'I'm backing him up' - Brighton star's brilliant response after heart-stopping moment against Wolves

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Jason Steele said there is a ‘little bit of frustration’ in the Brighton camp after the goalless draw against Wolves – but admitted it was a game the Seagulls could have lost.

Albion’s second consecutive Premier League stalemate moved them above Manchester United to seventh place.

But there was a shared feeling among the manager, Roberto De Zerbi, and the players that the win was there for the taking.

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"There's a little bit of frustration,” Steele told reporters, post-match.

Jason Steele said there is a ‘little bit of frustration’ in the Brighton camp after the goalless draw against Wolves – but admitted it was a game the Seagulls could have lost. Photo: Eva Gilbert PhotographyJason Steele said there is a ‘little bit of frustration’ in the Brighton camp after the goalless draw against Wolves – but admitted it was a game the Seagulls could have lost. Photo: Eva Gilbert Photography
Jason Steele said there is a ‘little bit of frustration’ in the Brighton camp after the goalless draw against Wolves – but admitted it was a game the Seagulls could have lost. Photo: Eva Gilbert Photography

"We played well tonight but we didn't quite get the drop of the ball. Equally, they are a good team with a lot of high quality individuals that can punish you. We take the point and move onto Saturday [FA Cup trip to Sheffield United]."

There was not a great deal of clear cut chances for either side but one heart-stopping moment in the second-half nearly saw Wolves snatch a winner.

Matheus Cunha, when played through on goal, had a foot race with the on-rushing Jason Steele. The Brazilian got their first but Steele did just enough to narrow the angle and the eventual shot hit the side-netting.

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Addressing that incident, the goalkeeper said: “That's the way we play. We are aggressive.

"If I see my skipper going out full pelt, I'm going with him. I'm backing him up.

"I could easily stay on my line and hide, and say let's have a one-on-one. I'm backing my teammate up.

"I probably made it harder for him if anything. I'm happy to get the clean sheet. There's a chance we could have lost the game.”

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However, Steele stressed that ‘stats don't mean anything’ to him and his teammates, when asked if back-to-back clean sheets is a positive.

"We want to win as a team,” he said. “I'd rather have won 3-2, trust me.”

With a number of key players – particularly wingers – missing, Albion had to opt for a slightly different formation against Wolves.

But Steele said the foundations of the system remained the same.

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“We work the same way,” the 33-year-old said. "The boss is very tactical.

"We know what we are doing out there. You can see that. We have an identity and a plan.

"Tonight was tough. Anyone who thinks it should have been a walkover, doesn't know the Premier League. They are a well-drilled and well-organised team.

"They are tough to break through the middle and have great players in the transition. It was a bit too transitional at times but we defended one v one situations really well.

“We could have lost that game. I'm not naïve enough to say otherwise.

“You want to win every home game and I felt we dominated most of the game but didn't quite have that final third cutting edge.”