Gibbs-White gives Wolves dramatic late win over Brighton

Published on: 09 May 2021

Since his Premier League debut in August 2017, Lewis Dunk has scored 11 goals in the competition, more than any other centre-back, overtaking Virgil van Dijk (10)

Morgan Gibbs-White scored a last-minute winner as a youthful Wolves side came back from a goal down to beat 10-man Brighton, who must now wait to secure their Premier League survival.

In a dramatic finish at Molineux, the midfielder side-footed a superb finish high into the net with just seconds of normal time remaining to reward Wolves and punish Albion for Lewis Dunk's second-half red card.

Dunk was at the centre of the contest, rising to send in a towering header from a corner to give the Seagulls a deserved first-half lead, which the centre-back then helped preserve with a solid defensive display.

But his deserved sending off, coming for a tug of the shirt on Fabio Silva after the forward had darted goal-side of him, altered the momentum of the contest, with a bit of help from the introduction of Adama Traore.

The winger poked in a superb finish with 14 minutes to go in a second half that the home side had previously toiled through despite their one-man advantage.

And then Gibbs-White won it, making amends for a woeful earlier miss with his neat finish to notch up his very first Premier League goal.

To rub salt into Brighton's wounds, striker Neal Maupay received his side's second red card of the afternoon after the final whistle following a confrontation with referee Jonathan Moss.

The win takes Wolves to 45 points, with Brighton remaining 10 points ahead of 18th-placed Fulham and needing one more result to go their way to cement their Premier League place for 2021-22.

    Watch and follow live text commentary of Wolves v Brighton in the Premier League

Wolves given glimpse of bright future

After a promotion, two seventh-place finishes and a European adventure, this campaign represents a regression for Wolves, its low point the 4-0 hammering they suffered at the hands of Burnley in their last home game.

There are mitigating circumstances, not least the extra demands a Covid-affected 18 months has placed on what is a relatively small squad and the loss of main striker Raul Jimenez to a fractured skull in late November.

It is becoming increasingly clear that some of the Wanderers players are reaching the end of their natural shelf life at the club, but Nuno Espirito Santo is now discovering that some of his younger charges have the potential to succeed them.

At 24 years and 209 days, Sunday's starting XI was Wolves' youngest in a Premier League match since October 2009 - it included five players under 21 and three teenagers.

They were somewhat over-awed in the first half against an experienced and physically domineering Brighton, but were afforded greater room to assert themselves in the second and show a level of composure and character that will please their boss.

Silva has struggled at times this season, but has shown signs of late that he is adapting to the division and he played a key role in the second half, firstly drawing the foul from Dunk that altered the game.

He then played a neat one-two with Traore to set the winger up for his equalising goal.

Gibbs-White is another who has shown flashes of his ability, but not quite the consistency required.

The 21-year-old started the campaign on loan at Swansea in the Championship, but now back with his parent club he can start to build on his undoubted promise.

After a few weeks where it has looked like Wolves were drifting to the conclusion of the season, they now have the first hints of a brighter future.

Brighton undone by sending-off

On results and league position alone, you could be forgiven for thinking little progress has been made at Brighton in their four Premier League seasons, with Sunday's result another negative to add to the list.

However, there has been a clear philosophy shift at the club and signs that Graham Potter is building something more robust and tactically intelligent than his managerial predecessors at the Amex Stadium.

With a full complement of players, they were the better side at Molineux, comfortably mixing a modern desire to play out from the back with older-school qualities of towering goalscoring headers from domineering centre-backs.

Even with 10 men, they were well-drilled enough to restrict the home side to half-chances for much of the second half.

Losing to two well taken goals having played for more than 30 minutes a man down is not something to be unduly concerned by, even if it means a delay in sealing their inevitable survival.

More concerning is the loss of discipline from Maupay at full-time, meaning Albion will now be without their leading striker as well as their captain through suspension.

Player of the match

TraoréAdama Traoré

with an average of 8.24

    WolvesWolverhampton WanderersWolverhampton WanderersBrightonBrighton & Hove AlbionBrighton & Hove Albion

