I got it all wrong says Howe after Moutinho magic
JOAO MOUTINHO underlined why Wolves were happy to offer him a new deal after pulling the strings in a needlessly nervy win at Bournemouth.
The Portuguese scored the first goal with a quite brilliant free-kick and was instrumental in Raul Jimenez’s second from a clinical dead-ball move.
And after the game Wolves announced he had signed a new three-year contract to keep him at the club until 2022.
‘It was a very easy decision because I feel very good here,’ Moutinho told Wolves’ website.
‘We did a great job last season and this season we’ll try to do better. That’s what we’re going to do and I’m going to try 100 per cent to help the club to improve.’
Yesterday Wolves looked home and hosed with two-thirds of the game to go. They were then handed a numerical advantage in the 37th minute, when Bournemouth skipper Simon Francis was sent off after two fouls on Diogo Jota.
It was so onesided this appeared as clinical an away display as you are likely to see until Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe made halftime changes: Jefferson Lerma coming on for Philip Billing and Arnaut Danjuma for Harry Wilson.
Bournemouth were transformed. The crowd, too. The Vitality Stadium woke up from its slumber and lived up to its name. They hit back through Steve Cook, whose header from Ryan Fraser’s corner took a deflection off Adama Traore.
But Wolves, who did enough to win two games, held on to extend their unbeaten streak to eight games and move up to fifth. Bournemouth, however, have one win in eight and slid into the bottom half of the table.
Moutinho once again controlled the game from the centre of midfield. Nuno Espirito Santo refused to single out the 33-year-old, saying: ‘A lot of players performed well. Very good.’ But he claimed that the opening 45 minutes was a high point for the season.
‘The first half must be our reference for the way we want to proceed,’ he added. Howe admitted the first half was terrible and was at a loss to explain why his side were better with 10 men. He said: ‘Hugely frustrating... we didn’t deliver. We allowed them to play around us. They’ve got good technical players and we allowed them to get into the game. ‘If I had the game again, would I do it differently? Yes I would.’
He started it making one change to the side which lost at Newcastle. Despite an injury to Joshua King sustained while playing for Norway, still there was no place for Dominic Solanke, who injured himself at half-time.
Nuno kept faith with the side which beat Aston Villa and his players were canny with and without the ball, happy to mix the rough stuff with some clinical, swift attacking play.
The visitors took the lead after 21 minutes. Bournemouth captain Francis, making his first start since Boxing Day last year after rupturing the ACL in his right knee, had a miserable afternoon. Jota, fresh from his first two caps for Portugal, proved his undoing.
Jota was scythed down on the right-hand edge of the area by a sliding lunge from Francis, who was booked for the challenge. Up stepped free-kick expert Moutinho and his Beckhamesque shot sailed over the twoman wall and into the far corner.
On the other wing, the pace of Traore put Bournemouth on the back foot and after Lewis Cook fouled the Spaniard, it was up to Moutinho again.
Three crisp sidefoots later, the ball was in the net. Moutinho found Traore, who fired in at pace from the right. Jimenez blasted home his 14th goal in all competitions this season.
Francis picked up his second booking of the game with a foul on Jota near the halfway line. Referee Simon Hooper, who had a busy afternoon, played the advantage but gave Francis his marching orders after Matt Doherty fired wide.
After the break Wolves had a Jota effort chalked off for offside but showed defensive mettle to match their attacking intent.
After Steve Cook’s goal, Bournemouth threw caution to the wind and went close to an equaliser through Nathan Ake and a late effort for substitute Danjuma.