Two clubs in the process of a reset. If Wolves’ fate is all but sealed, they seek to carry good vibes into the Championship. Bournemouth’s objective was to make last week’s defeat of Liverpool the staging post for one of those streaks of good results that have made Andoni Iraola’s reputation. Mission accomplished for the Cherries, who could celebrate only their second away win of a hitherto troubled season, a first since August. In the performance of second-half sub Rayan, who supplied Alex Scott’s late clincher, there is much to look forward to.
Without Antoine Semenyo, a scorer against Wolves last week, Iraola is finding solutions. A callow asset-stripped squad is still full of promise. The manager paired Eli Junior Kroupi playing behind the centre-forward wiles of Evanilson. Kroupi duly delivered a brilliant first-half strike.
Rob Edwards, the Wolves manager, seeks consistency beyond doomed mediocrity but this was a result to dim recent optimism. Mateus Mané, Portugal via Rochdale teenage shining light, offered hope. He had the ball in the net in the eighth minute, and took so long to notice the offside flag against Rodrigo Gomes he had completed his celebration routine.
A marginal call but Wolves’ plight lends them some freedom. A number of their players are playing for Premier League futures in the sense of showing their talent to potential top-echelon suitors. Mané leads the list, while Hugo Bueno’s scampers from left-back were impressive. André and João Gomes are capable midfielders but struggled with Scott’s quality.
