Gary O’Neill’s return to the South Coast sees his Wolves team head back home with all three points. A game of two halves sees Wolves trail by one goal to nil in the first half, meanwhile in the second half Wolves are quick to respond and get the game back on its feet and all square. Persistence, gifts by Bournemouth, goals by Cunha, Kalajdzic and a man-of-the-match performance from Tommy Doyle see us prevail late on at the Vitality Stadium.

Jose Sa – 6

Nothing which he could have done for Bournemouth’s goal, all the other shots that he faced turned out to be weak or central shots by the Cherries, routine saves for the Portuguese shot-stopper. A quiet game for Jose Sa which equates to a good thing as he wasn’t tested or didn’t commit any mistakes.

Matt Doherty – 6.5

Not a bad performance from the Irishman as he filled in for the suspended Nelson Semedo. He picked up a few fouls, managed to get the ball in dangerous positions and always pushed himself forward, all this even though he picked up a strain in his groin the day prior to the game. Our game vs Newcastle will probably see Semedo slot back into the right-back position but a solid performance from Doherty, nonetheless.

Max Kilman – 6.5

Not bad not great, didn’t set the world on fire, and he did his duty although he did pick up a yellow card at the end of the first half as he took down one of the Bournemouth players with a late tackle. Played a few passes over the top of the Bournemouth defence like his counterparts.

Craig Dawson – 7.5

A very solid game from Dawson, the standout from that back three. Did all the basics well, and passed the ball well across the field and over the top of the Cherries’ defence, probably one of their biggest weaknesses. Was found in no man’s land for Solanke’s goal but managed to mark him well out of the game to relieve the pressure from Sa’s goal.

Toti Gomes – 5.5

Wasn’t able to repeat the feats of the two previous games he started in and was partially at fault along with Ait-Nuori for the Cherries’ goal as they scored with too much ease and too much space left in behind. Made some good passes but ultimately the change in formation and substitution was the right call as Wolves were chasing a goal and out of the back three, he was the obvious choice to leave the playing field.

Rayan Ait-Nouri – 7

A clear lack of understanding between him and Toti in the first half as the shape of the defence didn’t look exactly right or at least one flank didn’t match the other and the goal showed exactly that as the whole left flank was left empty for Billing to cross the ball to Solanke. Nonetheless, he did what he does best pushing forward and that could be seen in the second half when he linked up well with Cunha and Neto in what could have led to a goal if Neto found his footwork.

Boubacar Traore – 6.5

Filled in for the suspended Mario Lemina in midfield and made his first premier league start for the season. It wasn’t a repeat of his Man City cameo but that was always going to be hard to come. He managed to put his foot in and intercept a few times to break up the play of Bournemouth, nothing memorable as he also picked up a booking but can’t complain too much.

Joao Gomes – 5

It wasn’t his day; he wasn’t able to get into the game and impose his play. Maybe because of the similar characteristics he has with Traore or the fact he wasn’t playing with his usual midfield partner Mario Lemina. Although not expected at first the game did need changing so the substitution at halftime was the right call, one thing for sure is the fact he will be working hard to improve and keep his place at the midfield position as it has many takers.

Pedro Neto – 8

An electric performance from the Portuguese winger that could or maybe should have seen him end up on the scoresheet. Constantly brought the team forward with his direct runs and always brought threat, an example is his run in the fifth minute of the game where he cut back on the inside right on the edge of the box and his shot struck the woodwork. He did manage to grab himself an assist though when he passed the ball to Cunha on the edge of the box.

Matheus Cunha – 7

Not a great game or at least the first half as I would have had him substituted. Lucky that I am not the gaffer as he produced a great strike on the edge of the box to get us tied and change the momentum of the game. Dropped deep and brought the ball upfield on various occasions but his performance wasn’t impeccable if you leave the goal aside.

Hwang Hee-Chan –7 .5

A constant battle for Hwang, showed fight throughout the game getting in good positions and cutting the ball back on various occasions as he would attack the opposition box. Played a key part in the sending off of the Bournemouth player as he was hacked down and he certainly wasn’t happy. His game was topped off as he got the assist for Kalajdzic’s winner.

Subs

 Tommy Doyle – 9

Man of the match performance from Tommy Doyle. Gary O’Neill hit the jackpot with this substitution, the momentum of the game completely changed and it is no coincidence he was involved in the build-up to our equalizer in the 47^th minute via Matheus Cunha. Sitting in front of the defence the young Englishman could constantly play great passes to find our forwards in space.

Pablo Sarabia – 6

Wasn’t really involved in the game, didn’t have many touches, pressed the Bournemouth players in added time to obstruct their play, and also picked up a yellow card after a confrontation with Max Aarons.

