Wolverhampton Wanderers

Chris Wise
Final Score reporter at Amex Stadium

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Wolves might still be without a Premier League win, but the belief and perseverance they showed at Brighton on Saturday has the potential to galvanise their season.

Gary O'Neil was rewarded because he made positive changes - and he made them early.

The Wolves manager has got to take some credit for the work he has done to mould Matheus Cunha into a much more effective team player too.

Cunha has this maverick element to his game - and obviously Wolves don't want to completely strip him of that - but O'Neil knows he needs more than just that in this division.

He seems to be seeing the rewards of his work now.

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Brighton and Wolves.

Here are some of your comments:

Brighton fans

Sarah: At 2-0 up with four minutes to go, I'm horrified at the way the end of the game unfolded but more horrified by the fact that Hurzeler blamed the lack of experience of his players, rather than his own lack of experience. He made so many substitutes of inexperienced players at the last minute which, in my opinion, cost us the game.

Richard: As disappointed as I was at the final whistle, there were a lot of positives to take. We dominated, scored two goals and Ferguson will hopefully get a huge confidence boost from his fine strike. Well played Wolves, they deserved something from the game, just purely on their refusal to let their heads drop. They will be OK come May.

Hayling: Poor decisions on substitutions by the manager. You don't take off your best player and midfield shield, Baleba, especially to bring on a player who has proved again to not be up to the Premier League.

Jack: It genuinely felt like we may have turned a corner in these sorts of games, but no it is the same old Brighton. We can't finish off teams below us, which is why we will not finish in a European place again this season. Unprofessional.

Wolves fans

Mark: Our opening run of fixtures was always going to be tough. We have played well for the majority of our games so far, but we have got little reward. O'Neil will be judged more fairly on the upcoming November fixtures. We will need at least a couple of wins for him to keep his job, which I hope he does.

Graham: Nice to see the good work of last week carrying on. An all too familiar scoreline was on the cards again after the second goal went in, but at last we showed some fighting spirit to get a good result. Well done lads!

David: We will win when we stop gifting our opponents gift-wrapped goals. Brighton should have never scored two goals. We desperately need two experienced defenders to teach the youngsters how to read the game. Bring back Conor Coady, even as a coach!

Dan: Wolves gave the ball away way too much and sat deep in the first half, so it was a matter of time before Brighton scored. Fair play, we changed it at half-time and pressed more. Very lucky with the equaliser as Brighton should have scored with the four-v-one, but we are well overdue some luck. We need this to kickstart our season now.

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Ipswich, Southampton and Wolves are all still looking for a win after nine games.

Of the previous 24 sides winless after nine games, a third of them still survived at the end of the season.

However, only four of the last 17 sides in this situation stayed up.

Southampton have been in this position before in 1998-99 and survived on the final day.

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Former Premier League striker Alan Shearer believes Wolves' fight-back against Brighton from two goals down could be "an absolutely huge point" for their chances of survival in the top-flight this season.

Gary O'Neil's side managed to lift themselves off the bottom of the table with the 2-2 draw and Shearer praised their "fight" on Match of the Day.

"That could be an absolutely huge point," he said.

"If Gary O'Neil needed any evidence that his players are still with him, fighting for him and on the same page as him - the evidence is there in this game.

"When there are 88 minutes on the clock and you are 2-0 down but your players are still fighting like they were doing for him and the football club, then that is a huge positive.

"They sacked their set-piece coach a few weeks ago but it was a set-piece that worked for them in this game, so at 88 minutes it was then 2-1. You were sat there thinking: 'They can't do it, can they?' But then all of a sudden they were pushing forward.

"This point could be absolutely huge for them, particularly when you look at the list of fixtures they have in the coming weeks.

"Three of their next four games are at home, against teams you would think they have got a really good chance of starting their season against.

"Some of the fixtures they have had up to this point have been really difficult, so now their season has to start as of next weekend after getting a huge point against Brighton."

Catch up on Match of the Day here

Wolves have made Watford's Georgia attacking midfielder Giorgi Chakvetadze, 25, a primary target in January. (Sun), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from Saturday's five Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from Friday's game between Leicester City and Nottingham Forest.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Aston Villa 1-1 Bournemouth

• Everton 1-1 Fulham

Neil Johnston
BBC Sport journalist

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There has yet to be a managerial sacking in the Premier League this season but Gary O'Neil must have been a seriously worried man in the 85th minute at the Amex Stadium.

That's when Brighton substitute Evan Ferguson scored to make it 2-0 and leave Wolves staring at a sixth straight top-flight defeat.

Then the comeback of all comebacks.

