Wolves moved further away from the relegation zone with a statement win against Bournemouth.
Vitor Pereira’s side earned a crucial three points on the South Coast as Wolves beat Bournemouth 1-0 at the Vitality.
Matheus Cunha’s first-half goal was the decider in the well-contested fixture in which the Old Gold had to dig deep to win.
Things were made slightly simpler for Wolves as Illia Zabarnyi was sent off after a VAR check, leaving Bournemouth with ten men for an hour of the match.
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Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett disagrees with Bournemouth red card
Wolves have suffered at the hands of VAR countless times but at the Vitality, it could be said that Pereira’s side were helped by its uses.
Zabarnyi was initially shown a yellow card for his foul on Rayan Ait-Nouri but, after VAR intervention, the onfield decision was upgraded to a straight red card.
The Premier League released a statement to explain Zabarnyi’s dismissal, punishing the Ukrainian with ‘serious foul play’ upon review.
Wolves were happy to see the Cherries reduced to ten men early on but, was it the right decision?
Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett didn’t think so, as he reacted to the red card on social media when interacting with a fan.
A Sunday League referee accused VAR of making ‘two incorrect’ interventions on match day 26, raising the fault in Wolves’ win over Bournemouth and then the decision to not award Everton a late penalty against Manchester United.
Hackett replied to the comment by insisting the fan was ‘spot on’ with his assessment of both incidents, suggesting that Zabarnyi’s challenge warranted only a booking.
BBC Match of the Day pundits agreed that it wasn’t a red card, stating that VAR intervened unnecessarily.
Will Wolves have another red card against them overturned?
Wolves have been punished by VAR over the years but in recent weeks, the Old Gold have been on the opposite side.
It remains to be seen whether Zabarnyi’s red card will be appealed by Bournemouth, which would be the second time such has happened against Pereira’s side in 2025.
Myles Lewis-Skelly saw red at Molineux and was sent off but, Arsenal then won their appeal against the foul on Matt Doherty.
It could be that Bournemouth do the same but it remains to be seen whether the Cherries will challenge PGMOL over the controversial decision.