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Roberto De Zerbi has credited Brighton’s Wembley agony as sparking their historic 6-0 demolition of Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday.
De Zerbi hailed the best performance of his managerial career after the ruthless The Seagulls tore Wanderers apart to emphatically reignite their European drive.
Doubles from Deniz Undav, Pascal Gross and Danny Welbeck at the Amex Stadium paved the way for Albion’s best result in the top flight.
The resounding triumph lifts the Sussex side to 52 points – two behind Tottenham in fifth – to equal the club record, amassed in 1982.
De Zerbi felt his side’s stunning display was a direct response to the pain of last Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final penalty shootout defeat by Manchester United, followed by a mild midweek 3-1 defeat at lowly Nottingham Forest .
«I think it’s the best performance of my coaching career,» said the former Italian coach of Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk.
“We scored six goals but if we talk about the level of the game, the style of the game, the quality of the game, I think we are playing top level football.
“This win started at Wembley, not today, because today we showed pride, we played well.
“We suffered a lot after Wembley because we deserved to win, we suffered a lot in Nottingham because we played the Nottingham game with our heads still at Wembley and you saw the reaction today.
“Gamers are not like PlayStation players or robots. They gave their soul, their heart and in those five days they suffered a lot».
De Zerbi opted to start with influential trio Moises Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister and Kaoru Mitoma on the bench due to fears of fatigue in a hectic schedule.
But the astonishing selection didn’t remain a talking point for long as the reshuffled Seagulls impressed their sun-shocked South Coast visitors.
READ MORE: 2025/26 treble set for Brighton intact under De Zerbi
German striker Undav gave Brighton the lead within six minutes with his first Premier League goal before a brace from Gross and a header from Welbeck made it 4-0 at half-time.
Wolves were often exposed in defense and despite making three changes for the second period, ex-England forward Welbeck claimed his second soon after the restart before Undav’s delightful finish compounded their misery
Wanderers boss Julen Lopetegui apologized to traveling fans as he took responsibility for the humiliation.
The Spaniard admitted his side contributed to their own downfall, sliding to an embarrassing defeat that has them looking over their shoulder in the battle to avoid relegation.
«It’s a very bad day for us,» said Lopetegui, whose team sit eight points above the relegation zone.
“I accept my responsibility today. We are very sorry for the fans who came here. I don’t recognize my team today, my players are better than they showed.
“I am guilty more than ever today because I am the coach. Likewise, players need to know they have to do better.
“I apologize to the fans. It’s a bad day for them. We play for them and we are very sad about the end (result).”
