Wolves 1-1 Brighton: Van Hecke's late header prolongs hosts' search for first win
Wolves' wait for their first Premier League win goes on after Brighton fought back to secure a 1-1 draw at Molineux on Sunday.
Jan Paul van Hecke scored a commanding late header to rescue a vital point for Brighton as they battled back to draw 1-1 with Wolves in the Premier League.
Wolves looked set to end their winless start and secure their first top-flight victory of the season, as Marshall Munetsi's thunderous volley deflected off Bart Verbruggen's back for a 21st-minute own goal.
That opener came just seconds after Vitor Pereira was shown a straight red card for dissent after he was left unhappy by a foul from Carlos Baleba.
The hosts continued to dominate in large parts, building on their strong performance last time out against Tottenham, where they looked set to get their Premier League campaign underway but fell to a late Joao Palhinha leveller.
Pereira's side were ultimately left to rue missed opportunities in the second half, including Jhon Arias blazing over the bar and Jorgen Strand Larsen striking the foot of the post.
Brighton capitalised on Wolves' profligacy in the 86th minute, when Van Hecke rose to meet Stefanos Tzimas' cross and fired home from close range to snatch a draw.
The draw leaves Wolves stuck at the bottom of the table with just two points, while Brighton slip down to 12th on nine.
Data Debrief: Pereira rings in the changes, but Wolves fall short
Following a challenging start to the season, Pereira has already begun to ring in the changes, with Wolves having made 25 changes to their starting XI in the Premier League this season.
Through the first seven games of a single campaign, only two sides have ever made more (29 by Manchester United in 2001-02 and 26 by Manchester City in 2012-13).
The rotation initially seemed to work as Wolves gained a strong foothold and took the lead, but they ultimately lacked cutting-edge efficiency in the final third, reflected in their modest 0.56 expected goals (xG).
Brighton, by contrast, managed 1.15 xG and followed up a subdued first half with a much stronger performance after the break. They have now earned 30 points from losing positions under Fabian Hurzeler, more than any other team since the start of last season.
