Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola is delighted with how his side have reacted to the departure of Antoine Semenyo after they extended their unbeaten run to four matches with a 2-0 victory over Wolves.
Bournemouth have now won two of their last three matches since Semenyo made the switch to Manchester City and their latest came with a hard-fought display at Molineux.
Andre’s error led to Junior Kroupi smashing in his eighth goal of the season for the opener and the Cherries had to wait till stoppage time in the second half to seal the points when Alex Scott finished emphatically from close range.
Following a run of 11 games without a win earlier this season, Bournemouth have responded with three victories from their last four matches and continue their upturn in results without former talisman Semenyo.
Iraola believes his side are now getting the rewards for their performances following a first away win since August.
He said: “Very important (win) because we have good results at home but away we were struggling more, a lot of draws but there have been good performances lately at Chelsea, (Manchester) United and Brighton – we really needed this win.
“We have done a very good month of January, considering the factor of Antoine. I think we’ve played very well in December but were not getting the rewards for performances.
“We were drawing a lot of games and I hope we can continue. I said it before, it’s impossible to replace Antoine player for player but if we play well as a team we will find players who can score goals.”
Rayan stepped off the bench in the 68th minute for his Bournemouth debut after he signed from Vasco Da Gama earlier this week and contributed straight away with an assist to Scott.
“It was probably the best scenario for him because he could find the spaces,” Iraola added.
“When they were losing, they pushed everyone forward and I think a player of his skills to find good transition moments and spaces in behind. He showed good composure on the assist and still we need to help him to adapt.
“He’s only trained for two days so will need more information, and what we need for him but it is clear his skill set is very good.”
Wolves had 17 attempts and forced Djordje Petrovic into making seven saves but were unable to breach the Bournemouth defence.
Rob Edwards admitted his side have to be more ruthless in front of goal and rued his side’s missed chances.
Edwards said: “We have to be more ruthless and find a way to take those chances. That’s not me coming for an individual but need to find a way to put the ball in the back of the net. We created too much not to have.
“I was convinced if we found an equaliser we could’ve pushed to win it. I don’t feel we deserved to lose.”
Jorgen Strand Larsen came off the bench despite interest from Crystal Palace but Edwards did not rule out him leaving the club.
Asked if his situation has changed, Edwards added: “As far as I’m aware, no. Over these next few hours let’s see. He’s been focused on the here and now with us, let’s see how the next few days pan out.”
