Gary O'Neil says one Wolves player was actually 'excellent' despite defeat to Brighton

Wolves are out of the Carabao Cup after losing 3-2 to Brighton – but Gary O’Neil was impressed with one man last night.

Wolves were beaten by the Seagulls by just a one-goal margin in the end, which is somewhat surprising given the atrocious first-half display.

O’Neil’s side were all at sea in the first-half, with the defending a shambles at times.

Jose Sa came back in for his first appearance since being linked with a summer move to Saudi Arabia, and really looked like he had no confidence.

Wolves were so shaky at the back, and it was remarkable they managed to get in just 2-1 down at the break.

It was Goncalo Guedes who gave Wanderers a lifeline – and O’Neil sang the star’s praises after the game.

Goncalo Guedes receives high praise from Gary O’Neil after another goal for Wolves at Brighton

Photo by Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images

It was thanks to Guedes that Wolves had set up this contest with Brighton, after he scored a brace against Burnley in the previous round.

Some are still shocked to see Guedes actually in the squad and playing football, given all that was written about him in the summer.

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Former manager Julen Lopetegui had said back in January 2023 that Guedes didn’t want to be at the club and ever since then, his future has been massively in doubt.

But the picture has changed since the summer, with Guedes being reintegrated by O’Neil.

Last night, he started for Wolves for the second time this season, and he grabbed his third goal, turning in a Matt Doherty pass into the far corner.

After the game, O’Neil said (via Wolves official): “I thought Guedes was excellent. He’s obviously had a tough few years with injuries and being unsettled at the club.

“He showed quality, he was bright, he worked unbelievably hard for the team. There were lots of positives in there. The only thing that we can really control is the way that we perform, and the way that we perform increases our chances of getting results.”

Credit to Guedes

Guedes did well against Brighton.

He should undoubtedly have scored a second goal and it was disappointing to see him squander that chance in the second-half.

But the £90,000-a-week man looks a threat, and he looks to have his head in the game.

Whatever has gone on before with Guedes at the club, doesn’t look to be an issue right now and fair play to him.

It could well be that he still doesn’t particularly want to be at the club. But he’s putting a shift in when he plays and currently, he’s doing much better than the likes of Hwang Hee-chan and Pablo Sarabia.

Wolves have a huge game against Aston Villa this weekend, and some fans would not be opposed to him starting.

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