THE bad news is Brighton have carried on in 2021 where they left off last year – still failing to win at home.
The good news is this comeback showed they still have the desire, ability and belief to turn things around under Graham Potter and get themselves out of trouble.
Lewis Dunk rises highest to head Brighton levelCredit: AFP
Lewis Dunk celebrates his equaliser with TrossardCredit: Reuters
Albion will have been glad to see the back of 2020, having won just once at the Amex in the league over those miserable 12 months.
It almost cost them their top-flight status last term and is threatening to do so again this season.
Any hope that a corner had been turned in the New Year when Aaron Conolly opened the scoring on 13 minutes was quickly erased by a flurry of Wolves’ goals before half-time.
Romain Saiss’ header, Dan Burn’s own goal and Ruben Neves’ penalty meant that anything other than a defeat for the hosts would be a cause for celebration.
And so it proved as Neal Maupay converted a spot-kick of Brighton’s own, before skipper Lewis Dunk saved the day to make it 3-3.
It will have felt like a win given the situation Potter’s men were in at the break.
Though the seasonal stats still make for ugly reading.
This result increased the club’s woeful run to just one win in their last 16 in all competitions.
In fact, since football restarted in June only rock-bottom Sheffield United have won fewer league games than Brighton’s five.
Neal Maupay scores from the spot to fire Brighton back into the contestCredit: Reuters
Dan Burn scored an own goal to cap off a horror first halfCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
And the draw means Albion have now made it a club-record 13 games without a win.
It will have done little to ease the pressure on Potter, which has been quietly ratcheting up after last season’s close shave with relegation and this term’s poor results.
Many times his side have performed well enough without necessarily gaining the appropriate number of points to match – and it is starting to wear thin with some supporters.
Potter claimed in the build-up to the match that he does not read social media, as it was “dangerous” for someone in his position to do so.
Sensible advice at the best of times, and while some fans will have been relieved to have grabbed a point from a such a desperate position at the break, the keyboard warriors are hardly likely to be silenced by a solitary point.
Potter made five changes to the team that lost to Arsenal in the week and they made the perfect start thanks to the returning Connolly.
Trossard showed some nifty feet to twist and turn out wide before sending in a pinpoint cross that Connolly turned home at the near post.
It was just what his manager needed and with Wolves hardly banging in the goals this season – especially without the injured Raul Jimenez – it felt a very significant goal.
But it did not prove to be as within seven minutes the visitors were on level terms through that man Saiss.
The Moroccan defender had netted a late leveller against Tottenham last month and showed his prowess in the opposing box as he nodded home Nelson Semedo’s cross.
Connolly’s confidence was up after netting his first home goal in 15 months and the Irishman attempted an acrobatic overhead kick soon after – but it was straight at Rui Patricio, as sweet as the strike was.
Wolves went ahead on 34 minutes as Neves found Pedro Neto out wide with a laser-like pass.
Portuguese flier Neto has been sensational this season and he kept up his hot form with an assist by cutting in from the right and firing a shot which took a nick off Solly March.
Romain Saiss heads brilliantly to bring Wolves levelCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
Aaron Connolly beats Patricio to fire Brighton aheadCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
Ruben Neves celebrates scoring from the spotCredit: Getty Images – Getty
That deflection meant the effort was too hot for Robert Sanchez to handle and he spilled it into the unfortunate Burn, who could not get out the way and the ball trickled over the line.
Burn’s bad day grew worse as Traore raced round him and in an effort to stop the jet-heeled winger, he took him out with a clumsy challenge.
It was an easy decision for ref Andy Madley to give and he quickly pointed to the spot, allowing Neves to fire home his first goal of the season.
Brighton looked down and out but Potter made two subs at the break, bringing on Davy Propper and Andi Zeqiri.
Within seconds, they had halved the deficit as Joao Moutinho brought down Maupay with a silly foul.
Maupay missed a spot-kick against Liverpool in November but made no mistake here as fired high into the net.
It gave Potter’s men renewed belief and they almost had their leveller on 68 minutes when Adam Webster crashed the ball against the bar.
They only had to wait mere moments for the real thing though as captain Dunk made it two goals in a week by squeezing in Trossard’s corner at the far post.
Trossard thought he had won it shortly afterward as he raced through on goal and buried into the far corner – but Madley had already given a foul against the Belgian.
Sub Owen Otasowie should have won it with literally the last touch when Traore clipped in a cross, but he somehow headed over.
It will have come as a relief to Albion and Potter, having worked so hard to get back into the game.
Yet their record of never winning a Premier League game in January remained intact – showing there is still much work to do if they are to avoid the misery of 2020 seeping into 2021.
Raul Jimenez pays tribute to Wolves fans after they pay £20,000 for banner at Molineux after his horror head injury
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
