José Sá destroyed for ‘fake injury’ as ‘stinker’ sinks Wolves vs Bournemouth
José Sá was hammered by Jason Cundy and Jamie O’Hara for his error-strewn performance against Bournemouth as the Portuguese goalkeeper gave away two penalties in Wolves’ 4-2 defeat.
Cherries forward Justin Kluivert became the first player in 67 years to score a hat-trick of penalties in an English top-flight game as his treble saw off Wolves and piled the pressure on home boss Gary O’Neil.
Sá was guilty of a poor performance at Molineux – giving away Bournemouth’s second and third penalties. He inadvertently took out Evanilson after the Brazilian pipped him to the ball, before clattering into him later in the game, where he was accused of faking injury.
Former Spurs midfielder O’Hara said on talkSPORT: “Jose Sa obviously deserves to be in there today, he’s had a howler, he’s had a stinker. There’s no getting away from it, he’s cost his team today.”
Jason Cundy then added: “He has. For him to dwell on the ball, credit to Evanilson, he’s sharp, he’s a quick boy, he reads it, gets there. Jose Sa decided to boot him in the ankle, and then second half, Evanilson goes through, Evanilson is 60/40 in his favour.
“Jose Sa comes through and slides him down, nowhere near the ball, pretending he got a little whack on the head to try and put the referee off the scent. Referee wasn’t having any of it, gives the penalty and books him.”
Gary O’Neil under pressure at Wolves with worst defence
Football Insider opinion
Another loss for Wolves sees them in the Premier League relegation zone, to put O’Neil back under pressure. The Midlands club came into this match four games unbeaten, having won 4-1 at Fulham last time out, but the home fans again showed their displeasure, booing the team off at the end of the match.
There was also an ugly incident at half-time as Sa confronted a Wolves fan, with two supporters forcibly removed from the stand by stewards.
Wolverhampton have been the Premier League’s worst defensive side this season, conceding a league-high 32 goals and managing just one clean sheet.
Sá’s error-strewn performance against the Cherries, where he gave away two penalties, has raised questions about his future as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper, with Sam Johnstone potentially stepping in to replace him.
The defensive frailties extend beyond Sá, as Wolves’ full-backs have shown a lack of discipline and defensive awareness.
Ryan Aït-Nouri, while impressive going forward with three goals and two assists, often neglects his defensive responsibilities, leaving the team vulnerable to counter-attacks. His tendency to push too far forward, combined with similar issues across the backline, has contributed significantly to the Wanderers’ struggles at the back.
In other news, Pete O’Rourke has provided updates on Wolves’ January signings amid the latest news on Christopher Wooh.
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