Brighton & Hove Albion boosted their hopes of finishing in the top eight and qualifying for Europe with a 2-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux Stadium.

Goals from Danny Welbeck and Brajan Gruda secured what was only the visitors' second win in nine matches in all competitions.

Welbeck slotted home his 10th Premier League goal of the season from the penalty spot in the 28th minute, after Matheus Cunha lost possession and felled Mats Wieffer in the box.

A neat finish by substitute Gruda sealed all three points five minutes from time, while condemning Wolves to back-to-back defeats.

Fabian Hurzeler’s side climb to ninth in the table, with eighth place potentially offering a route into the UEFA Conference League. However, AFC Bournemouth could move back above them when they face Aston Villa later on Saturday. Wolves drop to 14th.

How the match unfolded

Wolves created the first opportunity with Goncalo Guedes volleying over from Cunha's seventh-minute free-kick.

At the other end, Brighton thought they had taken the lead when Welbeck flicked home, but his joy was cut short by the offside flag, with the decision upheld following a VAR review as Yankuba Minteh was deemed to be interfering with play.

However, Welbeck was not to be denied in the 28th minute, calmly rolling home his spot-kick after Cunha tripped Wieffer.

Vitor Pereira’s side looked to respond after the break, with Cunha’s long-range drive calling Bart Verbruggen into action after 57 minutes.

The Brazilian was withdrawn shortly afterwards as the Wolves boss made a quadruple change in a bid to refresh the hosts.

However, it did not have the desired effect, and it was Brighton who grabbed a decisive second goal in the 85th minute.

Simon Adingra’s deflected through-ball fell for Gruda to beat Jose Sa and seal a crucial win in the Seagulls’ quest to ensure a return to Europe next season.

Seagulls soaring again

With just one win from eight games in all competitions, Brighton will have been grateful for a trip to Molineux, where they had won on each of their three most recent league visits.

After an early scare when Guedes was unable to make the most of his free volley in the box, the visitors eventually managed to settle into their rhythm.

Wieffer was alert to rob Cunha of possession before earning the penalty that enabled Welbeck to take his Premier League goal tally for the campaign into double figures for the first time in his career.

Despite their lead, Brighton will have been wary, having kept just one clean sheet from a possible 11 in all competitions.

Nevertheless, they managed to keep Wolves at bay relatively comfortably, before Gruda put the result beyond any doubt with his neat finish late on.

A timely victory for Hurzeler’s side will boost their confidence ahead of them welcoming champions Liverpool to the American Express Stadium next time out, before travelling to Tottenham Hotspur on the final day.

Back-to-back defeats for Wolves

Pereira's side were seeking a swift response after their club-record streak of six successive Premier League victories was ended by last week's narrow 1-0 defeat at Manchester City.

However, this was not a particularly favourable fixture for Wolves, who had failed to win any of their last six league meetings with Brighton.

The hosts were victims of their own downfall when Cunha – desperate to make amends after losing possession just outside the penalty area – caught Wieffer to cause the penalty that Welbeck subsequently tucked away.

Wolves had not won on any of the previous nine occasions when they had conceded first at Molineux in the Premier League this season, though they went close to an equaliser through a couple of Marshall Munetsi headers.

But the hosts struggled to generate a strong attacking threat after the break, despite Pereira shuffling his pack with all those substitutions – he also introduced highly rated 17-year-old Mateus Mane for his Premier League debut late on.

Wolves were slow to react to Adingra running at the defence as the game became stretched, and Gruda took advantage with a delicate finish over the onrushing Sa.

Pereira’s side will seek a response away at Crystal Palace in 10 days, before concluding their season at home to Brentford.

Club reports

Wolves report | Brighton report

What the managers said

Vitor Pereira: "We tried to turnover the result. We missed some organisation - the game started to become unpredictable and very open. We played a lot with heart in the second half, but without the intelligence to control the pace."

Fabian Hurzeler: "Very happy that the players showed this performance. They stuck to the plan and defended quite well. Second half, we defended quite well. In possession we could do it better, but I was happy to use the chance to score the second goal."

Match officials

Referee: Michael Oliver. Assistants: Stuart Burt, James Mainwaring. Fourth official: Thomas Bramall. VAR: James Bell. Assistant VAR: Marc Perry.