- Bournemouth’s 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux has propelled them into the top half of the Premier League standings.
- Antoine Semenya’s goal proved to be the game’s lone goal for the Cherries.
Bournemouth’s 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux has propelled them into the top half of the Premier League standings.
With four games remaining in the season, Antoine Semenya’s goal proved to be the game’s lone goal for the Cherries, who now lead the team in the rankings.
The game’s outcome, however, might have been drastically different since two Wolves goals—including Max Kilman’s late equalizer—were disallowed by VAR for being offside.
With 11 minutes remaining, Andoni Iraola’s team was likewise forced to play with 10 men after Milos Kerkez gave the order to march.
Antoine Semenya. Photo/ AFC Bournemouth
Bournemouth‘s victory saw them get back to winning ways after losing three straight games after winning four of their previous five.
However, Wolves lost, bringing their losing skid to seven games as they gradually dropped down the Premier League standings.
In the first half, Wolves had most of the ball, but the visitors were in control as they created few opportunities for the hosts and had 11 shots of their own.
When Bournemouth’s corner was flicked on at the near post, the ball looped high and rebounded against the crossbar, creating the opening chance just six minutes in.
Tommy Doyle was caught with the ball a few minutes later, and Dominic Solanke was discovered in the area. However, the striker’s shot was finally blocked, and Wolves were almost caught off guard once more.
Pablo Sarabia cut onto his better left foot and curled towards the far corner in the 13th minute, giving Wolves at least one good chance in the opening forty-five minutes, but Mark Travers was able to deflect it around the post with his first stop of the game.
In the first half, Jose Sa was called upon several times, but his greatest moment came in the 27th when Justin Kluivert was closing in on goal and tried to slide it into the far corner.
In the 37th minute, Semenyo finally gave Bournemouth what they deserved when he stole the ball from midfield and fed it to the left, where Milos Kerkez was eventually found running into the box. Kilman got a touch on the full-back’s drilled cross, but it only went as far as Semenyo, who finished the move with a slam.
With the goal, Gary O’Neil changed his strategy, switching Toti Gomes back to a left-handed center back position and moving Rayan Ait Nouri to a left wing back as they went to a five at the back.
Just before the hour, the ball became tangled inside the box and fell to Marcos Senesi, who attempted to hit the bottom corner but missed. The visitors could have increased their lead at that point.
Bournemouth vs Wolves. Photo/ The Sun
Hwang Hee-chan scored his first goal of 2024 in the 65th minute after connecting with Nelson Semedo’s cross, giving Wolves the lead. However, a two-minute VAR probe revealed a foul by Matheus Cunha in the build-up, which resulted to the goal being disallowed.
In the 80th minute, Kerkez was sent off for a two-footed lunge that struck Matt Doherty hard in the shin, leaving Bournemouth down to 10 men.
After Travers was dismissed, the hosts took control and had little opportunity to put him to the test or produce any genuine quality.
That was until the hundredth minute, when a corner was awarded. After an unsuccessful attempt at clearing the ball, goalkeeper Sa crossed back into the middle, only to have Bournemouth clear it a second time.
Kilman struck the bottom corner after Boubacar Traore’s second successful attempt to place the ball in the center, but the offside flag was raised immediately.
Minutes after the final whistle, the visitors had leapfrogged the hosts and entered the top 10, after another two-minute VAR assessment determined Kilman to be offside. This resulted in the goal being ruled out and bringing heartbreak for the Wolves supporters.
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