shootout defeat at Wembley, then received a rapturous reception when he was replaced.
Woeful Wolves again contributed to their own downfall in the 66th minute. Undav became the third Seagulls player to claim a double, dispossessing the dithering Nunes on the edge of the visitors’ box to delightfully dink over Sá.
Billy Gilmour and Estupiñán each went close to heightening Wolves’ embarrassment. Aside from an effort from Daniel Podence, the away side offered little resistance before being booed off by their disgruntled supporters as the jubilant home fans saluted a record-breaking success.
Lopetegui said: “We are sorry a lot for the fans who came here. I don’t recognise my team today, my players are better than they showed.
“I am guilty more than ever today because I am the coach. In the same way, the players have to know they have to do better. I apologise for the fans. It’s a bad day for them. We play for them and we are very sad.”