Pereira blinked at 1-0 — and Wolves paid the price

Wolves’ plan unraveled at Molineux, as a bold start gave way to a cautious retreat and another lead slipped. Vítor Pereira set up with a back four and, for an hour, Wolves looked the sharper team. The opener came on 21 minutes and from there Wolves should have gone for the kill.

Instead of pressing the advantage, Wolves surrendered it. Around the hour mark Pereira replaced Hwang with Agbadou, shifting to a back three and signalling an intention to protect a fragile 1-0. My heart sank. The change echoed last week’s approach against Spurs, with the same result. With the extra centre-back on, Wolves lost their outlet, dropped deeper, and invited Brighton to play. Possession was surrendered, transitions dried up, and the pressure became relentless.

Game management matters late in matches, but half an hour is a long time to bunker in against opponents of Brighton’s quality. With no pace left high to threaten in behind, the visitors committed bodies forward and recycled attacks. The equaliser felt inevitable.

There were positives. The work rate was high, several individual displays stood out, and the back four looked balanced while Wolves were proactive. But the team was let down by the mid-game switch. Bring on Fer López or Rodrigo Gomes and you at least force them to respect the counter and think twice about committing to all out attack.

Wolves rode a similar plan to success in the cup against Everton, but the league has punished it twice in a row. Wolves needs to be braver with a lead: hold territory, keep an outlet, and finish on the front foot. The wait for a Premier League win goes on, the next two games are pivotal for Wolves season and they must win both.