NafisaWolves were defeated by Brighton on Saturday, marking consecutive losses for Vitor Pereira’s men.
Wolves extended their disappointing run of results against the Seagulls, managing just one victory in their last nine encounters with them.
The outcome saw Wolves slip to 14th in the Premier League standings, with Everton claiming a win over Fulham.
Wanderers could potentially fall as low as 16th, with Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur both playing today.
It was a discouraging outing for Wolves, who enjoyed more possession than Brighton and registered 10 attempts overall. But they lacked a decisive touch in front of goal.
And it was a match to forget for Matheus Cunha, who gave away the penalty that put Wolves 1-0 behind.
Matheus Cunha sends message on Instagram after conceding penalty in Wolves vs Brighton:
After VAR disallowed a Danny Welbeck goal for offside, the ex-Manchester United forward eventually opened the scoring from the penalty spot.
He was handed the opportunity after Cunha collected the ball on the edge of his own penalty area. Why he was positioned so deep remains somewhat unclear.
The Brazilian was dispossessed and tried to recover, but ended up fouling Mats Wieffer in the box.
The referee had no alternative but to award a penalty, and Cunha was shown a yellow card.
Cunha – who Pereira maintains is not suited to playing as a striker – then worked hard to make amends, but was unable to drag Wolves back into the contest.
Last night, Cunha addressed the loss on Instagram, posting: “Tough day today. Focus on the next one. Thanks for the support 🫶🐺”
Careless Cunha:
The opener from Brighton was a very avoidable one from a Wolves point of view.
Cunha did glance over his shoulder after receiving the pass from Emmanuel Agbadou. But he failed to expect such an aggressive press from Wieffer.
Matheus Cunha vs Brighton:
Minutes played – 59
Touches – 43
Passes completed – 19/23 (83%)
Shots on/off target – 1/1
xG – 0.11
Duels won – 1/5 (20%)
He quickly found himself in serious trouble, with Wieffer ready to pull the trigger. He had little option but to commit the foul.
Fortunately for Wolves, there isn’t much riding on the remaining fixtures, with survival already secured. Still, this will have been a deeply irritating afternoon for Pereira, who is keen to see his team end the campaign on a positive note.
Wanderers were immediately under pressure due to Cunha’s lapse in concentration, and it remains to be seen if the Wolves boss responds by benching him for the upcoming clash with Crystal Palace.
Nafisa
