Wolves 0-0 Brighton: Hosts go fifth with dull draw

Chances were few and far between at Molineux

Wolves moved up to fifth in the Premier League with a dull goalless draw against out-of-form Brighton.

There was only one shot in each half at Molineux, with Brighton's Davy Propper drawing a routine save from Rui Patricio from distance.

Wolves' Raul Jimenez hit a shot on the turn straight at Mat Ryan with 15 minutes to go.

Leander Dendoncker went close to winning the game for Wolves late on when he shot over the crossbar.

Brighton, who have yet to win in 2020, are now two points above the relegation zone.

Lacklustre Wolves miss their chance?

Wolves did not look their usual fluid self, although boss Nuno Espirito Santo denied that it was an indication of fatigue in their 47th game of the season. Only League One sides Oxford and Portsmouth have played more in England.

Wolves would have gone fourth with victory, but fifth place could still yield a Champions League spot if Manchester City do not win an appeal against their two-year European expulsion.

Most of Wolves' chances were from distance, with Ruben Neves shooting over on a couple of occasions and Raul Jimenez poking a shot wide. Jimenez had one of their best chances of the game with a fine volley from Willy Boly's long pass but it hit the stanchion behind the goal.

They looked brighter when Adama Traore, who dislocated a shoulder in last weekend's win at Tottenham, came on in the second half. He had a hand in their only effort on target.

Traore ran down the right and found substitute Daniel Podence. His effort was blocked by Lewis Dunk and the loose ball fell to Jimenez, whose shot took a slight nick off Adam Webster and Ryan saved.

Wolves - who have only beaten Brighton four times in 32 league meetings - pushed for a late goal but none came, with Jimenez laying the ball off for Dendoncker to shoot over.

Brighton buoyed but search for win goes on

This could yet prove a crucial point for Brighton, who are the only team left in the top four divisions not to win this year. This was their 10th attempt, drawing six and losing four.

Graham Potter's side were well organised and kept their first clean sheet since that most recent win, 2-0 against Bournemouth on 28 December.

They will need to match that resilience in their next five games, four of which are against Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City.

Propper's shot from 25 yards was their only effort on goal, but they had several other chances. Yves Bissouma was especially bright with three of their four shots off target.

Attacking midfielder Alexis Mac Allister made his debut in the second half - the Argentina international joined Albion in January 2019 but has spent loan spells with Argentinos Juniors and Boca Juniors.

The 21-year-old was lively, with several dangerous set-pieces causing concern for Wolves.

The visitors spent the latter stages pushing for a goal but struggled to create a clear-cut chance.

'All the games in this league are quite brutal' - manager reaction

Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo told BBC Match of the Day: "We didn't perform so well, like we wanted. It was a tough game against a very good team.

"They were organised, but so were we. It was a game of not too many chances.

"It's about where we came from. We started three years ago and we keep on building, trying always to sustain the level of performance. I think today we didn't, and we have to improve for the next one."

Brighton manager Graham Potter told MOTD: "It was important for us to keep a clean sheet. We took part in a game against a team with a lot of dangerous players, but we restricted them to not too many clear-cut chances.

"We did well. Defensively we're really pleased. It was a collective effort. With the quality they have they can put you in dangerous places.

"We took part in the game. We tried to play and attack when we could. We had opportunities but it wasn't to be. We move forward really positively with a clean sheet - we hadn't had one for a while.

"All the games in this league are quite brutal. We just need to keep working, fighting and preparing for the next game."

Man of the match - Yves Bissouma

Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma won possession 16 times (six more than anyone else), made as many tackles (five) as anyone else and had more shots than any other Albion player (three)

Match stats - Wolves are the 0-0 kings

• Wolves have drawn five games 0-0 this season in all competitions, the most of any Premier League side.

• Wolves have played 47 matches this season, one more than in the whole of last season.

• Wolves have kept four clean sheets in their past five Premier League games, as many as they in their previous 25.

• Seven of the past nine league meetings between Wolves and Brighton at Molineux have ended as draws, with last season's encounter at Molineux also finishing goalless.

• Despite coming on in the 64th minute, Adama Traore completed more dribbles than any other player (five).

What's next?

Wolves visit Greek side Olympiakos in the Europa League last 16 on Thursday, before travelling to West Ham in the Premier League on 15 March.

Brighton host Arsenal on Saturday, the first of four games against the 'big six' in five matches.