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Eddie Howe’s AFC Bournemouth and Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolverhampton Wanderers were the surprise early stars of the new Premier League season, but a change of fortunes has only favoured one side.

Not so long ago, the Cherries were nestling on the European places, having taken six wins from the opening ten. But the south coast side now find themselves dropped from the top half of the table following their eighth defeat of the campaign, suffered at the hands of Wolves.

Espirito Santo’s squad, on the other hand, showed they could go toe-to-toe with the top sides in the country early on, as the Molineux outfit held both Manchester clubs to score draws.

It was against the so-called lesser sides that the Wanderers tripped over their own success, allowing Watford and Brighton to snatch the points as the hurdles started to emerge.

For the yellow and gold-cladded men, the obstacles were ingrained in their fixture list, as each international break presented a fresh challenge. Most notably, injuries enforced changes, which in turn brought a lack of cohesion, and as such results were affected.

Every time the West Midlands outfit began to develop form again, another break in play would swat it away. Only now, with no further interruptions until March, has Espirito Santo managed to regain order in his side – starting with the shock win over Chelsea.

Wolves would have gone into the game without an ounce of belief that they could challenge the Pensioners on that Wednesday night, but a lack of end product by the Blues opened the door for the hosts to strike.

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Bournemouth, meanwhile, were in turmoil. The early season superstars were falling down the table like a sinking ship – the wheels falling off the moment they came up against strong opposition.

During their opening run of games, Howe’s men had faced and lost to Chelsea, but rallied back to see off Leicester at the Vitality Stadium the following matchday. Thankfully for the Boscombe boys, easier games followed and success kept the Cherries ahead of Manchester United, but the Red Devils smelt blood on their visit to the south coast.

Bournemouth had the chance to secure the points in the first half alone, yet allowed their guests back into the tie and have not been the same since that moment.

Defeats to early-strugglers Newcastle and solid but pointless displays at home to Arsenal and away to Man City saw the Cherries’ record sit with as many wins as losses, and their downfall was not over yet despite a confidence-building start at home to Huddersfield.

Liverpool tore Howe’s side apart and scored with ease when the Premier League title hopefuls made the trip down south, but it was defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers that truly screamed panic for Bournemouth.

Charlie Daniels received a lot of criticism for the part he played in Wolves opening the scoring against the run of play, for he handed possession over in his own half of the pitch with a dire back pass. While the 32-year-old should have known better than risking a pass to one of his centre-backs, Tyrone Mings was as much to blame for it leading to a goal.

The sudden lapse in control by Bournemouth signified the change in fortunes between the two sides, and the Cherries’ deep-lying fragility that will continue to cost them.

The small little errors all add up over the course of a season, and Howe must orchestrate a turn around to ensure the superb start they mustered does not go to waste.

Wolves, meanwhile, are on the up again, having now recorded three consecutive top-flight wins for the first time in 38 years. Should they retain the cohesion they lost over the international breaks, Espirito Santo’s men will continue to shock, starting with Liverpool at home on Friday night.

As for Bournemouth, a south coast clash with fellow mid-table side Brighton will be the perfect platform to springboard back up the table, but they must not allow mental mishaps to creep back into their game against Tottenham and Manchester United before the turn of the year.