Liam Keen analysis: Wolves' selection mistakes, on-field errors and a disastrous defeat

From a jubilant, ruthless and clinical 4-1 win at Fulham to a mistake-ridden, calamitous display against Bournemouth, Wolves' frailties were on show for all to see.

Gary O'Neil got his team selection spot on last week and was deservedly given praise in these pages for doing so.

This week he got it badly wrong and his starting XI error was exacerbated by an erratic side full of mistakes.

When directly asked by the Express & Star whether he got his team selection wrong, O'Neil admitted it was hard to make changes after the performance at Fulham, but then conceded he would have taken a different approach in hindsight.

O'Neil has done plenty right at Wolves, and made some mistakes, but on this occasion he got it wrong.

Mario Lemina was fantastic at centre-back last time, but with Craig Dawson back available it seemed like the obvious choice to bring him back in.

Despite the selection error, those players are the ones that cross the white line and they certainly did not carry out the game plan.

Wolves had worked on stopping and dealing with the long ball from Marcos Senesi in training, yet they conceded a penalty after 57 seconds from a ball from the very same player.

This side are particularly emotional and have endured many crazy moments where they have failed to get a grip on the game.

Despite scoring a good and swift equaliser, this was another one of those moments. Wolves' midfield was bypassed with ease, the defence was all at sea and Bournemouth opened them up with one or two passes.

The second goal came from that, before a remarkably poor mistake from Jose Sa for the second penalty.

At 3-1, after 18 minutes, the game was gone. Molineux was shell-shocked and a subdued ending to the first half ended with Wolves well beaten.

But it then burst into life again as goalkeeper Sa inexplicably charged to the South Bank to confront a Wolves fan.

He angrily pointed his finger at a fan and furiously shouted before being dragged away by stewards. Other fans around the incident supported Sa, before one fan was escorted out of Molineux.

The facts of what was said or exactly what happened are uncertain, but it is a terrible look for a hot-headed goalkeeper to be confronting his own supporters, regardless of how frustrated he may be with his own performance.

Sa has done well since being restored to the starting XI, but did himself no favours on Saturday afternoon.

Wolves came out in the second half needing to turn things around and Dawson was introduced, but a strange decision saw a disjointed Wolves team change formation briefly - with Rayan Ait-Nouri at right wing - before further changes saw them switch back again.

Despite the errors from the coaches and the players on the field, Wolves' somehow managed to give themselves two opportunities to get back into the game and twice they threw it away.

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde's excellent assist and Jorgen Strand Larsen's superb header made it 1-1 in the first half, ahead of more disaster defending, before Larsen added a second in the second half to make it 3-2.

It was a nice goal created by substitute Goncalo Guedes and the momentum was with Wolves. The fans were willing them forward and the game looked like it may turn.

But almost instantly, another horrendous error saw Wolves throw the game away. Dawson's terrible back pass saw Sa clatter Evanilson and a third and final penalty killed the match as a contest.

Until the final whistle, it was a painful watch as Wolves helplessly wrestled for control in a game that was beyond their reach.

A small number of Wolves fans chanted against O'Neil and loud boos met the end of a desperately disappointing festive fixture at Molineux.

It may feel like one step forward and two steps back, but Wolves have made some progress in recent weeks.

This defeat - as damaging and disappointing as it is - does not put this team back to square one.

They were four unbeaten and had won two in a row before this loss and a defeat does not undo this good work.

However, Wolves' reaction to this defeat will be crucial.

O'Neil is expected to remain in position as head coach but with two big games coming up, he needs points.

The good news for Wolves is that they have a trip to Everton on Wednesday to put this right.

They must improve defensively. Wolves have conceded 32 goals in 13 Premier League games, by far the worst in the division, and any improvement there will be key to this club's revival.

That will likely mean a back five against the Toffees, who are physical and strong from set pieces, and Lemina's experiment at centre-back should now be over.