Analysis: Wolves take a giant step towards Premier League safety with resolute victory

A superb 1-0 win against one of the Premier League's in-form sides while the three teams below all suffered bruising defeats. Simply put, it was a perfect weekend, as Vitor Pereira's team opened up a five-point cushion on the bottom three.

Back in the summer when the fixtures were revealed, Wolves would have looked at a trip to the Vitality Stadium as a match where they would back themselves to win - most likely against a side somewhere near them in the table. 

But no one would have predicted Bournemouth to have the campaign they are having.

So for Pereira's men, who suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield six days prior, a trip to the south coast was daunting - especially with the Cherries losing just one of their last 13 Premier League matches before this one.  

Bournemouth started the day in fifth, and on a mild afternoon, the sun shone on the Vitality Stadium and on Pereira's team as they took a huge leap towards Premier League safety - they will have to mess it up badly to go down from here.

Despite the Cherries form - it should come as no shock Wolves took something from this match. They have a good record at the Vitality Stadium, and they still have not been beaten in a Premier League fixture.

The last time Bournemouth beat Wolves at home was back in the 2014/15 campaign when both teams were in the Championship - in the top tier, Wolves have won three and drawn twice. 

This particular clash centred on the pivotal moment in the 31st minute when Illia Zabarnyi was sent off for a high challenge on Rayan Ait-Nouri.

It was not a tackle where you felt the Cherries defender had gone in to hurt the Wolves wing-back.  

At first, he was shown a yellow card, but it was not until you watch it back that you see quite how high Zabarnyi catches Ait-Nouri, and you can understand why the VAR officials sent Michael Salisbury over to the monitor.

Once he does that, everyone in the UK knows the outcome, and his card was upgraded to a red. It made Salisbury unpopular for the rest of the afternoon, but the Cherries defender was endangering his opponent, and he was rightly given his marching orders.

Could Wolves have won the game without the sending-off? That is a question no one will ever have the answer to. They had made a bright start and hit the post, but there is no doubt it certainly helped. 

The match-winning goal was scored by Matheus Cunha just five minutes later - it was his fourth consecutive goal across all competitions - and he continued his red-hot streak, which is seeing him win valuable points for his side. 

As soon as the ball fell to him, in so much space inside the Bournemouth penalty area, you knew that the home side were in trouble. You cannot give him that space. 

There was an air of inevitability that he would put it in the net. Others in the Wolves side do not have that confidence in front of goal.

As Nelson Semedo said in his post-match press interview, that is what makes him one of the best players in the Premier League.  

The 54 goals Wolves have conceded this season is far too many, but their fifth clean sheet of the campaign was another positive thing about Saturday's result. 

They did have a numerical advantage, so that did make things simpler for Pereira's side. But they were resilient and resolute in the second period and while Bournemouth had a lot of territory, they did not force Jose Sa into a save of note. 

Plenty of balls came into the Wolves penalty area, but between Matt Doherty, Santi Bueno, Toti and even Nasser Djiga when he was introduced for his debut late on - they dealt with them.

The visitors would have kicked themselves they had not put the game to bed earlier. They had enough chances in the second half, and Marshall Munetsi missed a sitter from just six yards out. 

That was criminal, and on another day, it could have cost them. 

The survival race is not over yet. Despite Wolves holding a commanding lead, back-to-back wins for Leicester or Ipswich will see them make ground on Pereira's men.

But based on the fact those two sides have won just seven matches between them all season, a turnaround of that sought does look fairly unlikely.  

Overall, there are not many negative things to say about a Wolves side who took one gigantic step in the right direction and towards Premier League survival at the weekend - but building on it now is imperative.