Wolverhampton Wanderers’ hopes of a top-half finish were dealt a blow as they fell to a disappointing 1-0 defeat at home to Bournemouth on Wednesday evening. Antoine Semenyo’s solitary goal in the first half proved to be the difference between the two sides, while Milos Kerkez’s red card in the second half compounded Wolves’ misery.
The Cherries started the brighter of the two teams and were unfortunate not to take the lead in the opening stages. However, Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa produced a string of fine saves to keep the visitors at bay.
Semenyo eventually broke the deadlock in the 37th minute, pouncing on a loose ball in the Wolves area to fire home from close range. The goal came against the run of play, but it gave Bournemouth a deserved advantage.
Wolves came out with more purpose after the break, but they were unable to find a way past a resolute Bournemouth defense. The visitors continued to threaten on the counter-attack, and they should have doubled their lead when Semenyo hit the post.
In the 65th minute, Wolves thought they had equalized when Hee-Chan Hwang headed home from a cross. However, the goal was ruled out for a foul in the build-up, much to the frustration of the home fans.
Wolves’ misery was compounded in the 79th minute when Kerkez was shown a straight red card for a foul on Matt Doherty. The decision was upheld by VAR, leaving Wolves with a mountain to climb.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, Wolves continued to press for an equalizer. However, Bournemouth held firm to secure a valuable three points. The win moved them to within two points of their highest-ever Premier League points tally, while Wolves remained in seventh place, seven points adrift of the top half.
Referee Stuart Attwell was at the center of controversy throughout the match. His decision to disallow Wolves’ goal was met with anger from the home fans, and he was also criticized for his handling of Kerkez’s red card.
The defeat leaves Wolves with a tough task in their remaining five games. They will need to find a way to rediscover their winning form if they are to achieve their goal of a top-half finish.
