Wolves were to left frustrated and held to a goalless draw after failing to breakdown Brighton & Hoe Albion. The hosts twice struck the woodwork through the luckless Diogo Jota, and earned just a single point for their efforts against their unadventurous visitors.
Jota diverted Ruben Neves’ effort onto the top of the bar in first-half stoppage time and watched his glancing header come back off the inside of the post after the interval. Leander Dendoncker also came close in added time against the Seagulls, who left Rui Patricio completely untested throughout.
In the Wolverhampton sun, it was the hosts who started the brighter and Jimenez headed wide of Mat Ryan’s near post early on, following a Joao Moutinho short corner. As the intensity continued, Wolves were forcing mistakes from the visitors, who gifted possession to Matt Doherty, but the Irishman sliced wide of goal.
With Brighton sitting deep, Wolves had a task on their hands to break down the Seagulls. Jota almost did that on 33 minutes, but after powering through, the forward’s vicious strike flew just wide.
Brighton advances into the final third were few and far between, but while Wolves were enjoying much of the possession, the final ball was letting them down when nearing the Albion goal.
In the final minute of the first half the recalled Ryan Bennett headed off target from a Moutinho free-kick, before on the stretch Jota diverted a deflected Neves free-kick onto the top of the bar to sum up a frustrating opening period.
Half-time: Wolves 0 Brighton 0
The home pressure continued after the break and, when rising to meet Jonny’s cross, Doherty headed goalwards, only to see his effort swept off the line. As for Brighton, their first close call came when substitute, Beram Kayal let fly and watched his strike fly just over Patricio’s top corner.
All the action was taking place in the Brighton half however, and after Moutinho’s drive was deflected wide, Jota and Bennett were unable to scramble home from the following corner, amidst a goalmouth scramble.
It took 66 minutes for Nuno Espirito Santo to make his first change, with Ruben Vinagre replacing Jonny on the left. Soon after Wolves came close yet again, when Jimenez clipped in a cross for the head of Jota, but for the second time of the afternoon, the Portuguese watched his effort come back off the woodwork.
Dendoncker was on by this point and he watched on as Willy Boly headed Doherty’s cross over the bar. Neves was the next to be out of luck, as his sweet effort from range was a comfortable save for Ryan.
With time running out, from another Moutinho set piece, Boly headed on for Dendoncker, but the Belgian could only direct his effort straight at Ryan. Wolves continued to ask questions of the visitors, who held out for a point to boost their survival hopes.
Full-time: Wolves Brighton 0
Wolves: Patricio, Doherty (Traore), Bennett, Coady, Boly, Jonny (Vinagre 67), Neves, Moutinho, Gibbs-White (Dendoncker 73), Jota, Jimenez.
Unused subs: Ruddy, Saiss, Costa, Cavaleiro.
Brighton: Ryan, Bruno (Bernardo 70), Duffy, Dunk, Bong, Stephens, Propper (Kayal 10), Gross, March, Izquierdo, Murray.
Unused subs: Button, Burn, Andone, Jahanbakhsh, Locadia.
