A Knockaert Blow For Wolves

A brace from Anthony Knockaert pushed Brighton ever closer to promotion and condemned Wolves to a second successive defeat in a scrappy affair at rainswept Molineux.

There were three changes to the side that had lost at Bristol City with Romain Saiss, Ivan Cavaleiro and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson coming in for Nouha Dicko, Morgan Gibbs-White and Lee Evans all of whom were named as substitutes.

Wolves kicked-off attacking the South Bank end and they went close early on as Bodvarsson just failed to get his head to a curling cross from Conor Coady.

A short cross from Cavaleiro was chested back by Ben Marshall to Andi Weimann who was caught off balance which meant that his shot at goal was well off target.

On 15 minutes, a misplaced pass from Saiss almost led to Brighton taking the lead. Knockaert fed Tomer Hemed who struck the bar from 15-yards out.

Glenn Murray was well wide with a first-time long-range effort and then, from a Bruno cross, Hemed headed over the bar.

In the 27th minute Knockaert played Sebastien Pocognoli through in the box and his low cross into the heart of the goalmouth drew a vital clearance from Danny Batth.

Pocognoli was lectured after a tackle that left Saiss in need of attention before the visitors went close as Solly March drilled a shot into the side netting from the edge of the box.

Batth looked to have twisted his knee in a centre circle challenge with Murray but, after lengthy attention, he was able to resume. Within a minute it was the turn of Bodvarsson and Lewis Dunk to receive treatment after they had clashed in the Brighton box.

In the 45th minute, Brighton took the lead when Knockaert took advantage of a bounce of the ball that deceived Kortney Hause. The Brighton star took the ball to the 18-yard line before beating Andy Lonergan with a low drive.

In stoppage time, Hemed almost doubled Brighton’s lead with a shot that just cleared the bar.

Half-Time: Wolves 0 Seagulls 1

Four minutes after the restart, Hemed was close again when he flicked the ball over the bar after a low cross from Pocognoli before March’s foul on Cavaleiro to the left of the Seagulls box, presented Wolves with a chance but keeper David Stockdale punched away Marshall’s free-kick.

Fortune was against Wanderers on the hour mark as Cavaleiro’s cross found Coady at the far post. His header was pushed away by Stockdale and when the ball ran to Weimann his effort was blocked by two defenders with a deflection allowing Stockdale to claim.

Bodvarsson threaded a pass through to Marshall whose attempt to poke the ball past Stockdale was saved by Stockdale,

Then Coady found Marshall who this time sprinted into the box and unleashed a shot that was beaten away by the keeper.

A double change for Wolves saw Donovan Wilson, who was making his League debut, and Dicko taking over from Bodvarsson and Marshall.

Wolves were hit on the break in the 82nd minute when Murray played Knockaert in and the winger smashed home a shot inside the near post.

A header from Dave Edwards was cleared following a corner from Saiss who was booked shortly afterwards for dissent.

In stoppage time Saiss figured again with a long-range shot that was way too high.