Brighton head coach Fabian Hürzeler is standing by midfielder Mats Wieffer after his costly error led to Wolves’ equalizer in a 2-2 draw at the Amex Stadium.
Brighton initially held a 2-0 lead with goals from Danny Welbeck and substitute Evan Ferguson. However, Wolves – still searching for their first win of the season – fought back with late goals from Rayan Aït-Nouri and Matheus Cunha.
The pivotal moment occurred in the 93rd minute as Brighton pushed forward in hopes of securing a third goal. Substitute Wieffer had possession in a four-on-one attack but, in an unfortunate turn, his loose pass found the lone Wolves defender, setting up a rapid counter-attack that led to the equalizer.
“I haven’t spoken to him yet,” Hürzeler told Sussex World after the match. “He’ll be disappointed, as he should be. It’s moments like these that reveal character, and he will grow from this. Failure is part of learning. We’ll support him through it, and I’m confident he’ll bounce back.”
Hürzeler was also critical of his team’s game management after going 2-0 up, acknowledging a “lack of maturity” in their play.
“In the end, we lost two points,” Hürzeler commented. “Today, we fell short in our development; we weren’t mature or professional enough to win. We have to learn quickly from this. Sometimes, you have to grind out a win rather than rely on style. We were too passive and not ruthless enough in defending set pieces.”
Reflecting on the missed opportunity for a third goal, he added, “We had a chance to seal it, missed it, and got punished. We acted without professionalism. This is a young team with potential, but moments like these show we need to learn.”
The draw keeps Brighton fifth in the Premier League. They will next face Liverpool at the Amex Stadium on Wednesday night in the Carabao Cup.
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