Brighton edged past Wolves with a 3-2 victory to seal their spot in round four of the Carabao Cup.
Brighton eased into a two-goal lead thanks to long-range strikes from Carlos Baleba (14) and Simon Adingra (31) with Wolves showing little to nothing for the majority of the first half.
However, Gary O’Neil’s side grabbed a lifeline just before the break as Goncalo Guedes (44) converted Matt Doherty’s cut back to halve the deficit.
After the break, Wolves were much the better side for long periods. The visitors, with renewed energy, went close to an equaliser when Nelson Semedo’s cross was touched onto Adam Webster by Jason Steele, and the ball rolled agonisingly towards goal. However, Josh Hinshelwood appeared out of nowhere to clear the ball off the line.
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Carlos Baleba opens his Brighton account with a wonderful goal and then wows fans with his celebration!
Another big chance fell to Guedes but with just Steele to beat, the forward fired wide as Wolves failed to capitalise on their opportunities.
They were made to pay when Brighton restored their two-goal advantage late on. Ferdi Kadioglu pounced after Danny Welbeck’s shot was saved to convert the rebound for his first goal for the club.
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Simon Adingra’s fine finish doubled Brighton’s lead against Wolves in their third round clash in the Carabao Cup
However, there was still time for another goal as Tommy Doyle capitalised on some poor defending from the hosts to fire in a shot off the underside of the crossbar.
It proved only to be a consolation as Brighton held on to book their place in the draw for the last-16, which takes place next Wednesday (September 25).
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Jason Steele had a moment to forget in Brighton’s Carabao Cup match against Wolves!
Hurzeler keen to cut out ‘silly mistakes’
Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler was relieved to progress after “silly mistakes” aided Wolves’ hopes of forcing a penalty shootout.
Victory for Albion stretched their unbeaten start under Hurzeler to six games across league and cup.
“We played a very good first half until the 44th minute,” said the German. “It’s a goal we should never concede because it’s a lazy transition reaction from us.
“It’s something we can’t accept, it’s something against our identity, and we have to learn out of these moments quickly.
“In the second half, Wolves tried everything to score the second goal. We made silly mistakes. We made too easy mistakes. We weren’t clean and clear like we were in the first half.
“With the third goal from us, I think the game was decided.”
When is the fourth round draw?
The Carabao Cup fourth round draw will take place live on Sky Sports following the conclusion of Liverpool vs West Ham on Wednesday September 25.
Ball numbers for the draw will be finalised on the morning of Wednesday 25 September.
The fourth round ties will take place week commencing October 28.
‘A matter of time before we pick up some results’
Wolves boss Gary O’Neil:
“They can feel that we’re in games, and they can feel that there’s lots of good going on, and obviously I reinforce that with them, as well as the fact that it’s no good just playing well. We have to find a way to be gritty enough and manage dangerous moments better to swing the result in our favour.
“The lads will be fine. They’ve shown in every game so far that they’re ready to go again. Even if we go behind, they’re ready to go again. Last season, when we suffered some tough results, they always found a way to bounce back. You can’t play that well forever and not start to pick up results. It’s a matter of time, of course, but we need to make sure that we force it.”
What’s next for Brighton and Wolves?
Brighton host Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday, live on Sky Sports; kick-off 2pm.
Meanwhile, Wolves travel to Villa Park to face Aston Villa on Saturday; kick-off 3pm.