Sasa Kalajdzic– 8

Ten minutes and one chance are all it takes for him to leave his mark and bring all the three points home. After a shocking pass by the Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto, Billing loses possession right in front of his goal and after a quick turnaround a pass by Hwang finds Kalajdzic in front of goal and he makes no mistake.

After a superb first half, Gary O’Neil’s Wolves side whimpered to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of a weakened Liverpool side, without the likes of Virgil Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Wolves looked a different side from the early stages of the second half, allowing the away side to carry on their run, as one of the six unbeaten sides currently remaining in the Premier League.

Jose Sa – 5

An outing with not much work to do for Jose Sa, however once again his work with the ball at his feet let him down. His launch into no-mans-land late in the second half allowed Liverpool to take the lead after some haphazard defending from Wolves.

Nelson Semedo – 6

An assertive performance in the first half from Semedo places him as one of the better performers for the home side today. He remained calm when bringing the ball out from the back, and was a constant threat going forward, particularly with his cross to set up Pedro Neto in the first half. Liverpool doubled up on Semedo early in the second half, which led Gary O’Neil to add Matt Doherty as support on the right-hand flank.

Craig Dawson – 4

A performance expected of Craig Dawson for the majority, dominant in duels and assertive against opposition forwards. The central defender was a threat in Liverpool’s box from set-pieces. Dawson however, was robbed of the ball far too easily in the build-up to Liverpool’s third which saw his overall match rating slip.

Max Kilman – 5

Similar to his partner, Kilman was assertive and dominant for the majority. An overall defensive lapse during Liverpool’s second goal sees the Wolves defence take somewhat of a battering in terms of their rating. Kilman made a fantastic block in the second half to deny Darwin Nunez. However, questions remain regarding whether Kilman is the right man to wear the armband for Wolves.

Rayan Ait-Nouri – 7

As with his fellow starting fullback, Ait-Nouri was one of the more promising players for the home side today. For large periods before his injury impacted substitution, Ait-Nouri fully locked down Mohammed Salah. His link-up with Pedro Neto in the first half was pivotal when it came to the home side’s success in the first half. He continues to justify his place in Gary O’Neils starting 11.

Joao Gomes – 6

After a strangely poor performance at Selhurst Park, Joao Gomes’s standards rose again against Liverpool. He was fantastic both with and without the ball in the first half, however, this was not allowed throughout the second as the away side continued to retain the ball.

Mario Lemina – 6

Similarly to Gomes, Lemina simply did not have an impact on the second half due to the shift in momentum. The midfielder performed his role admirably as always, however, and was a fantastic ball-winner. The only downfall for the Gabonese today was his hopeful ball straight to Liverpool’s backline which continued to set the tempo of the second half.

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde – 7

As far as debuts go, The Frenchman was remarkably impressive during his first start in Old Gold. Bellegarde was given the licence to roam forward and he was a constant threat. He showcased the tempo of the first half perfectly, his ability to drive and utilise his pace and power proved to be a thorn in the side of Liverpool throughout his time on the pitch. Should Bellegarde put up similar performances moving forward he will undoubtedly become a fan favourite.

Pedro Neto – 7

With his fourth assist of the season, Pedro Neto looked very much like his old self throughout. He beat three men as he set up Hwang Hee-Chan early in the first half and should have registered a second when his cross found Matheus Cunha who fluffed his lines in the box. A fantastic performance on the left-hand side from Neto.

Hwang Hee-Chan – 7

Before his substitution, Hwang provided another bright performance for Wolves. The forward scored his third of the season and continues to be one of the more reliable men under Gary O’Neil.

Matheus Cunha – 4

Missing the chance which could have changed the game completely for Wolves, Matheus Cunha was strangely quiet for large periods despite the assertive performance in the first half from Wolves. As with his miss against Manchester United, Cunha continued to lack the much-needed bite in front of goal which would elevate his game to a whole new level.

SUBSTITUTES:

Fabio Silva (Matheus Cunha, 61) – 4

Being on the receiving end of criticism following the defeat, Fabio Silva provided somewhat of a nothing cameo during his time on the field. Silva offered little to nothing in terms of an outball and looked like a shadow of the figure seen throughout the international period with Portugal’s U21s.

Matt Doherty (Hwang Hee-Chan, 61) – 5

Whilst the Irishman had a few neat touches going forward when combining with Nelson Semedo, Matt Doherty had a very minimal impact on the match for Wolves, and his substitute appearance fully indicated the intentions of Gary O’Neil to shut up shop as the game progressed.

