BOURNEMOUTH, England (AP) — Bournemouth began life without Scott Parker with a battling point as Wolverhampton’s lengthy Premier League winless streak was extended by a 0-0 draw on Wednesday.
The managerless hosts, led by interim coach Gary O’Neil, produced a resolute response to a tumultuous few days which saw Parker sacked on Monday in the aftermath of a record-tying 9-0 loss at Liverpool.
Wolves dominated possession on the south coast but were unable to make a breakthrough as their wait for a top-flight victory stretched to 12 games, dating back to April 2.
Big-money summer signing Matheus Nunes hit the crossbar early on, while Raul Jimenez wasted a great second-half chance before Daniel Podence had a diving header cleared off the line by Bournemouth captain Lloyd Kelly.
Bruno Lage’s visitors lacked thrust in attacking areas for much of the match as they failed to find the net for the third time in four games, much to the frustration of the sold-out away end, who jeered at the final whistle.
Bournemouth dismissed Parker just four games into the new season and two days on from him saying the team are “ill-equipped at this level” following their Anfield embarrassment.
Cherries owner Maxim Demin cited conflict over club strategy and concerns about respect when dismissing the manager who masterminded last season’s promotion to the top flight, rather than a knee-jerk reaction to the joint worst defeat in Premier League history.
Caretaker O’Neil responded to the weekend drubbing by dropping goalkeeper Mark Travers in favor of Premier League debutant Neto, while defender Kelly and star striker Dominic Solanke were back to bolster the hosts.
“Together anything is possible” was the message displayed on the scoreboard ahead of kickoff as Bournemouth’s stadium announcer attempted to whip up the crowd.
The team managed to at least halt a run of three successive defeats.
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