30 November 2024
Wolves 2 Bournemouth 4
Gary O’Neil’s side had finally found some form and managed back-to-back wins for the first time this season. They had edged themselves out of the bottom three and there was an air of confidence once again at Molineux. As they welcomed The Cherries to the Midlands, Wolves were keen to distance themselves from the sides beneath them.
Both sides will have come into this one seeing it as a winnable game. Evanilson made an early run into the box and was upended by Toti. The referee immediately pointed to the penalty spot as the away end celebrated. VAR saw nothing to change the decision and Kluivert slotted home to silence the Wolves’ fans after only three minutes.
This looked like it could be another entertaining game as the hosts probed for an instant reply. As Bellegarde’s cross was swung in, Strand Larsen got up well to head the ball into the far corner to equalise. A few weeks ago, O’Neil’s side would have struggled to find a response but they were playing with a newfound confidence now.
Even this early in the season, matches like this are critical to league positions. Home form can be the difference between survival and relegation. It was end-to-end stuff as The Cherries came forward again and Kerkez slammed home a shot to edge Iraola’s team ahead. Moments later they could have doubled their lead but Evanilson fluffed his finish.
Iraola held his head in his hands, knowing that chances like that need to be taken at this level. Bournemouth did not take their foot off the gas and could taste blood. Wolves continued to try and play out from the back and Evanilson stole the ball from the foot of Jose Sa. The keeper seemed to connect with the striker, completely unaware of his presence.
VAR sent the referee to the monitor and he changed his decision to give a penalty. Kluivert stepped up once again and this time buried it into the bottom corner of the goal. With only 18 minutes having passed, the visitors found themselves two goals to the good once again. Wolves looked so open at the back you wondered what the final score would be here.
It was a strange atmosphere at Molineux. Bournemouth came forward for the first time in the half and Lemina managed to get a well-timed sliding tackle in to prevent Kerkez scoring another. The Cherries were turning the screw and moments later Kluivert shot from the edge of the box, searching for a hat-trick, but his effort was straight at Jose Sa.
There was a noticeable silence from the home fans as their team were giving them nothing to get positive about. It was looking all too easy for the visitors, who were carving out chances with regularity. The passion Gary O’Neil’s side had shown of late was nowhere to be seen this week. The Cherries were looking to stamp their authority on this game.
With things so tight at the bottom, Wolves knew that they could not afford to slip back into that losing mentality. Cunha had been almost invisible in the game, much to the dismay of fantasy football managers up and down the country. When he is not ticking, O’Neil’s side look incapable of imposing themselves against their opponents.
Even without the influential Semenyo, the visitors were looking dangerous in the final third. Since his arrival at the Vitality Stadium, Andoni Iraola has turned his Cherries’ team into a side that attack with pace and everyone seems to buy into his tactics. It took some time to stamp his mark on this squad but the Spanish manager now has them all singing from the same hymn sheet, that is for sure.
The game was finely poised with the next goal seeming crucial. Strand Larsen made a run into the box and slotted the ball into the roof of the net to get the home fans going again. Wolves had dragged themselves back into this game and they had just over 20 minutes to try and find an equaliser. This would ask some serious questions of the visitors.
That was until the hosts decided to hit the self-destruct button. They got themselves into trouble trying to play out from the back and Jose Sa upended Evanilson for the second time. Kluivert stepped up and rolled the ball home to surely put this game beyond Wolves. It was a hat-trick of penalties for the Dutch forward, not something you see often in a game of football.
Gary O’Neil will need to write this one off as a bad day at the office. He has a lot to work on in training this week as it is not acceptable to gift so many chances to your opponents. One day, someone will realise that not all teams have the quality to play out from the back as sides do nowadays. Had the hosts opted for different tactics, they would not have given The Cherries two goals here.
The visitors travelled back to the south coast with all three points in hand. It moved them nine points away from the relegation places, as they look to work their way up the table. Festive season came too soon at Molineux and Wolves were in the giving spirit. Defeat saw them slip back into the bottom three, with a hectic schedule coming up, O’Neil would need to address this sooner rather than later.
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