English Premier League

Wolves 0 – 0 Brighton

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.

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 the fifth-place could still yield a Champions League spot if Manchester City does 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.

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 was 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.

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Source – BBC