Wolverhampton Wanderers made a triumphant return from the international break by overcoming an early deficit to defeat Bournemouth 2-1. This victory was accompanied by Hwang Hee-chan notching his first assist of the season.
Wolves found themselves trailing at Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, England, with Dominic Solanke netting a goal in the 17th minute, as the Cherries gained an early momentum advantage.
Shortly after the break, the visitors made a strong comeback, as Pedro Neto skillfully navigated through the Bournemouth defense, creating space for Matheus Cunha to elegantly place the ball into the top corner of the net.
Less than ten minutes later, Bournemouth was reduced to ten players after Lewis Cook headbutted Hwang during a heated exchange following a foul by Cook on Hwang. Known as “The Bull,” the passionate Korean midfielder immediately reacted by pushing Cook, who then appeared to headbutt Hwang.
Cook received a direct red card for violent conduct and is likely to face a three-game suspension, while Hwang received a yellow card for his involvement. According to manager Andoni Iraola, Cook didn’t dispute the red card and promptly apologized to his teammates, taking responsibility for his actions.
Bournemouth’s second significant error occurred in the 88th minute when goalkeeper Neto played a goal kick directly to midfielder Philip Billing, who was surrounded by Wolves players and swiftly lost possession. Hwang capitalized on the ensuing confusion, deftly passing around two defenders to Sasa Kalajdzic, who confidently scored the late winning goal past Neto.
After the match, Wolves manager Gary O’Neil commended his team’s second-half comeback and refrained from criticizing Bournemouth, the club that dismissed him during the summer, even though he played a pivotal role in their relegation avoidance last season.
O’Neil stated, “It’s not about me or returning to AFC Bournemouth, just a really good win for a group that is making progress and working extremely hard. Honestly, I feel no different than when we beat Manchester City or Everton. It feels exactly the same.”
He expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance and praised their resilience in coming from behind. Wolves have now gone four Premier League games without a loss since their defeat to Liverpool on September 16. Hwang, who is enjoying a standout season, has scored three goals and provided an assist during this period, accumulating five goals and one assist in nine games thus far.
Wolves will face Newcastle at home in their upcoming match next Saturday.
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