The Seagulls soared once again on Saturday, as Brighton unleashed the fury of three goals in 10 minutes en route to a 4-1 thumping of Wolves at Molineux Stadium.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side captivated viewers a season ago when they finished 6th and qualified for the Europa League. Perhaps Brighton had set the bar too high to clear again, or perhaps this is just the brilliant start of something special.
Kaoru Mitoma got the party started in the 15th minute, when he danced around and sprinted past four defenders and slotted home at the far post, all in one swift motion. Wolves held steady at 1-0 for the remainder of the first half, but the cage doors were opened and the Seagulls swarmed every inch of the home side’s penalty area when the second half began.
Pervis Estupinan made it 2-0 in the 46th, followed by a quick-fire brace from Solly March in the 51st and 55th — the fruits of a relentless high press and fast, direct counter-attacking football.
The Brighton Way
No one knows how long Brighton can continue to refresh their squad if/when they continue to lose pivotal players like Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo, as they did this summer, De Zerbi’s Seagulls haven’t skipped a beat as of yet. Arguably their two best players from last season are gone, yet the tactical setup has hardly changed — and neither have the results.
What’s next?
Brighton will be back in action next Saturday (12:30 pm ET), when West Ham visit the south coast. Wolves will head to the northwest of England to take on Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday (10 am ET).
Wolves vs Brighton, final score: 1-4
Goalscorers: Kaoru Mitoma (15'), Pervis Estupinan (46'), Solly March (51', 55'), Hwang Hee-Chan (61')
How to watch Wolves vs Brighton live, stream link, time
Kickoff: 10am ET, Saturday (August 19)
TV Channel: Peacock
Online: Stream via Peacock Premium
Player ratings via our friends at FotMob.com
TEAM NEWS! 🚨 Here's our starting XI to take on @Wolves this afternoon. 📝
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) August 19, 2023
📲 https://t.co/S3j1TIedJv // #BHAFC 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/sLU1NnXBsg
☝️ One change from #MUNWOL.
— Wolves (@Wolves) August 19, 2023
🇵🇹 Fabio Silva into the XI.
Our line-up to face @OfficialBHAFC.
🐺📋 @AstroPay_OK pic.twitter.com/JsSXDn1b1s
The Seagulls could have both Adam Webster and Adam Lallana back for this game as they work their way back to full fitness.
Brighton have so many good options in midfield and attack and the likes of Evan Ferguson, Julio Enciso and Simon Adingra will be pushing for a start but Kaoru Mitoma, Danny Welbeck, Solly March and Joao Pedro all impressed on opening weekend.
Jakub Moder is a long-term absentee with a knee injury.
Wolves have no injury issues going into this game and it will be intriguing to see if Gary O’Neil starts with the same team which played so well at Manchester United.
He does have good options on the bench with Hwang Hee-chan, Fabio Silva and Sasa Kalajdzic all able to make an impact in the attacking third of the pitch.
