Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi said he is “lucky” to manage the club after his side delivered another devastating attacking display to cruise past Wolves and make it two wins from two at the start of the Premier League season.
A stunning solo goal from Kaoru Mitoma broke the deadlock at Molineux, the Japan international collecting Pervis Estupinan’s pass near the halfway line before sidestepping several half-hearted challenges and beating the onrushing Jose Sa.
Wolves had chances to equalise but were made to pay for their profligacy in brutal fashion as the Seagulls scored three times in nine second-half minutes, Estupinan doubling the visitors’ lead with a low finish 41 seconds after the restart.
Two fine close-range finishes from the superb Solly March – in front of watching England manager Gareth Southgate – gave Brighton a 4-0 lead before second-half substitute Hwang Hee-chan pulled one back for Wolves with a well-placed header.
“I’m really pleased with the result and the performance,” De Zerbi told BBC Match of the Day. “Mitoma is a top player, March scored two goals, [Julio] Enciso was the best player on the pitch. I’m really lucky.
“I have an incredible squad [with] the right mix between young and old players. We’re happy, but we know our potential is bigger.
“My work is to push them more and get better.”
Matheus Nunes was shown a late red card for Gary O’Neil’s side on a sobering afternoon for the hosts.
Before the game, De Zerbi said he felt his side were reaching “a higher level” despite the high-profile departures of Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo this summer.
It is hard to find fault with the Italian’s assessment after the Seagulls scored four goals for the second consecutive game – including three in a rampant start to the second period.
The lively Mitoma was a threat throughout, enjoying more touches inside the opposition box than any other player on the pitch and showing magnificent composure to tee up Estupinan for the Seagulls’ second of the game.
Teenager Enciso set up both goals for March, who also recovered possession more often than any of his team-mates in a tireless all-round display.
The 29-year-old could have had a hat-trick after cutting inside and hitting a low effort at goal from the edge of the box, but it was straight at Sa.
“If you are in the right positions, you are going to get chances,” said March. “Both my goals came from busting a gut, so if I keep doing that I’ll get more goals.
“We’ve got two or three players in every position; maybe we didn’t have that last year and that can help us kick on this year. If we keep our foot on the pedal and believing, we’ll hopefully have a great season again.”
There may be room for improvement defensively but on this evidence, Brighton look more than capable of matching – or even surpassing – last season’s sixth-place finish.
Wolves felt extremely hard done by after leaving Manchester United empty-handed on Monday evening, but despite creating enough opportunities to cancel out Mitoma’s first-half strike they can have few complaints at the manner of Saturday’s defeat.
Fabio Silva, making his first start for the club since April 2022, had an early effort disallowed for offside before finding himself one-on-one with Steele not long afterwards, but the 21-year-old’s finish lacked conviction.
Matheus Cunha and Pedro Neto both failed to hit the target from promising positions later in the half, before Rayan Ait-Nouri blazed over the bar after a darting run into the box.
Those opportunities may have given Wolves supporters reason for optimism at the interval, but O’Neil’s team were torn apart by Brighton early in the second half.
“We created chances, but Brighton are clinical,” O’Neil said to BBC Match of the Day. “That is now two games where we haven’t converted chances. Shot-wise and xG-wise, there was nothing in the game. We need to improve in that, but in terms of commitment [Brighton] kept going.
“If you miss chances, things can go against you. They benefited and were clinical.”
Nunes’ needless sending off in stoppage time – for a petulant shove on Estupinan – capped a miserable day for Wolves, who have lost their opening two games and left the field to a chorus of boos.
Wolves were bottom of the Premier League in November last year before battling to safety under Julen Lopetegui, and this could be another long season for the Black Country club unless they raise their game considerably at both ends of the pitch.
