Liam Keen comment: Game management, clinical edge and Wolves' impressive back four

It was a case of deja vu for Vitor Pereira's side as they let a 1-0 lead slip away against Brighton, as they had done the week before against Spurs.

They now have the international break to stew over the positives and negatives, before a huge trip to face newly-promoted Sunderland.

In-game changes

Against Spurs, Pereira stuck with the back four and then switched to a back five at half-time to stop Spurs getting space down the flanks.

It was an excellent piece of tactical nous that almost resulted in a win, however in the dying minutes, there was arguably a mistake as Toti Gomes came on to make it a back six, rather than moving Ladislav Krejci into midfield to keep some shape and pick up loose balls.

The head coach kept faith in the back four against Brighton and it was working, as they took the lead and were keeping the Seagulls at bay.

But after an hour the decision to bring on Emmanuel Agbadou for Hwang Hee-chan, and move to a back five, was premature. Wolves immediately sat deeper and invited pressure and although they dealt with it relatively well, it only takes one mistake with a slim 1-0 lead to throw away three points.

Particularly at home, Wolves needed to be more aggressive and trusting in their own abilities but Pereira was too focused on preserving what they had.

That was highlighted further by the decision to bring off Jorgen Strand Larsen in the 77th minute and replace him with midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, when Tolu Arokodare should have replaced him to offer a focal point and outlet.

Wolves will naturally be nervous towards the end of a game when targeting their first win, but Pereira needs to try and instil confidence in their ability to see it out and be more on the front foot.

Chances missed

Although Wolves were too defensive in the second half, they also had chances to take the game away from Brighton.

Jhon Arias was set up from eight yards by Hugo Bueno's cutback and it was harder to miss, but he blazed over the bar.

Not only would it have secured a big result, but it would have been a big moment for the summer signing as he finally got his first goal.

Larsen has also been underwhelming recently as he earns his fitness back following his Achilles injury, but the striker was starting to get into his groove before he was replaced and his big chance saw him smash the post with a good effort.

With a bit of luck that also would have been 2-0 to Wolves and it is unsurprising that Larsen was so frustrated at being taken off when he was.

The striker was also angry at full-time as he shook hands with opponents and vented his frustration at being substituted and the result.

“When we don't get the three points, we speak about the subs, but everybody knows that he's (Larsen) not in his best level," assistant head coach Luis Miguel said.

“He's struggling with the injury and we are trying to put him to play and save him because he's not 100 per cent, like everybody can see, but it was an option from Vitor and for us, for our technical staff. Football is like this."

Wolves must be more clinical in the future to avoid more late heartache.

Back four

Despite some frustrations, there are also plenty of positives for Pereira and his players to take.

The overall performance was deserving of more and Wolves are showing good signs of moving in the right direction.

Above all, the players that have come into the team in recent games are impressing and giving Pereira an easy decision to stick by them.

Sam Johnstone continues to put in solid and composed performances in goal, while the back four are performing surprisingly well.

Hugo Bueno and Jackson Tchatchoua offer a good attacking outlet and defensive rigidity at full-back, while the centre-back pairing of Krejci and Santi Bueno is working wonders at a time when others were struggling.

Having Marshall Munetsi in the midfield three also allows him to have an impact in both boxes.

A back four is likely the way to go moving forward, but the trip to face Sunderland will be tough regardless.