Andoni Iraola reflected that it was a game of two halves for AFC Bournemouth as he spoke after his side fell to a 3-1 defeat against Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Iraola said: "For me, two different halves. I was really impressed with the performance in the first half - we were really solid.

"Defending against a very solid opposition, we had chances to score."

Iraola went on to say: "The momentum of the game changes, you finish 1-1 and in the second half we weren't as solid defensively."

In this, the Spaniard seemed to be alluding to his side's struggles to cope with Villa's star men Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey in the second half.

The Cherries took an early lead through a Dominic Solanke penalty after Matty Cash brought down Milos Kerkez in the box.

Despite Bournemouth's momentum taking a hit after a Morgan Rogers equaliser before the half-time whistle, Iraola insisted that his side were still in the game.

"We had our chances. We scored a penalty, but we had more chances in the game," said the 41-year-old.

After equalising before half-time, the momentum completely shifted in Aston Villa's favour, with Bournemouth's defence unable to find a response to the pace of Leon Bailey and Moussa Diaby, who both found themselves on the scoresheet.

The loss now means Bournemouth are winless in three Premier League outings, with seven goals conceded in those games.

The Cherries' poor defensive record was reflected in Sunday afternoon's defeat, and they now sit 13th in the table on 42 points.

Trepidation for Wolves trip When asked about Bournemouth's upcoming fixture against Wolves on Wednesday, Iraola claimed: "They have the advantage."

He added: "We have to recover. They have one more day to recover and we have to travel twice. They play twice at home, but we have to be ready because it's also an important game."

The Cherries will be looking to turn their form around against former manager Gary O'Neil on Wednesday, with his Wolves side also coming into the game winless in five and just one point above Bournemouth in 11th.

Iraola was in attendance as Wolves lost 2-0 to temporary league leaders Arsenal on Saturday, where O'Neil's side were dignified in defeat with a solid defensive display which was only toppled after Martin Odegaard's late goal increased the deficit.

Discussing their upcoming opponents, Iraola said: "They're one point above us and it's a great opportunity because we want to break the points record of the club.

"We don't have any more, let's say, winnable games and it's going to be tough."

Bournemouth's best league season came in 2016/17 under Eddie Howe, which saw the Cherries finish 9th in the Premier League on 46 points; a tally the current Bournemouth side sits just four points shy of.

With five games left of the season, Iraola will certainly look to top this record but trips to Arsenal and Chelsea in their fixture list might prove too much for a side that is slipping into poor form.