Hugo Bueno (Rayan Ait-Nouri, 65) – 5

After a sensational performance from Rayan Ait-Nouri, Hugo Bueno looked at sixes and sevens in comparison. He failed to lock down Salah as Ait-Nouri did as Liverpool continued to assert their control throughout the latter stages.

Tommy Doyle (Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, 77) – N/A

Coming on for his debut in Old Gold in the latter stages, it was a far-from-ideal scenario for the young midfielder to stamp his authority. Doyle however did look neat and tidy on the ball when he did have possession, however, the Englishman will need more minutes under his belt before a full judgment is made by supporters.

Boubacar Traore (Mario Lemina, 78) – N/A

Playing in somewhat of an unorthodox position higher up the pitch, Boubacar Traore struggled throughout his limited time on the pitch. Wolves whimpered to defeat in the closing stages of the match, and Traore alongside two more defensive midfielders certainly did not help the home side in terms of ball retention.

Eberechi Eze and Odsonne Edouard show, shame the pair play for Crystal Palace and not Wolves. More possession than our opponents but that doesn’t equate to the 3 points. Wolves struggled to contain the hyperactive Eze and paid the price as Wolves defence was too sluggish and the team made far too many mistakes, being dispossessed and countered on numerous occasions and struggling to create or get in any dangerous positions despite the two goals.

Jose Sa – 5.5

Made some good low saves to deny Palace from adding any further goals and came out to collect the ball when crossed in the Wolves box but ultimately conceded 3 goals and gifted Palace the chance to go 1 nil up in the 15^th minute of the game. His distribution also wasn’t great within the game as he often booted the ball up for a quick counter but routinely handed the ball back to Crystal Palace.

Nelson Semedo – 5

Picked up a booking early in the first half that obviously hindered and held him back. Some decent passes and link up but that’s about it, didn’t offer anything on either front and should have done much better in the defensive front, left far too much space for Mitchell to cross for the first goal.

Craig Dawson – 5

Did not look too comfortable at all during the duration of the game, Eze, Edouard and co danced around the defence with ease while the Wolves defence looked on hopelessly for the three goals. Not a game to remember for him, also launched the ball long on too many occasions and the Wolves attackers didn’t manage to make anything off of that.

Max Kilman – 5

Copy and paste of Craig Dawson too slow, sluggish and at fault for the goals, The first goal saw the ball travel across the box and Edouard free himself in between him and Dawson to poke home at the near post from close range. The only thing to differentiate his performance from that of Dawsons was the goal-line clearance in the first half.

Rayan Ait-nouri – 5.5

Not good enough but the best pick out of a bad bunch in that back four today, made some mistakes himself, one of note in the second half when his indecision led to Edouard finding himself in front of Jose Sà but the shot-stopper dived low to deny the Palace striker. Also picked up a yellow card early on and was taken off for the final ten minutes but pushed forward compared to Semedo.

Mario Lemina – 6

Had a good first half often breaking up Palaces’ play and regaining possession for Wolves. Didn’t repeat himself in the second half and was caught out watching for at least one of the three goals. His first-half performance was probably one of the reasons why the first half ended goalless and that’s why he gets a pass on his rating.

Joao Gomes – 4.5

Wasn’t his day didn’t see what he offered in his previous outings in old gold. Got lucky in the first half as a penalty could have been given for his contact with Eze in the box. Held the ball for too long on various occasions and was wasteful in front of the Palace box, leading them to counter us and put us in difficulty, this also led to him being added to the referee’s book.

Pedro Neto – 7

Our only spark in that game, the man creating the chances and the only player offering something going forward, not surprised the ball was played so often down his flank. Shame he didn’t get on the score sheet as Johnstone denied him well on one occasion. No goals for him in this game but he can be happy with his performance as he assisted both of Wolves goals.

Pablo Sarabia – 4.5

Did he play today? After a convincing outing on Tuesday against League One opposition Blackpool in the League Cup Sarabia did not repeat himself. The Spaniard produced nothing of note, this led to his substitution which could have possibly taken place earlier to allow Hwang more time to impact the game.

Matheus Cunha – 6

Freed himself and burst up the pitch on various occasions during the match but nothing was made from that. Miss placed some passes and wasn’t served with frequency; he ended up getting a consolation goal in the dying seconds of added time to open his account for this season, and hopefully more to come.

Fabio Silva – 5

Not much of note to report for Fabio, no clear-cut chances, wasn’t served very often and we didn’t play to his strengths, just long and high balls that were hard for him to control. Could argue that he could have been kept on instead of being substituted for Boubacar Traore as we ended up shaping more defensively by taking a man up top and adding another to a midfield that would then possess three midfielders with similar profiles.

