Wolves earned a dramatic point at the Amex on match day nine of the Premier League season.
After an abysmal start to the campaign, some happiness was finally injected into the squad as the Old Gold left it late to draw against Brighton.
Being 2-0 down in the 87th minute, the game looked like it would end in Wolves’ sixth consecutive loss however, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Matheus Cunha had other ideas.
Gary O’Neil watched his side claw back the two-goal deficit to earn a valuable point on the South Coast, with plenty of positives to take from the result.
Pablo Sarabia’s performance in numbers vs Brighton
The fixture saw O’Neil make several decisive changes, including boldly dropping summer signing Andre in favour of Tommy Doyle.
Such call made a huge difference, as did another switch going forward, as Pablo Sarabia earned his first Premier League minutes of the season.
O’Neil welcomed the Spaniard into the game at half-time, a gamble that paid off as the former Paris Saint-Germain forward had a remarkable influence on the second half.
While Sarabia only completed 13 passes in 45 minutes, via Sofascore, the 31-year-old certainly made them count, with three being key passes to add a new dimension in the final third.
The attacking midfielder also won three duels, making his presence known to O’Neil and those watching after a frustrating start to the season.
Gary O’Neil could reward Sarabia with Wolves start vs Crystal Palace
Former Wolves midfielder Dave Edwards thought it was ‘crazy’ that Sarabia hadn’t featured much for the Old Gold however, journalist Nathan Judah thought of a reason why O’Neil wasn’t favouring the midfielder.
Judah hinted that Sarabia had to prove himself to O’Neil after his form at the end of last term, which he certainly did against Brighton.
On the E&S Wolves Podcast, Judah and co-host Liam Keen discussed Sarabia further, with Keen asked whether he believes the Spaniard could start against Crystal Palace.
“I think O’Neil’s going to reward that performance,” Keen admitted, with Judah mentioning the conditions in which the 31-year-old could start.
“Are you almost certain that he will reward it if he goes to a back four and not a five?”
Wolves expert Keen replied with certainty by saying, “Yes, I think that will be the case,” in response to the belief that O’Neil will start Sarabia if he opts to change his formation.
A change in formation would be risky considering how much Wolves have improved since the manager reverted to five at the back however, if the Englishman does make the switch, there’s a good chance that Sarabia could return to the XI.