Gary O’Neil’s Wolves have rarely been faulted for a lack of effort. To play well and still lose is not a positive sign, despite myriad hard-luck stories. While their manager’s piercing blue eyes may regularly blaze with a sense of injustice at officialdom and VAR, individual mistakes, star players sold in the summer and lapses of concentration pile up. Here, at last, the hard work, the flashes of quality paid off. Wolves fought to the end when all seemed lost, mounting a thrilling two-goal comeback capped by Matheus Cunha’s last-second equaliser.

Danny Welbeck’s 45th-minute goal had undone Wolves’ solid first-half efforts, while in the second half, the quality of the visitors’ finishing let them down before Evan Ferguson’s first goal of the season put Brighton two up. Would O’Neil survive until next Saturday’s meeting with fellow strugglers Crystal Palace? It seemed unlikely.