Wolves are through to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup after beating Brighton 1-0 at Molineux – but the win came at a cost, as Hwang Hee-chan went off with an injury.
Gary O’Neil‘s side continued their fine form in 2024, without playing particularly well on the night.
It was Mario Lemina who got the game’s only goal, and it came after just two minutes.
Toti Gomes played a ball into Jean-Ricner Bellegarde who brilliantly spun Lewis Dunk, before he put in a cross to the back post. Jason Steele should have claimed it and Pervis Estupinan should have done better under pressure from Lemina, but the midfield did well to turn it in.
Brighton dominated the ball throughout the game, but Wolves kept compact and limited the Seagulls to half-chances.
Wolves will now play Coventry City in the quarter-final at Molineux – but it may be that Hwang Hee-chan is a doubt for the game after he went off with an injury tonight…
Troy Deeney reacts as Hwang Hee-chan goes off with injury for Wolves against Brighton
Hwang started tonight in a two up top with Bellegarde, and it’s safe to say it wasn’t really his night.
The South Korean was well marshalled by the Brighton defenders, and the 28-year-old appeared to be lacking sharpness.
Nothing he did came off, and Gary O’Neil made a decision to take him off in the second-half. And just before that was going to happen, Hwang went down after playing a through ball.
He was clutching his hamstring which is always a very worrying sight, with Hwang having suffered several such injuries during his time at Molineux.
Reacting on Sky Sports News tonight, pundit Troy Deeney said: “It looks as though Hwang’s hamstring has gone, though. That’s not good for Wolves moving forward.”
A worrying sight
It was definitely not Hwang’s night tonight, and the scenes of him going off clutching his hamstring are definitely concerning.
The former RB Leipzig man has a history of hamstring injuries, and they tend to keep him on the sidelines for weeks.
Hopefully, it won’t be anything too serious this time around, but Wolves losing him for any period of time would obviously be a major blow, with Hwang having been outstanding this season.
Ahead of this game, O’Neil spoke about his squad ‘creaking’, and it does look like the squad is now taking a hit, with Joao Gomes going off gingerly late on.