Wolves climbed to fifth after first-half goals from João Moutinho and Raúl Jiménez brushed aside a slovenly Bournemouth, who had the returning club captain, Simon Francis, sent off before the interval. Nuno Espírito Santo’s side turned in a peerless display, with Moutinho’s sublime free-kick setting Wolves en route to victory before Jiménez, one of the division’s best predators, doubled their advantage with his 14th goal of the season, prompting fans to unfurl a Mexico flag in the away end. Steve Cook pulled a goal back but Wolves extended their unbeaten streak to eight league matches.
Eddie Howe’s side appear on a slippery slope, having won only one of their past eight matches. It does not get any easier either, with a trip to Tottenham Hotspur next – José Mourinho’s first home game in charge – and dates with Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea to follow in December. This was a pedestrian performance from a Bournemouth perspective, tepid from the start and, in truth, they were fortunate to trail by only two goals at the interval, with Cook denying Jiménez a second off the line. “The first half must be our reference for the way we want to proceed,” Espírito Santo said.
Francis’s first league start since Boxing Day proved chastening, with the 34-year-old, who returned to captain Bournemouth on the right of a back three, guilty of chopping down Diogo Jota on the edge of the box, giving Wolves a free-kick from an acute angle. It proved an enticing challenge for Moutinho, who last night signed a new contract with the club until 2022. He fired a curling shot high into the far corner of Aaron Ramsdale’s goal: a spectacular finish to match an impressive start.
But Wolves’ second was as cheap as they come, from what, on the face of it, was a relatively harmless free-kick 35 yards from goal. Moutinho popped the ball down and rolled a pass into Traoré, catching out Harry Wilson, who had switched off. By the time Bournemouth reacted to this quick thinking Ramsdale was fishing the ball out of his net, with Jiménez sweeping home Traoré’s low cross. As Wolves fans singing the striker’s name made it known, pass the ball to Raúl and he will score, especially when left unmarked within touching distance of goal. When Francis – booked for fouling Jota in the buildup to the opener – tugged at his shirt on 37 minutes, his game was over. “If I had the game again, would I do it differently? Yes, I would,” Howe said.
Jota had a third Wolves goal ruled out for offside following a give-and-go with Jiménez before Bournemouth stirred, with the substitutes Jefferson Lerma and Arnaut Danjuma making a much-needed impact. Ryan Fraser’s corner found Cook, who gave the hosts an unlikely lifeline after eluding Jonny Otto before beating Traoré to head in. Bournemouth had woken, with Nathan Ake and Cook having efforts repelled late on, but Wolves, for whom Moutinho was the protagonist, held on to maintain the feel-good factor.
