The Tim Spiers debrief – Bournemouth 1 Wolves 1

It extended their unbeaten run to eight matches in all competitions but at full-time everyone was talking about one man.

Rogered

If it's implemented incorrectly the introduction of VAR has the potential to ruin the beautiful game of football as we know and love it.

But it's because of performances like Roger East’s on Saturday that VAR will happen.

Mr East awarded three penalties at the Vitality Stadium. You could argue none of them should have been given.

1) Joao Moutinho doesn't appear to have touched Josh King, who has conned him to win a penalty.

2) Matt Doherty is fouled after the ball has gone – a decision rarely given.

3) Ryan Fraser has moved his foot on to Ivan Cavaleiro's leg outside the penalty area. Again, he's conned the referee.

And then the most blatant, obviously, clear-cut penalty of the afternoon went entirely unnoticed by Mr East when Chris Mepham allowed the ball to roll off his hand, only failing to flick it up and twirl it on his finger like a Harlem Globetrotter (eh, Lee Johnson?).

It was obvious, as Conor Coady said afterwards, from the reactions of the Wolves players that Mepham had handled. East, though, didn't appear to even consult his assistant when immediately awarding a corner instead.

And yes, tallking of Lee Johnson, Wolves had got lucky at Bristol City when Matt Doherty handled in the box.

But what happened at Bournemouth not only evened that out – if gave Wolves several weeks worth of decisions in the bank.

There was the elbow in the mouth of Joao Moutinho, who required stitches after the game. Jefferson Lerma could easily have been sent off.

Diogo Jota was bizarrely penalised when he teed up Raul Jimenez to find the net at 0-0. Jota was stronger than his opponent but there didn't appear to be a foul.

Oh and having penalised Adam Smith for fouling Doherty in the box, why hasn’t he handed out a second booking and sent him off? Mr East was dishing out yellows like they were candy all afternoon (10 in total) but bottled that one.

Apart from that he had a great game.

You have some sympathy for Mr East in that Messrs King and Fraser convinced him they'd been fouled. It's a hard enough job without players trying to bend the rules.

But it is his job at the end of the day. It's his profession. And on Saturday he may have cost Wolves two points.

If you made several glaring blunders in your line of work you'd expect repercussions. Sadly we can't even hold Mr East to public account.

String-puller

All of which got in the way of what could have been an entertaining football match at the Vitality Stadium.

Wolves had started with purpose and adventure, taking the game to Bournemouth in an impressive opening spell, before that first incorrect penalty decision quelled their momentum and started a pattern of stop-start controversy.

Amid the whistle blowing there was some decent football played at times, particularly via the excellent Jota who was a sprightly menace to the Bournemouth defence, adeptly linking with Jonny Castro Otto and almost creating a goal with a great run beyond the back line.

He was being fouled at the time but refused to go down. Perhaps if Wolves enlisted a few of Bournemouth's dark arts they'd have won the match.

Elsewhere the chief string-puller, as has been the case for a few weeks now, was the irrepressible Moutinho who, in the pace of some serious provocation from the opposition, played more key passes than anyone on the field and produced another series of teasing, on-the-money set pieces.

Barry Douglas' whipped corners and free-kicks were sorely missed at the start of the campaign when Moutinho would generally float his set pieces rather serenely into the box.

His deliveries now carry more pace, bend and ingenuity and are a real weapon for Nuno's team.

Kick it out

If only Rui Patricio's kicks carried half as much precision.

The keeper almost cost his team another goal with a fluffed clearance. It was almost identical to the one which led to Newcastle's equaliser two weeks ago – a floated and mis-directed clearance went straight to an opposition player and the immediately pounced and worked the ball into the box for a shooting opportunity.

This time, though, rather than the soft waft at Isaac Hayden's shot for Newcastle's goal, Patricio stayed strong to keep out Dominic Solanke's shot (not that it stopped Nuno from throwing a water bottle in anger). He also later saved a Solanke header with a fine reaction stop.

Patricio's kicking, however, continues to be a problem.

His shot-stopping ability is up there with the best in the division but in terms of distribution and commanding his penalty area, the Portuguese number one hasn't taken the position up a huge level from John Ruddy last season, as many expected he would.

After a mixed first season in the Premier League he'll have learned an awful lot and you'd anticipate an improvement next year.

And his distribution – such an important attribute for a goalkeeper to have in the modern game – simply has to get better.

Good point

The Vitality is one of the toughest places to travel in the Premier League.

Bournemouth possess the league's seventh best home record and haven't been beaten at home by a non-top six side since November 2017 against Burnley.

In many respects it was an excellent point. For a start they were playing against 12 men, with almost every big decision going Bournemouth's way.

They've had to come from behind to earn a late point, again showing the battling qualities that have earned them numerous results this season.

It extends that unbeaten run, which now stretches to eight games in all competitions.

And it got the league campaign back on track after the excitement of the FA Cup, which is certainly a distraction (albeit a welcome one) from the league season.

Winnable week

It also got an important week off to a good start.

Wolves travel to rock-bottom Huddersfield Town tomorrow (no victories since they beat Wolves in November, believe it or not) before welcoming Cardiff City (two away wins all season with only Huddersfield and Fulham having worse away records) on Saturday.

Meanwhile Watford face far tougher games on paper against Liverpool away and Leicester at home (before successive away trips to Manchester City and Manchester United.

Wolves will look to lay down a marker in the race for seventh before the cup anticipation builds again.

Final word

Star man: Joao Moutinho

The boss: Bit his tongue on the referee to avoid any FA trouble

Fans: Gave their hard-working team a big ovation at full-time

Magic moment: First a black cat at Goodison, now sprinklers at Bournemouth

In a word: Aggrieved

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