When Rayan Ait-Nouri struck in the 88th minute it looked nothing more than a consolation. Step forward Matheus Cunha to cap a fine performance by rescuing an unlikely point in the 93rd minute.

It was fitting it was Brazil forward Cunha who came to the rescue.

He was Wolves' best player but will his fourth Premier League goal of the season prove a turning point for his side?

They host fellow strugglers Crystal Palace and Southampton in their next two games which are must-win fixtures for O'Neil, whose last 19 Premier League games in charge has brought just one win.

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Of players to score at least 10 goals in Premier League history, only Stern John (80%), Johan Elmander (74%) and Matheus Pereira (73%) have scored a higher percentage away from home than Wolves' Matheus Cunha (72% - 13 out of 18).

Wolves boss Gary O'Neil has been speaking to Sky Sports after his side clinched a late draw against Brighton: "I'm a little bit disappointed, with myself really, that I started with five [at the back]. I know we did well with a five-back against Manchester City, and [I thought] the lads deserved another go at it.

"I didn't think a five-back would fit very well against Brighton today, but at least we were quick enough to change it at half-time.

"At 85 minutes, when Brighton scored their second goal, I thought I was going to be stood here answering some more tough questions.

"The players have given an awful lot and, if they keep doing that, it [the results] cannot continue to go against you."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Brighton's performance, external

What did you make of Wolves' display?, external

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Five matches make up Saturday's Premier League action, and we will bring you every moment.

• Aston Villa v Bournemouth - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Brentford v Ipswich

• Brighton v Wolves

• Manchester City v Southampton

• Everton v Fulham - 17:30 - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-offs 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches this season, against a variety of guests.

For week nine he takes on rapper Nemzzz, who supports Manchester United.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

I disagreed with Wolves boss Gary O'Neil because I thought it was correct not to disallow Manchester City's last-gasp winner last weekend.

O'Neil was clutching at straws to compare it to the goal Max Kilman had ruled out against West Ham last season because, unlike Bernardo Silva for City, in that incident Tawanda Chirewa was offside and directly in the goalkeeper’s way.

I felt for O'Neil because Wolves played really well, although in the end I was only four goals out with my prediction of a 6-1 City win.

This is another tough game for them, against a Brighton side who got a really good win at Newcastle last week.

So can Wolves drag themselves up again after giving so much and coming close to getting a point against the champions?

I am really tempted to go for them to get a draw but, although they deserved to get more than one point from their first eight games, they have been inconsistent.

Wolves have definitely got a goal in them, but I am going with Brighton to take the points.

Nemzzz's prediction: 1-1

Brighton are flying but I don't think Wolves are as bad as the league table suggests.

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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As a player, it is tough when you have not won in weeks and you know that everyone you are playing fancies their chances against you.

Teams will take it to you because they want to make you feel uncomfortable and, historically, teams near the bottom of a league do not have good away records, so that can then create anxiety for home fixtures because there is more pressure on them.

It does not matter how that first win comes but it is so important. But then immediately you will be looking at the fixtures and thinking when will the second come?

Everyone is objectively aware of how good the top four teams are, but some other teams are tough too. Those mid-table teams are often more robust.

Realistically, to survive you need between eight and 11 wins a season, but if you do not believe you can achieve that then that is another issue.

Players need to be able to handle any scenario you are given in the Premier League, but unfortunately for a lot of these teams near the bottom, they are so new to it so they can't lean on previous experiences. Lessons need to be learned quickly and then applied so that results start picking up.

But fans also need to look at performances as well as results.

Supporters might be looking at other managers as an option, but the grass isn't always greener - and then what if it makes no difference?

It is OK having positive performances but not getting anything out of the game - because at least you know you are along the right rack. It is when the performances aren't good that you can start to be concerned.

But having said that, no team should be in real panic mode right now.

Nedum Onuoha was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford

Crystal Palace, Ipswich Town, Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers all remain winless after eight Premier League games - so how can they kickstart their season?

Former Leeds, Everton and Leicester striker Jermaine Beckford tells The Football News Show that back-to-basics, low-risk football is their best bet.

Watch The Football News Show on iPlayer

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Wolves boss Gary O'Neil has said he will be flexible between playing with either a back four or back five, after an improved defensive showing against Manchester City on Sunday.

Having conceded 21 goals in their first seven Premier League games, Wolves lost 2-1 to the champions, who needed a stoppage-time winner at Molineux to deny Wanderers a point.

Before Saturday's trip to Brighton, O'Neil said: "Being a back five in the Premier League every week is really difficult. It's difficult against certain systems to be a back five - you can be a back five, but you'll just end up one of your centre-backs out of it for ages, which basically means you're a back four with a centre-back higher up the pitch.

