The Media Review: Albion tame Wolves at Molineux

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Albion won 2-0 at Wolves on Saturday.

Nick Szczepanik

2025-05-11T07:00+01:00

Brajan Gruda was emotional after scoring his first Premier League goal. 📷 by James Boardman.

Football reporters like nothing better than a simple story and an intro that writes itself. Albion provided the West Midlands press pack with both in the 2-0 victory at Wolves.

With online reports to be filed on the final whistle and rewrites no later than 6pm, the denizens of the Molineux press box would have been overjoyed to realise that Danny Welbeck’s tenth goal of the season had given him double figures in a season for the first time in his career.

Brajan Gruda’s clincher sealed the result, provided a nice second lead, and gave everyone time to tidy up that intro and get ready to press ‘send’.

Katherine Walsh put it all together neatly in The Sun on Sunday. “Danny Welbeck recorded an astonishing first as Brighton continued their Europa Conference League push with a hard-fought win at Wolves,” she wrote.

“The ex-Manchester United and England striker scored his 10th Premier League goal of the season - something he has never done before in a professional career spanning 17 years.

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Victory in the Black Country as Fabian Hurzeler’s Seagulls beat Vitor Pereira's Wolves side 2-0, with goals from Danny Welbeck Brajan Gruda. Club Photographer James Boardman was at Molineux to capture all the action.

“And the only reason he scored Brighton’s crucial first half penalty at Molineux is because the Seagulls’ regular spot-kick taker Joao Pedro was serving the final game of a three-match ban.

“Welbeck, now 34, twice scored nine goals in a single campaign when he was at Old Trafford. But the last time he did that was 11 years ago.

“Brighton sealed the points nine minutes from time when sub Brajan Gruda scored from close range for his first goal since signing in August. And it was a moment that appeared to reduce the German to tears as he pointed to the skies after finishing off fellow sub Simon Adringa's cross.”

In The Sunday Times, Ian Whittell reflected that “it is extraordinary to think the former England striker had never scored ten league goals in a season until reaching that mark at Molineux.

“From a Wolves perspective, however, the penalty was a moment to forget for their top scorer, Matheus Cunha. Having been dispossessed on the edge of the penalty area by Mats Wieffer, Cunha hacked at his heels and brought him down. Welbeck converted emphatically, planted into the bottom-right corner. Vito Pereira’s team had been duly punished for some sloppy play at the back that might have led to further first-half goals.”

In The Mail on Sunday, James Sharpe cleverly linked the two central figures in the penalty incident, writing that “a former Manchester United striker showed a future one how it’s done.

“While so much of the talk at Molineux these days surrounds the future of Matheus Cunha and the merits or misgivings of an impending summer move to Old Trafford, it was Danny Welbeck, a man that once tread that starry path, who stole the show.

“That it was Cunha who gave the spot kick away, a foul for which he was fortunate not to be shown a red card, was a fitting irony and a reminder that the ageing stars can often play the best tunes under the glow of the fading light.

“For all the good Cunha was doing in attack, it was his doziness that gifted Brighton the lead when he had his pocket picked by Mats Wieffer on the edge of his own box and then clumsily brought down the Seagulls full-back for a penalty.

“Brighton’s bench leapt in fury at seeing referee Michael Oliver show Cunha a yellow card instead of something stronger. Officials believed Cunha was making an attempt to play the ball, which was a rather generous interpretation of events.

“It was left, though, for Welbeck to have one final say. His clever run made a Wolves defender follow and the space was left for Gruda to slip in and score his first Premier League goal as the substitute fell to his knees in tears.”

Will Unwin of The Guardian wrote that “at 34, Welbeck has found his best form and showed the confidence to score from the spot after Matheus Cunha gifted Brighton a penalty.

“In a Brighton team made up of players from across the world, possessing the fluidity and versatility required to change positions at a second’s notice, the lad from Longsight can still be relied upon to do the basics right as a relentless centre-forward.”

But he also noted that “Brighton had earmarked Cunha as Wolves’ most dangerous player and tasked Mats Wieffer with being his shadow whenever the hosts had possession. Wherever the Brazilian wandered, the curly-haired Dutchman was never far behind him, making him completely ineffective.

“Wolves were almost architects of their own downfall when José Sá pinged a clearance while 40 yards out from goal straight to Matt O’Riley, who should have taken a touch and shot towards the empty net from the halfway line but decided to pass and Yankuba Minteh failed to do anything with the chance.

Special scenes away from home! 😍 pic.twitter.com/VxdogHczvf
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) May 10, 2025

“Brighton need not have worried because the man-marking duo Cunha and Wieffer went under the spotlight. The Brazilian took a poor touch facing his own goal, Wieffer nipped in and was then clumsily brought down by Cunha when through one-on-one inside the box. A booking for Cunha was the punishment and Welbeck added to it, reaching the historic milestone in the process. Simon Adingra slipped in Gruda to dink home the second.”

On the BBC website, Tim Oscroft wrote that “Fabian Hurzeler's side, who had won just one game in their past seven prior to the visit to Molineux, looked to be hitting their stride nicely after the halfway point of the first period.

“Welbeck was celebrating what he was convinced was his 10th goal of the season when he stroked the ball low past Sa, but Yankuba Minteh was adjudged to have interfered with play beyond the former England forward.

“But it scarcely mattered when Welbeck sent Sa the wrong way from the penalty spot shortly afterwards, following Matheus Cunha's foul on Mats Wieffer.

“Hurzeler has played down his team's European chances, but a win over champions Liverpool at Amex Stadium on Monday, 19 May may have the youngest-ever head coach in the Premier League changing his tune.”