Van Hecke Secures Point for Brighton & Hove Albion After Bart Verbruggen's Costly Error Against Wolves

Jørgen Strand Larsen, who saw a big-money transfer collapse recently, was seen angrily confronting his team's coaching staff at full-time. This came after his second-half substitution, shortly after he struck the post with Wolves leading thanks to the Brighton goalkeeper's unfortunate deflection. The Seagulls pushed to get a late equaliser, that finally arrived through Jan Paul van Hecke.

Wolves Denied Again by Last-Minute Strike

This marks the second straight match, Wolves' bid to get their season up and running was thwarted by a last-ditch equaliser. Vítor Pereira had been dismissed shortly prior to the top flight's bottom side took the lead, after Marshall Munetsi's volley came back off the bar and deflected off the opposition goalkeeper.

Brighton's side earned a point for their second-half control, but Wolves, for the second consecutive match following their tie at Spurs, appeared as if they would manage to hang on for a first league win of the season before allowing a last-minute leveler.

Match Explodes with Incidents

Strand Larsen looked Wolves' most likely source for a decisive additional goal, and the home team seemed less able to break forward with Jhon Arias spearheading the line. The match exploded into action in the heart of the first half.

Pereira was furious at the referee's call not to give a free-kick when João Gomes was challenged by Carlos Baleba in the middle in the Brighton half. Then, following the referee booked Baleba for an altogether more obvious infraction on Bueno, the dismissal was issued to the Wolves manager for striking a spare ball from a marker at the officials' dugout. Even though he promptly said sorry, it was clearly a reckless act. The fire had been lit.

When a deep set-piece into the Brighton area was nodded back into the six-yard box, Danny Welbeck only managed to head the ball out as far as Munetsi, to the right of the penalty spot, who dispatched a true hammer of a shot goalwards. Even though the keeper managed to tip the ball against the bottom of the crossbar, it bounced down and across the line off the shot-stopper's glove.

One almost became two, only for Verbruggen to very deliberately push Ladislav Krejci's headed effort, from a further long angled free-kick, to safety. The visitors, with their very impressive history at Molineux – they had taken victory in their four matches here – and a good start to the campaign to boot, counterattacked with sporadic threat.

After the Break Drama

When Tchatatchoua underhit a back-pass, Brajan Gruda was entitled to challenge Johnstone for the ball, although he made contact with the home goalkeeper with his challenge. After a tetchy spell, the importance of the subsequent goal became more obvious. It almost went Wolves' favor, early in the second period, only for Arias to sidefoot high from close range after a excellent break led by Strand Larsen, after he enabled Hwang to set up the advancing Bueno to deliver low.

Brighton, somewhat slow in the first half, looked more potent for the introduction of Rutter and, from Minteh's left-wing cross, the replacement could hardly have caught his shot any more perfectly.

Johnstone, though, vindicating his selection in goal over Sá, leapt back to his right to deny him. The Brighton coach had previously asked Yasin Ayari to patrol the back of his engine room on his by himself, resulting in Brighton to greater possession dominance, when he brought on the forward Stefanos Tzimas to join Welbeck in attack, with Diego Gómez just behind them.

Late Drama as Defender Scores

The Seagulls have notched more times against Wolves than against every other team in the top division. But Wolves were determined to hang on to what they held and so came close to putting the game away when Larsen fired against the foot of the upright. The Norway striker, still seeking peak condition after an Achilles injury, appeared far from impressed when he was taken off moments later as Luis Miguel, the manager's number two, looked to secure the victory. The move backfired however as Brighton drew level with four minutes remaining.

Wolves believed the ball had already gone behind for a goal kick when the defender made sure by nudging it on. From Minteh's near-post set-piece, Maxim De Cuyper crossed and, after Tzimas got a slight flick-on, Van Hecke thudded home only his second ever goal in seventy-seven league games for the club.