Bournemouth got up and running for the Premier League season with a 1-0 win over Wolves, who had Toti Gomes sent-off for a professional foul.
Despite falling to a 4-2 defeat at Liverpool on the opening weekend, the Cherries looked full of verve and confidence as they took a fourth-minute lead through Marcus Tavernier’s deflected strike.
It could have been more in a dominant opening spell but Antoine Semenyo crashed the crossbar from close range.
Wolves rarely threatened and their task became tougher when Gomes was shown a straight red card for shoving Evanilson over when the Bournemouth player was scampering through on goal.
Image:
Toti Gomes protests after being shown a red card by referee Thomas Bramall
Andoni Iraola’s hosts had plenty of chances to make the result more comfortable but were forced to endure a nervy ending.
Team news: Arias makes first start
Andoni Iraola named new signings Ben Gannon-Doak and Amine Adli on the bench as he stuck with the starting XI which began the campaign against the champions, while Wolves gave a full debut to Colombia winger Jhon Arias in place of Andre following a 4-0 thrashing at home to Manchester City.
Semenyo, who suffered racial abuse before scoring twice at Anfield, threatened throughout the game off the left, while Tyler Adams brought a fine save out of Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa. Morocco winger Amine Adli – a midweek arrival in a £25m deal from Bayer Leverkusen – was brought on for his Bournemouth debut in the 66th minute.
Jorgen Strand Larsen’s header from Ki-Jana Hoever’s centre in the first half forced a diving save out of Bournemouth keeper Djordje Petrovic as Wolves chased an equaliser without really ever convincing in the final third.
Player ratings:
Bournemouth: Petrovic (7), Smith (7), Diakite (7), Senesi (7), Truffert (7), Adams (8), Tavernier (7), Scott (6), Brooks (7), Semenyo (8), Evanilson (8)
Subs: Adli (7), Christie (7), Kluivert (7)
Wolves: Sa (7), Doherty (6), Agbadou (5), Gomes (5), Wolfe (6), Hoever (6), Joao Gomes (7), Munetsi (6), Bellegarde (4), Arias (5), Strand Larsen (6)
Subs: Hugo Bueno (7), Andre (7), Santiago Bueno (6), Hwang (6)
Player of the Match: Semenyo
It’s two defeats on the spin for them and stretching the form further back, Vitor Pereira’s side have lost five of their last six Premier League games.
Analysis: Bournemouth’s best bit of business? Keeping Iraola
Sky Sports’ Lewis Jones:
Some players might be different but the ethos and tactics remain the same for Bournemouth. That is why perhaps the best bit of business the Cherries did this summer was to keep hold of Iraola. This was very much business as usual for them.
Wolves were swept away at times by the brave Bournemouth press and aggression without the ball. That was on show for the only goal of the game where Tyler Adams robbed Jean‐Ricner Bellegarde in a typical Iraola pressing trap that the visitors fell into. It ended up the game-winning moment.
It’s this style of football that has played a huge part in the captures of Gannon-Doak and Adli, who offered the home fans a glimpse of his talents in an impressive cameo. With Iroala at the helm, another season of excitement awaits.
Iraola: We need more time to click
Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola:
“I’m very happy. I wouldn’t say it was a must-win for us because it is the first home game of the season.
“But it was important for us to win the first game. We have difficult games (coming up), so it gives us some confidence, also the clean sheet.
“We’ve had a lot of changes (to the squad); I think we need more time together.
“The more time we play together, the better we will be.”
Pereira: The only way is to work and work and work
Wolves boss Vitor Pereira:
“We need to improve because in every game we’ve had our chances. We need to improve the confidence, but the results bring confidence to you. It brings the confidence when you have a chance to score.
“Now, as I said before, the only way is to work and work and work and try to improve the players, to give confidence to them, to correct the mistakes and keep going.”
Story of the match in stats…