Wolves 0-1 Bournemouth: Post-Match Player Ratings
Dominic Solanke was frustrated at times by a stubborn Wolves side in the West Midlands. (Photo by Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)

Bournemouth ran out deserved winners at Molineux on Wednesday night, with the only goal of the game coming in the 37th minute from in-form winger Antoine Semenyo. 

Semenyo powered in his close-range effort late in the first half after a determined run from Milos Kerkez helped to set up the goal. 

But this wasn’t the only time the ball was in the back of the net with two goals being disallowed for Wolves in the second half, one for a foul on Justin Kluivert in the build up and the other for offside in the 100th minute. 

The win takes Bournemouth above Wolves and into the top ten for the first time since their opening-day draw against West Ham.

For Wolves, their poor run of form continues with this becoming their third straight home defeat. 

But how did the players get on? Here are the player ratings…  

  • Wolves

Jose Sa - 6

Arguably Wolves’ best player on the night, Sa prevented the defeat being a lot worse for a lacklustre home side. 

He could not do much to stop Semenyo’s goal but made some key saves against Justin Kluivert, Dominic Solanke and Milos Kerkez to prevent an embarrassing scoreline. 

Santiago Bueno - 5

The scoreline somewhat flatters the Wolves defence, but the truth is they struggled to deal with Bournemouth’s attacks and Bueno was no exception. 

Up against a strong Solanke and quick, direct running from Kluivert and Christie, Bueno seemed lost and out of his depth. 

Maximilian Kilman - 4

Similar to Bueno, Kilman really struggled against the strength and speed of the Cherries’ frontmen. 

A poor clearance from Kilman in the first half led directly to the Semenyo goal but he managed to get away with further errors. 

Toti Gomes - 4

Gomes had the tough task of stopping Semenyo and often failed to stop him from cutting inside on his left foot or popping a cute pass to the nearest runner.

Rayan Ait-Nouri - 6

One of four returnees to the Wolves starting eleven, Ait-Nouri might have been their second-best player. 

Unlike his teammates, Ait-Nouri had a little more control on the ball and with marking opposition players.  

Joao Gomes - 5

Struggled last night and often had his momentum stopped by a persistent Lewis Cook and Ryan Christie duo. 

Mario Lemina - 5

Much like his teammates in midfield, Lemina appeared to always be one step behind Bournemouth’s midfield as the ball was often passed around him. He was constantly caught turning to track back. 

Nelson Semedo - 5

Playing against Kerkez and Kluivert is not easy for any right-sided defender and Semedo felt the full force of that test. 

Semedo often found himself chasing shadows and having rings run around him as he tried to stop Bournemouth’s attacks. 

Tommy Doyle - 4

Had a poor game today and went missing far too often as opposition players drifted past him effortlessly. 

Pablo Sarabia - 4

There was hope Sarabia would inspire some attacking creativity but he failed to do so with some poor link-up play. 

For large parts of his time on the pitch, he also seemed to go missing with Kerkez doing well to contain him. 

Hwang Hee-Chan - 5

Was very isolated last night and often bullied off the ball by Bournemouth’s centre-backs when he did receive the ball. 

Played a little better for spells in the second half but ultimately lacked support and supply. 

Substitutes 

Matt Doherty - 5

Came on at half-time and provided a little spark with some decent crosses and efforts but fizzled out as the game went on. 

Boubacar Traore - 5

Helped garner some more control in midfield but did not change the game significantly. 

Matheus Cunha - 4

Cunha’s biggest contribution was a silly swipe at Kluivert leading to the Hwang goal being disallowed. 

Tawanda Chirewa - 5

Injected a bit of energy into the team and crowd but ultimately could not get a precious equaliser. 

Nathan Fraser - N/A 

Came on too late to have an influence on the game. 

  • Bournemouth

Mark Travers - 7

This was Travers' first Premier League appearance this season and he certainly gave Andoni Iraola something to think about for the remaining fixtures. 

He made some key saves, particularly against Sarabia in the first half, and remained a composed figure in the Bournemouth defence. 

Milos Kerkez - 7

Despite playing in his natural defensive role, Kerkez wasn’t afraid to run forward and create chances for his teammates. In fact, it was his bombing run and movement that led to the first goal. 

The only thing that let him down was the red card challenge on Doherty, putting Bournemouth under pressure to preserve their lead going into the last ten minutes. 

Illya Zabarnyi - 7

A solid and consistent figure this season for Bournemouth, playing every minute of their season so far. 

Zabarnyi was commanding and dominant in his position today. 

Marcos Senesi - 7

Once again, Senesi showed why he is such a key player in this Iraola team. 

He was full of smart passing, direct running and tight marking, making it hard for Wolves to develop any moves towards the Bournemouth goal and pushing his own team forward at times. 

Adam Smith - 7

Captaining the Bournemouth side in Neto’s absence, Smith had a solid game, doing well to stop any momentum from Wolves on the wings. 

Alex Scott - 7

Against an uninspiring Wolves midfield, Scott drifted in and out of space left by the opposition players. 

Had some great link-up play and gave us glimpses of his exciting potential. 

Lewis Cook - 8

Cook was in inspiring form last night and was a thorn in Wolves’ side all evening, breaking up play whenever he could. 

He may have let his team down in the reverse fixture but did no such thing today with a superb performance. 

Ryan Christie - 9

It was tough to pick a man of the match last night but Christie’s name must certainly be up there. 

He was full of energy from the first minute to the last, shifting the ball smartly and driving attacks with his direct runs. At times it felt as if he was everywhere on the pitch and the Wolves players surely felt this way too. 

Justin Kluivert - 7

Had some great opportunities to score last night but could not find a way past a determined Jose Sa. 

That being said, Kluivert adjusted well to a slight position change to the wing and was full of his usual direct play, taunting the Wolves defenders with Kerkez as back-up. 

Antoine Semenyo - 8

The match winner on the night and not for the first time this season.  

Another excellent performance from the Ghanaian, which included some neat link-up play with his fellow teammates. Was quick to pounce upon the Kilman mistake to get his goal. 

Dominic Solanke - 7

Compared to recent games, Solanke had a relatively quiet game in that he did not score. 

But that is not to say he did not play a part in the win. He was often drawing defenders away, opening up space for Kluivert, Semenyo and Scott in particular, proving to be key in the team’s sixth away win of the season. 

Substitutes 

Dango Ouattara - 6

Did some chasing and that was about it. 

Lloyd Kelly - 7

After Kerkez’ red, Kelly did a great job at left-back and was solid against late Wolves pressure. 

James Hill - 6 

His only job was to help shut up shop with a man down, and he did that successfully. 

Enes Unal - 5 

Did lots of running and chasing when he entered the pitch.