NUNO ESPIRITO SANTO beamed as Wolves recorded their longest unbeaten run for 57 years – before whisking his golden boys off to Spain for some sunshine.
A Diogo Jota double either side of strikes from Neal Maupay and Davy Propper made it 11 top-flight matches without losing for the first time since 1962.
Jota had so far contributed most of his goals in the Europa LeagueCredit: Reuters
Maupay’s sharp finish caught Rui Patricio out at the near-post to put Brighton levelCredit: PA:Empics Sport
The Wanderers squad jetted out to Marbella after the game for three days of warm-weather training ahead of Thursday’s Europa League clash with Besiktas.
Nuno hopes the trip to the Costa Del Sol keeps up his side’s sunny disposition after completing the third of EIGHT December fixtures.
The Wanderers chief said: “We played good with some mistakes. I am proud of the way the players kept going till the end.
“Resilience is the correct word. I think it is habits from a team which has been growing in character.
“We started in the Championship. The way we do things started more than two-and-half years ago. We never give up and we want to improve, want to become better.
“Time and patience pays off.”
On his side’s third trip to Marbella in three seasons, he added: “That was a secret! We are going to work, we are going to prepare ourselves, hopefully with some sunshine.”
JIMENE SPLIT
A slow first half exploded with a frenzy of goal action as Wolves raced away on the counter for a 28th-minute opener.
The speedy Jota squared it to Raul Jimenez, whose exquisite pass with the outside of his boot went through Lewis Dunk’s legs and teed up the Portuguese to fire in his first goal in ten games.
It should have been 2-0 five minutes later as the pair combined again with Jimenez flicking on a long kick into the path of Jota who this time could not beat Maty Ryan.
Albion punished their guests for their wastefulness by drawing level moments later.
For all their tippy-tappy play out from the back, the equaliser came from an excellent ball over the top by Dale Stephens which Maupay buried into the corner from 20 yards with a low blast.
It got better for the hosts as they went ahead just 96 seconds later.
Aaron Mooy ran the show in Thursday’s 2-1 win at Arsenal and his clever reverse pass allowed Leandro Trossard to stand the ball up for Propper to find the corner with a deadly header.
Yet the Dutchman went from hero to zero a minute before the break as his blind pass went straight to Jonny, who picked out Jota who swivelled in the box and neatly found the corner.
Propper’s header propelled Brighton aheadCredit: Getty – Contributor
The visitors had late calls for a penalty handball waved awayCredit: Getty Images – Getty
The groans around the Amex were notable as Seagulls supporters lamented the risky side of Potter’s risk-and-reward football at the back.
The tempo could never be sustained after the break and as for the goal action, well, that was it.
Brighton came close to shooting themselves in the foot again by overplaying when Stephens gave the ball away, leading to Jota being closed down in the box by a number of blue-and-white shirts.
In the melee, the ball struck the arm of Dunk as he lay on the floor – but a VAR review assessed it as unintentional.
Fleet-footed Adama Traore looked the most likely to make something happen at the death and Dunk, Dan Burn and Stephens all copped yellows for scything him down in the final 20 minutes.
Potter, whose side stay in 12th, said: “It’s a good point.
“Wolves are 11 games unbeaten in the Premier League and going through the Europa League, it’s an unbelievable performance and you can see why, because they’re so hard to break down.
“I read a quote that Maupay felt he had struggled a little bit. He hadn’t felt himself, he hasn’t felt as well as he’d like to feel.
“I thought he was as good as anybody today. His link-up play and how he affected the game. Sometimes players put too much pressure on themselves but he’s that kind of character, he wants to do his best and wants to help the team.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
