Revenge for O’Neil as Iraola looks doomed

Bournemouth 1 Solanke 17 Wolves 2 Cunha 47, Kalajdzic 88

REVENGE is a dish best served late in Bournemouth, as Sasa Kalajdzic’s 88th-minute strike completed a turnaround victory for Gary O’Neil’s Wolves.

There was a wry smile on O’Neil’s face when he walked into the press room at his former employer after Kalajdzic came off the bench to score the winner and made sure the Wolves manager departed with three points, leaving Bournemouth with four consecutive defeats and without a Premier League victory.

O’Neil was given the Cherries job permanently last season after just 12 games in caretaker charge. Andoni Iraola could well be sacked as Bournemouth manager after just nine as his side slumped to another loss that is made worse by Lewis Cook being set to serve a three-match ban for headbutting South Korean forward Hwang Hee-Chan.

Iraola was appointed on the same day in June that O’Neil was sacked in a ruthless move from the Bournemouth board as they sought a new identity.

Defeat ensured Bournemouth have now made their worst start ever to a Premier League season, and the Spaniard knows his position is on the verge of becoming untenable.

‘Nobody should be concerned about me, they should be concerned about Bournemouth winning games,’ he said. ‘No I haven’t talked with the board but it’s not a matter of my situation. It is a matter of how we can solve this in the best way. All the games, not only this one, are things that are costing us wins. You’re going to have mistakes but they are costing us too much.

‘Lewis [Cook] was the first one to apologise, he knows he made the mistake but it’s true he left us in a difficult situation.’

The hosts put themselves in control when Dominic Solanke backheeled Philip Billing’s cross past Jose Sa.

Then there was two moments of madness within 10 minutes of the second half, as Matheus Cunha finished with a one-touch effort to level, before Bournemouth were reduced to 10 men. It looked as if the Cherries would hold on for a draw before Sa played a stupid pass out to Billing on the edge of the box with minutes remaining. Neto stole possession, Hwang played in Kalajdzic, who dinked it home.

O’Neil said ‘It’s not about me returning to Bournemouth. I’m just proud of a team that is making progress working hard.’