"There are opportunities to be a back five in the league still, and we will use both because of the situation we're in and what we have in the building. Santi [Bueno] did really well in what was a tough test [against City].

"Last year, we were a back four quite a lot, with Toti [Gomes] at left-back and Rayan [Ait-Nouri] in front, which people would have definitely taken as a back five.

"It [the formation] does matter, but in certain games it is really difficult to be an actual back five. We'll see what fits best [on Saturday].

"[Against] Manchester City, a back five I think is really good. It fits really well against what they do. There will be certain teams that I don't think it fits very well against. That doesn't mean we can't do it, it just means it will cause its own problems as well as solve some.

"It's just decisions to be made about what we think is best each week and I'm really clear around what I think helps us best this weekend."

Phil Cartwright
BBC Sport journalist

Wolves boss Gary O'Neil has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Brighton (kick-off 15:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Sam Johnstone has trained this week and O'Neil will "make a call" on his potential inclusion. Asked if he has a "firm idea in his mind" about whether Johnstone or Jose Sa will start in goal, O'Neil said: "I'm really clear on who is the best goalkeeper to start for us tomorrow."

• O'Neil has given the FA his observations around his comments following Manchester City's late winner at Molineux on Sunday. He was keen to stress that his comments were made in a wider conversation around VAR in general and "wasn't linked to the John Stones goal", which he had said earlier in his news conference he could understand why it was given.

• O'Neil said he can understand why Wolves supporters have frustrations with VAR decisions involving the club: "I was sent a league table, external in the week and we're -20 for VAR interventions, which doesn't mean they're wrong or right, it just means every time VAR gets involved in the past five years, if you get a point for it going for you and you get a minus point for it going against you, we're -20."

• He continued: "The nearest team to us are West Ham on -6, so you have an understanding as to why Wolverhampton and the fanbase isn't a big fan of VAR at this moment."

• O'Neil said "there are a few things that feel like they go against you when you're at the bottom of the league", such as a tough opening run of fixtures, but he added: "Regardless of all of that, the team, myself, the club and the fanbase just stand up and fight every game, as you saw against Manchester City. We've had some tough bumps but we're all standing here ready to fight again and ready to go to Brighton to give everything to improve our situation in the league."

• On Brighton: "It's a big challenge - they're going really well. They've got a fantastic side - they were already a fantastic side with Roberto de Zerbi there last year. There's a lot of stuff still there from Roberto and it looks like the new manager is trying to shift it, but there are bits that are very similar."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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Wolves have lost their last five Premier League matches, despite finding the net in each match. The last team to lose six top-flight games in a row while scoring in every game was Manchester City in 1960.

Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter

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While setting out his reasons for hoping that the VAR verdict might have brought Wolves relief - and what would have been their hardest-earned point in recent memory - Gary O'Neil did not overdo the sugar-coating.

"The goal at the end, we can blame the referee if we want, or we can blame me. It's my team that conceded a corner. So, I'll look at me before I look at the officials. The first thing I did when I got in my office was ask how Stones got ahead of three."

It had nevertheless been a much more encouraging day, even if it had a painful finish.

Had Wolves not improved drastically on their showing at Brentford, they would have been easily beaten, and the atmosphere in the ground probably toxic. From the start, though, it was obvious they had a much better plan and the appetite to stick with it, and Molineux was at its most supportive.

O'Neil did not commit himself to a permanent return to a three-centre-back arrangement, the method that was welcomed by many supporters on Sunday.

The Wolves boss likes to point out it really is not a binary choice between that and a back four anyway, and their plans are far more nuanced. But he did underline that the performance against Manchester City was of the overall standard they must now maintain.

"We got a long way away from our gameplan at Brentford. Today, we stuck to it for all of it," he said post-match.

"We're up against one of the best sides around and we came up 20 seconds short... but that's where we need to be. It doesn't guarantee you points and it doesn't guarantee you victories. But it does guarantee you a chance - against everybody - if we can perform in the way we did today."

It does, but the unavoidable fact is that - for all the fair mitigations about fixture lists and limited budgets - the sense of jeopardy around the next few fixtures, beyond Saturday's visit to Brighton, is going to remain high.

"We're going to be under massive pressure for a cluster of games because we've not been able to pick up points. As nice as it was today, with everyone behind the team and behind me, and backing everything that we're doing, those games are going to come quick and we're going to be under big pressure in those. We have to accept that."

Listen to full commentary of Brighton v Wolves at 15:00 on Saturday on BBC Radio WM (95.6FM)

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