Wolverhampton WanderersAvgSquad number37Player nameTraoréAverage rating

8.24

Squad number18Player nameGibbs-WhiteAverage rating

7.21

Squad number17Player nameFábio SilvaAverage rating

7.19

Squad number49Player nameKilmanAverage rating

7.00

Squad number16Player nameCoadyAverage rating

6.88

Squad number3Player nameAït-NouriAverage rating

6.88

Squad number11Player nameRui PatrícioAverage rating

6.83

Squad number28Player nameJoão MoutinhoAverage rating

6.78

Squad number20Player nameVitinhaAverage rating

6.60

Squad number2Player nameHoeverAverage rating

6.53

Squad number8Player nameRúben NevesAverage rating

6.28

Squad number32Player nameDendonckerAverage rating

6.25

Squad number10Player nameDaniel PodenceAverage rating

6.24

Squad number12Player nameWillian JoséAverage rating

5.64

Brighton & Hove AlbionAvgSquad number26Player nameSánchezAverage rating

6.11

Squad number18Player nameWelbeckAverage rating

5.91

Squad number8Player nameBissoumaAverage rating

5.86

Squad number3Player nameWhiteAverage rating

5.79

Squad number13Player nameGroßAverage rating

5.51

Squad number4Player nameWebsterAverage rating

5.50

Squad number33Player nameBurnAverage rating

5.43

Squad number11Player nameTrossardAverage rating

5.23

Squad number16Player nameJahanbakhshAverage rating

5.21

Squad number15Player nameModerAverage rating

5.05

Squad number10Player nameMac AllisterAverage rating

5.03

Squad number5Player nameDunkAverage rating

4.80

Squad number29Player nameZeqiriAverage rating

4.73

Squad number9Player nameMaupayAverage rating

3.90

    Line-upsMatch StatsLive Text

Line-upsWolves

Formation 4-2-3-1

11Rui Patrício2Hoever16Coady49Kilman3Aït-Nouri28João Moutinho8Neves18Gibbs-White20Vitinha10Podence17Fábio Silva

    11Rui Patrício2Hoever16CoadyBooked at 83mins49KilmanBooked at 80mins3Aït-Nouri28João Moutinho8NevesSubstituted forTraoréat 61'minutes18Gibbs-White20VitinhaSubstituted forDendonckerat 77'minutes10PodenceSubstituted forDa Silvaat 69'minutes17Fábio Silva

Substitutes

    12Da Silva21Ruddy22Nélson Semedo27Saïss32Dendoncker37Traoré39Cundle42Richards60Corbeanu

Brighton

Formation 4-4-1-1

26Sánchez3White4Webster5Dunk33Burn16Jahanbakhsh13Groß8Bissouma11Trossard9Maupay18Welbeck

    26SánchezBooked at 85mins3White4Webster5DunkBooked at 53mins33Burn16JahanbakhshSubstituted forMac Allisterat 58'minutes13Groß8BissoumaBooked at 90mins11TrossardSubstituted forModerat 58'minutes9MaupayBooked at 90mins18WelbeckSubstituted forZeqiriat 78'minutes

Substitutes

    7Connolly10Mac Allister15Moder17Alzate19Izquierdo22Tau23Steele24Pröpper29Zeqiri

Referee:Jonathan MossMatch StatsHome TeamWolvesAway TeamBrightonPossessionHome61%Away39%ShotsHome16Away5Shots on TargetHome6Away3CornersHome10Away5FoulsHome12Away7Live TextPost update

Match ends, Wolverhampton Wanderers 2, Brighton and Hove Albion 1.

90'+7'Dismissal

Neal Maupay (Brighton and Hove Albion) is shown the red card.

90'+6'Full Time

Second Half ends, Wolverhampton Wanderers 2, Brighton and Hove Albion 1.

90'+5'Post update

Foul by Fábio Silva (Wolverhampton Wanderers).

90'+5'Post update

Dan Burn (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

90'+4'Post update

Conor Coady (Wolverhampton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

90'+4'Post update

Foul by Neal Maupay (Brighton and Hove Albion).

90'+2'Booking

Yves Bissouma (Brighton and Hove Albion) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

90'+2'Post update

Ki-Jana Hoever (Wolverhampton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

90'+2'Post update

Foul by Yves Bissouma (Brighton and Hove Albion).

90'goalGoal!

Goal! Wolverhampton Wanderers 2, Brighton and Hove Albion 1. Morgan Gibbs-White (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the top right corner.

90'Post update

Attempt blocked. Morgan Gibbs-White (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.

90'Post update

Attempt blocked. Rayan Aït-Nouri (Wolverhampton Wanderers) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.

86'Post update

Offside, Brighton and Hove Albion. Alexis Mac Allister tries a through ball, but Pascal Groß is caught offside.

85'Booking

Robert Sánchez (Brighton and Hove Albion) is shown the yellow card.

84'Post update

Attempt missed. Morgan Gibbs-White (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Adama Traoré.

83'Booking

Conor Coady (Wolverhampton Wanderers) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

83'Post update

Foul by Conor Coady (Wolverhampton Wanderers).

83'Post update

Andi Zeqiri (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick on the left wing.

82'Post update

Attempt blocked. Adama Traoré (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked.

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Source: bbc.com

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