Deflected Tavernier strike earns Bournemouth win

A deflected Marcus Tavernier strike was enough to earn Bournemouth their first Premier League win of the season and condemn 10-man Wolves to a second straight defeat.

Both teams were hoping to bounce back from opening-day losses but, other than an early Marshall Munetsi chance, the Cherries were far more composed, organised and dangerous in the opening stages and deservedly took an early lead.

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde's poor pass on the edge of Wolves' area allowed Antoine Semenyo to pick out Tavernier, whose low shot took a wicked deflection off Emmanuel Agbadou before ending up in the net via the underside of the crossbar.

Semenyo rattled the bar from David Brooks' cross as Bournemouth sought to press home their advantage while at the other end Djordje Petrovic was forced into a smart one-handed save from Jorgen Strand Larsen's shot.

But the visitors' hopes of clawing their way back into the contest suffered a major blow when Toti Gomes was shown a straight red card for bringing down Cherries striker Evanilson as last man, leaving his team a man light for the majority of the second half.

Jose Sa made a fine save from Tyler Adams' long-range drive to keep Wolves in the game but Bournemouth saw out the final stages to claim a deserved three points.

Wolves analysis: Pereira desperate for reinforcements

Wolves' haphazard display only underlines their urgent need for reinforcements before the end of the transfer window, with manager Vitor Pereira saying afterwards he wants "three more players" before 1 September.

Jackson Tchatchoua - a recent arrival from Hellas Verona - carried a threat after replacing the injured Ki-Jana Hoever in the first half, while former Alkmaar wing-back David Moller Wolfe endured another frustrating afternoon before being replaced by Hugo Bueno at the break.

Full debutant Jhon Arias almost levelled for the visitors within minutes of the restart but could only find the side-netting from Bueno's delivery.

Pereira's decision to withdraw the Colombian summer signing a little over 10 minutes after half-time was met by a smattering of boos from the away fans, clearly frustrated by the visitors' lack of cutting edge.

The omission of holding midfielder Andre also caused something of a surprise before kick-off but Pereira told reporters after the game that the Brazilian needs to "increase his level".

"Positions are not a gift," he said. "I like Andre a lot but I must push him to be better.

"In my opinion, in training and in games, Bellegarde has been in better condition."

Wolves' best spell of the game arguably came after Toti's dismissal but Arias' chance was the closest they came to rescuing an unlikely point.

The west Midlands club are reportedly in talks to sign Girona defender Ladislav Krejci as they look to provide additional cover for Toti, who will now miss Tuesday's Carabao Cup tie at home against West Ham.

Having already lost key players Nelson Semedo, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Matheus Cunha this summer, Wolves have ruled out selling striker Strand Larsen, who was forced off with an Achilles problem with 12 minutes remaining.

"He's frustrated about the injury," Pereira said. "He felt a pain in his Achilles.

"The pain started to increase after he received a kick last week but it is nothing serious."

Bournemouth analysis: Cherries build on Anfield display

Bournemouth may have left Anfield empty-handed in last Friday's Premier League opener but their display in that 4-2 defeat by champions Liverpool offered plenty of encouragement for manager Andoni Iraola.

The 43-year-old's decision to field an unchanged XI at Vitality Stadium came as little surprise - despite the availability of fit-again Justin Kluivert and Ryan Christie as well as recent signings Amine Adli and Ben Gannon-Doak – and was vindicated by the Cherries' fast start.

A 2-0 scoreline would have been a fair reflection of Bournemouth's early superiority but Semenyo somehow managed to turn Brooks' delivery against the bar five minutes after Tavernier's opener.

Arias missed a good opportunity to level for Wolves not long after half-time but Toti's dismissal moments later left Bournemouth firmly in the driving seat and allowed Iraola to give valuable minutes to Christie, Adli and Kluivert in the second period.

Adli – part of the Leverkusen team that won the Bundesliga in 2023-24 – was particularly sharp after coming on for the impressive Brooks, stretching the Wolves defence as the visitors looked to salvage something from the game late on.

Given the Cherries' fine start though, Moroccan Adli and his fellow substitutes have their work cut out in forcing their way back into Iraola's side.

What's next for these teams?

Bournemouth: The Cherries host Brentford in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday before travelling to Tottenham – who defeated Manchester City on Saturday – in the Premier League next weekend.

Wolves: Wolves welcome Everton to Molineux in their next league game on Saturday, after taking on West Ham in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.