MX23RW : Friday, March 29 07:11:32| >> :120:41969:41969:

Kazenga LuaLua brace confirms Wolverhampton Wanderers relegation

Wolverhampton Wanderers are relegated from the Championship after a final-day defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion.

A first-half brace from Brighton & Hove Albion's Kazenga LuaLua this afternoon confirmed that Wolverhampton Wanderers will play in League One next season.

Wolves did make a bright start to the match as Bakary Sako struck the post with a fierce drive from 20 yards inside five minutes, with the visitors showing urgency given their plight.

Brighton's Kazenga LuaLua celebrates scoring against Wolverhampton Wanderers during the final day of the Championship season on May 4, 2013© Gareth Fuller / PA Photos

Brighton responded quickly and took the lead with their first meaningful attack of the match.

LuaLua drove forward and shifted inside under little pressure, before smashing a precise low shot into the bottom right corner from distance.

The visitors responded quickly and thought they were level as a Sako corner nearly caught Tomaz Kuszczak by surprise at his near post.

Sako appealed that the ball had crossed the line but the referee's assistant disagreed as Wolves were frustrated in their search for a quick equaliser.

Brighton doubled their advantage just before the break as LuaLua beat Dorus de Vries for a second time as he slotted home with an assured left-footed finish.

Wolves swapped Sako for Stephen Hunt and quickly went agonisingly close to reducing the deficit.

Jamie O'Hara picked out Matt Doherty with a curling free kick, but the full-back managed to miss the target with his header from three yards.

Leonardo Ulloa and Vicente went close late on as Brighton closed out an impressive display infront of a record crowd at the Amex, securing fourth place ahead of the playoffs.

ID:82750: cacheID:82750:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3637:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Bakary Sako
Read Next:
Team News: Sako, O'Hara return for Wolves
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!