Andoni Iraola believes Illia Zabarnyi's red card was crucial as Bournemouth suffered a surprise 1-0 defeat against struggling Wolves.

The Cherries suffered only their second defeat in 14 Premier League games, as Matheus Cunha's strike moved the visitors five points clear of the relegation zone.

The goal came shortly after Zabarnyi was initially given a yellow card for his challenge on Rayan Ait-Nouri in the 31st minute, though this was upgraded to a red card following a VAR review.

Iraola acknowledged his side struggled in the immediate aftermath of the sending-off.

"I think the game is very affected by the red card," Iraola told BBC Match of the Day. "We have been in the game, but they punished us in the minutes after the red card where we have probably not established ourselves.

"The only observation I would make is if the referee sees it and says: 'red card' - okay, but I have seen different angles. From one angle, I don't think it is, but from another, it does look like a red card.

"He tries to win the ball and slips over the ball, and it is a dangerous fall...but clear and obvious? I don't know."

Despite the defeat, the Spaniard insisted there were positives to take from his side's display.

"From [going 1-0 down], we competed really well. It was difficult playing with 10 players for most of the game, but the players have done a very good job. I am very proud of the performance of my players."

Meanwhile, Wolves boss Vitor Pereira was full of praise for his players, who gave their survival hopes a huge boost.

"I am very happy because I saw on the pitch the true spirit of a team," he said. "It is not easy to play here because they are a good team, and they create a lot of problems.

"In the first minutes, we had some problems. But after this, we started to be compact and control the game and, in the end, we deserved the result."