No day off for Bournemouth as Gary O’Neil gets tough despite win at Wolves

Bournemouth boss Gary O’Neil has told his players their long-awaited and vital win at Wolves on Saturday was not enough to earn a day off.

The Cherries claimed their first win in eight Premier League games as they eked out a 1-0 success at Molineux.

The victory boosted their hopes of escaping relegation but with a trip to champions Manchester City next week, followed by games against leaders Arsenal and Liverpool, there will be no easing up.

O’Neil said: “They enjoyed that. They asked for Monday off. I said no. You have to win more than one game to get a day off, lads.

“But they enjoyed the win because they have been working so hard the last few weeks. I’ve been telling them it was coming.

“They have a real belief in the group we can cause teams problems. I am delighted for them but it’s a big game next week. Let’s get ourselves dusted down and get ready to go again.”

Marcus Tavernier, making his first start since November after overcoming a hamstring injury, scored the only goal at Molineux when he guided in a Dominic Solanke cross off his thigh in the 49th minute.

Wolves had dominated the first half and responded positively to falling behind but they struggled to create clear-cut chances and Bournemouth defended stoutly to claim the points.

“The boys will fight,” said O’Neil. “They’re an incredible group and I’ve said that since the day I started.

“Sometimes a lapse or fine margins make it not look as clear as it should be, but the boys will fight regardless.

“But it is important not to get too carried away with the wins and not to get too carried away when you suffer a goal in the last minutes because that can happen. Here we managed to make sure it didn’t.”

Wolves had hoped to have turned the corner after victories over Liverpool and Southampton in their last two games but manager Julen Lopetegui admits the loss leaves them firmly in the relegation picture.

The former Real Madrid and Spain coach said: “When I arrived here we were at the bottom and now we are in the middle of the fight.

“It is not enough. We need 40 points, we need a lot of points. We know it is very hard to get points in this league.

“You can win any match and lose to any team. This is the football at Premier League level. We have to win and continue working for the next match.”