After their first goal from Raya Ait Nouri in the 88th minute, the Seagulls rushed a four-on-one counter-attacking opportunity to Tommy Doyle’s delight.
The 23-year-old intercepted and sprung a fast break, easing Wolves’ woes as the ball deflected past a rather helpless-looking Brighton shot-stopper.
With the schedule changing up until Christmas and their tails up after a head-turning comeback, is this the time to take notice of Wolves’ gold in the Midlands?
Draw No Bet
Over 2.5 Goals
Over 2.5 Goals and BTTS
Odds courtesy of Parimatch. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
The data suggests that Wolves have had the most challenging start to the season of any Premier League club, and a look at each club’s respective fixture list up until this point supports this conclusion.
However, we can also analyse their scheduling to date and their next four matches using Opponents Points Per Game (PPG) split into Home PPG and Away PPG. Wolves’ Opponents PPG after nine outings is the highest in the division at 1.98.
West Ham (1.81 PPG) and Ipswich (1.73 PPG) come close, but do not quite reach Wolves’ level. Looking ahead to the next four-game stretch, with an international break wedged in between, Wolves face an average of 0.75 points per game in Crystal Palace, Southampton, Fulham (A) and Bournemouth – three of which will be on home soil.
After enduring seven defeats in nine, no victories from August to November, and sizable scorelines such as the 2-6 versus Chelsea and 5-2 away in Brighton, this will likely be music to the ears of Wolves fans. Could the Crystal Palace fixture now mark a change in fortunes and scheduling?
If you believe Wolves are turning a corner, there’s a Draw No Bet option available for the Wolves vs Crystal Palace fixture, with odds at 1.95 for both sides. The bookmakers have set equal odds, indicating they either can’t or won’t choose a favourite between the two teams.
It might not be the perfect time to back against Crystal Palace after their spirited display against Tottenham, but with the Draw in our favour, it is worth considering.
Despite the tough start to the campaign, Wolves have generated 8.96 xG in nine games – nearly 1.0 xG per90. That figure isn’t likely to dip if they’ve created such chances against stronger opponents. That 8.9xG might take a jump in the coming weeks.
With this in mind and Crystal Palace potentially turning a corner with an improved showing last time out, backing goals at Molyneux this weekend seems sensible. Four of ten matches in the Premier League have been set at an Over/Under 2.5 Goal Line for Matchday 10, and Wolves vs Crystal Palace is one of them, priced at 1.92.
Seven of Wolves’ nine matches (78%) have surpassed the Over 2.5 Goal line this season, giving Gary O’Neil’s men the best strike rate. This includes all four home games. You might be thinking that’s because they’ve been battered every week, and that wouldn’t be too far off. However, Both Teams to Score has also landed in all four Wolves matches at Molyneux.
This shows Wolves can score consistently at home. They’ve conceded the highest number of goals (25) in the division from 16.9xG after just nine games. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace delivered a potentially season-altering performance just days ago. That Over 2.5 line might be threatened.