Brighton 3-0 Wolves: Two assists put De Cuyper top of ratings | OneFootball

Maxim De Cuyper marked his first start in three months with two assists in the opening five minutes as Brighton beat Wolves 3-0, earning top billing in the player ratings.

His last start came at Crystal Palace in February, with only 66 minutes since. Injury to Mats Wieffer prompted a reshuffle, De Cuyper at left back and Ferdi Kadioglu moving right. According to WeAreBrighton.com, the call raised eyebrows given Mateus Mane’s threat, but De Cuyper kept him quiet.

De Cuyper’s first cross from the left invited Jack Hinshelwood to head in. Minutes later his in-swinging corner from the right was thumped home at the back post by Lewis Dunk, back in the XI after failing to regain his place following a two-match ban because of Olivier Boscagli’s form.

Wolves struck the woodwork twice early in the second half but otherwise offered little. Bart Verbruggen was steady, Kadioglu measured, while Jan Paul van Hecke and Carlos Baleba looked more like themselves.

Kaoru Mitoma was forced off with a hamstring problem on the hour, when Joel Veltman entered, prompting Yankuba Minteh to switch to the left. Minteh later smashed the third after Georginio Rutter forced a loose clearance then picked him out.

The manner of Mitoma’s pull-up and reaction suggested the issue could be serious. If so, it would be a terrible blow for Mitoma and Japan with the World Cup only a month away.

Source: WeAreBrighton.com