Substitutes

Hwang Hee-Chan 60′ (Pablo Sarabia) – 7

One of Wolves’ most in-form players at the moment and also one of the only ones who seems to know where the back of the net is. Grabbed the equalizer and gave us a glimmer of hope only for it to be torn down by our lack of defence.  He showed a combative spirit as you would expect from someone that comes off the bench, the substitution could have been made earlier in my opinion.

Boubacar Traore 74′ (Fabio Silva) – 5

I am afraid to say Gray O’neil got this substitution wrong As already stated before, it unbalanced the team, A like-for-like substitution with Joao Gomes might have been a better option as we would have kept our shape and taken a player with a booking off and had fresh legs. It’s useless saying that now, Traore failed to impact the game.

Sasa Kalajdzic 81′ (Joao Gomes) – N.A.

Hugo Bueno 81′ (Rayan Ait-Nouri) – N.A.

A fairy-tale late winner from Saša Kalajdžić handed Wolves their first points of the Gary O’Neil era. It was a far from convincing display, but Wolves fought hard to leave Merseyside with a vital three points.

Jose Sa – 9

Although it was Kalajdžić who scored the winner, it is undoubtedly Sa who Wolves fans have to thank for leaving Goodison Park with anything. In what was comfortably is best performance for a long while, Sa responded to recent criticism with seven saves, including an all-time classic from a bouncing Doucoure header that left him flat-footed.

Nelson Semedo – 7

A much improved performance from Semedo after his struggles last week. The right-back seemed to have a lot more confidence playing out from defence and his positioning was sound throughout.

Craig Dawson – 7

A strong display from Dawson who made several vital clearances and headers. He was caught out in behind on a couple of occasions, but overall the veteran defender bounced back well from the Brighton catastrophe.

Max Kilman – 7

Like Dawson, the skipper bounced back well and fought hard to help earn Wolves a clean sheet. Also like his defensive partner, he still has room to improve in dealing with balls over the top.

Hugo Bueno – 6

In his first start this season, Bueno struggled to have any influence in the first half but was at the heart of most attacks in the second half and worked tirelessly down the left flank. He reminded fans that he has one of the better deliveries into the box out of the entire squad, which could come in handy with the emergence of Kalajdžić.

Mario Lemina – 7

A typical Lemina display in which he did not stop running. He fulfilled his defensive duties excellently and, in a not so physical team, was the key physical presence in the middle of the park in what was a scrappy game at times. His passing range and creative influence is limited, but Wolves would struggle massively without his intelligence and energy in midfield.

Joao Gomes – 7

Like his midfield partner, Gomes did not stop battling for ninety minutes and also produced some nice passes and turns in a game that generally lacked quality.

Pedro Neto – 6

Neto was deeply disappointing in the first half, from being too one-footed (and surely playing on the wrong side) to mistiming runs to miscommunications with teammates. However, his work rate was fantastic and he was rewarded for his persistence in the form of a beautiful assist for the winner. This sign of promise, as well as his passion during the celebrations, will have won him more support and confidence from the fans.

Hwang Hee-Chan – 5

Hwang was regularly covering the left side of defence well but struggled to have any impact going forward before he was subbed at half-time. Hopefully his injury is not serious.

Matheus Cunha – 5

A rare anonymous performance from Cunha, who had arguably been Wolves’ best player so far this season.

Fabio Silva – 5

Fabio’s performance can be summarised as deeply frustrating but with some lingering signs of promise. His hold-up play and physicality were a let down throughout the first half, and his one-on-one miss in the second half will undoubtedly haunt him and irritate fans. However, his delightful run and finish a few minutes before the miss that was ruled offside, as well as the run for the one-on-one, showed he can get in dangerous positions and be the fox in the box that Wolves have missed for so long.

Substitutes

Rayan Ait-Nouri 46′ (Hwang Hee-Chan) – 7

It is no coincidence that Wolves improved after Ait-Nouri’s introduction. He linked well with Bueno down the left throughout the half, troubling Everton right-back Patterson on several occasions with his energy and skill. Perhaps he could be a viable option on the left wing this season?

Pablo Sarabia 74′ (Fabio Silva) – 6

Sarabia seems slightly more comfortable in the second striker role rather than out wide. He had a couple of efforts blocked in stoppage time, but perhaps he should have gone towards the corner.

Toti Gomes 85′ (Hugo Bueno) – NA

Brought on to shore up the left side as Bueno tired during the latter stages.

Saša Kalajdžić 85′ (Matheus Cunha) – 8

With just his second touch, a year of pain was finally undone for Kalajdžić who sent the travelling Wolves fans into delirium with a header into the far corner. It does not matter that it was mistimed, nor that Wolves were lucky to win; above anything else it was a truly amazing moment for a good guy who fully deserved this moment of reward. A moment no one will forget.