Wolves were the subject of another VAR controversy last night as Gary O’Neil’s side lost miserably to Bournemouth although, the boss did hand some praise to one player after the result.
It was far from Wolves’ finest 90 minutes against Bournemouth at Molineux on Wednesday night, as the Old Gold were defeated 1-0 by the Cherries.
Gary O’Neil was looking to do the double over his former club however, it was Andoni Iraola’s side that walked away smiling, with another questionable VAR call tainting a below-par night in the Midlands.
While the hosts weren’t deserving of a victory, they were also cruelly denied an opportunity to grow into the match after Antoine Semenyo’s first-half goal, as Hwang Hee-chan’s first goal of 2024 was ruled out by VAR.
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A questionable foul was spotted in the build-up to the Korean’s well-worked header, as Matheus Cunha was seen with a raised arm that warranted the goal to be chalked off, despite no Bournemouth players appealing at the time.
It was a poor result for Wolves who in spite of being angered at VAR’s call, were far below the standard O’Neil asks of his players yet still, the manager admitted one of his men ‘looked good’.
Gary O’Neil comments on Matheus Cunha cameo against Bournemouth
The Wolves boss had a lot to say on his side’s overall performance against the Cherries, saying that the display was ‘well below the level’ required to secure three points.
Putting the collective performance aside, O’Neil had some praise for substitute Cunha, who returned to action after missing Saturday’s duel with Arsenal due to an injury concern.
The manager praised the Brazilian whilst sharing a desperate plea to have his squad fit again, with the club’s form suffering as a result of successive injury woes.
“We need to get players back. You saw when Cunha came on he looked good.
“We need important players to step up and perform. We’ve been in a tough spot and performances have been good up to this evening.
“It’s probably our worst performance of the season.”
Wolves must look for a win against Luton Town
One encouraging factor from the defeat to Bournemouth was the return of Cunha, who has shown just how integral he has become to O’Neil’s attack this season.
The Brazil international featured for 35 minutes of the contest at Molineux, injecting some excitement into a side that looked fatigued and way off the pace needed to contend with the visitors.
As seen by his numbers, Cunha’s ball-carrying expertise and desire to push forward is greatly missed when the Old Gold are without him, making his return pivotal ahead of Saturday afternoon’s battle against Luton Town.
Wolves are now six Premier League games without a win, picking up just two points from a possible 18, with a win against the Hatters now integral to ensure their season doesn’t end on a bad note.
Cunha’s return can certainly encourage O’Neil’s side to raise the bar once more on Saturday, with changes expected to be made after last night’s display.