Brighton cut down to Saiss as slump continues

WOLVES really needed this. Winless and goalless in four games, the colours had drained from a very positive start to the season. But this performance and result, albeit one against a Brighton stricken by Covid and low confidence, was restorative for Bruno Lage and his players. They defended resolutely, absorbing plenty of first-half pressure before Romain Saiss scored comprehensively against the run of play in stoppage time. The only positives for Brighton this week have come in Covid tests with Graham Potter without a handful of regulars here. Potter confirmed afterwards that Brighton did make an attempt to get the match postponed. But the problems were mounting anyway — Brighton are now 11 league games without a win and slipping down the standings. They have not won a league game since September 19 and a season that promised to be unlike their others in this division after they won four of their opening five matches is quickly reverting to type. Even with 13 minutes of stoppage time at the end, added on after referee Tony Harrington’s VAR communications equipment malfunctioned early in the second half, they couldn’t snatch an equaliser that would have changed the mood. Striker Neal Maupay, their saviour late on in recent games at West Ham and Southampton, was one of the absentees. ‘There are no excuses, I believe on the guys on the pitch,’ said Potter. ‘It’s been a tough week but probably a tough week for lots of teams. That’s where we are at the moment. ‘We weren’t at our best, we huffed and puffed a little bit. They scored a disappointing goal from our perspective that probably summed up the game.’ Wolves had shown next to no ambition prior to taking the lead in the dying moments of the first half. Ruben Neves scooped an immaculate pass from the edge of the Brighton box, over the defenders, and on to the boot of Saiss, who guided the ball home first-time. Moments later, Brighton’s Enock Mwepu was guilty of missing from three yards out after Jose Sa pushed out Leonardo Trossard’s shot into his path. But that was as good as it got for Brighton. Lage was thrilled at a significant win amid a tricky run of fixtures that sees Wolves play the three title contenders in quick succession. He said: ‘That’s why they know Saiss as the “Maldini from Morocco”. They were better than us but after that we balanced the game, scored the goal and in the second half we created more chances, so we deserved it.’