CARLOS BALEBA scored a belter of a goal on a night of firsts for Brighton.
The Cameroon ace – who was signed from Lille last summer – beat under-fire keeper Jose Sa from 25 yards out to get them up and running after 14 minutes.
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And Sa was beaten again by a 31st-minute rocket from Simon Adingra.
But Goncalo Guedes pulled one back a minute before the break for Wolves before summer signing Ferdi Kadioglu climbed off the bench to score his first goal for the club.
Yet Tommy Doyle netted in stoppage time to set up a tense finish after a howler from keeper Jason Steele but Brighton held on.
And in doing so it sealed their first-ever win in a cup game against Wolves.
Yankuba Minteh was appealing for a penalty in the opening minutes when he tumbled under a challenge from Matt Doherty but ref John Brooks waved it away.
Brighton moved ahead after slack passing from Wolves.
Doherty played a ball to Joao Pedro, which put him under pressure. He had the ball taken off him by Baleba 25 yards out before firing a low strike which beat Sa.
The Wolves keeper was dropped for the Newcastle loss after some underwhelming performances.
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The Seagulls thought they had doubled their lead when Ferguson turned and laid a pass forward for Minteh to put the ball into the back of the net.
But he had strayed offside.
Doherty almost put Sa into trouble with a hospital back but the keeper managed to round first Ferguson and Minteh before clearing.
Wolves finally conjured a chance themselves when Rodrigo Gomes sent in a quality cross but Guedes sent a bullet header over.
Guedes then saw an angled effort brilliantly tipped over the bar by Jason Steele.
But the Sussex club doubled their lead when Adingra picked up possession 30 yards out on the left.
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He ran inside past Pedro Lima before cracking a low drive past Sa from just outside the box into the far right corner.
But Wolves pulled one back two minutes before the break.
Doherty got beyond the Albion defenders on the left to cut back a pass for Guedes to fire home.
And the visitors were denied levelling 15 seconds into the second half.
Guedes cut open the Albion defence for Rodrigo Gomes to run through but Steele raced off his line to make a crucial block.
Steele made another vital stop as Guedes cut a pass back for Pablo Sarabia, who was set to pounce but was denied by the keeper.
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Wolves somehow were denied what looked like a certain leveller.
Rodrigo Gomes played Nelson Semedo in and his pass into the six-yard box saw the ball bounce off Steele before being unwittingly deflected towards goal by team-mate Adam Webster.
But, out of nowhere, Adam Hinshelwood hacked it off the line.
And then they wasted yet another chance. This time Semedo and Gomes combined to set up Guedes who shot wide from eight yards.
But Kadioglu seemed to put the game to bed when he pounced to convert after Adingra’s effort was parried by Sa.
Yet as stoppage time started, keeper Steele gave the ball away to Jorgen Strand Larsen, who laid the ball back for Doyle to fire in off the bar to set up a nervy finish.
