Wolves sack Gary O'Neil in dramatic U-turn after brutal Ipswich defeat

Wolverhampton Wanderers have terminated Gary O'Neil after 16 months in command.

The former Bournemouth manager departs from Wolves, who are now second from bottom in the Premier League, four points from safety.

Gary O'Neil.

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O'Neil's dismissal came less than 24 hours after a humiliating 2-1 defeat to Ipswich Town at Molineux.

Matt Doherty's own goal put the Tractor Boys ahead, but Matheus Cunha leveled in the 72nd minute.

However, Ipswich earned all three points due to Jack Taylor's second-half stoppage-time goal.

After the full-time whistle, chaos occurred when Wolves defender Rayan Ait-Nouri was taken off the ground by teammate Craig Dawson.

Ait-Nouri was given a second yellow card after the game, thus he will be sidelined for Wolves' trip to Leicester City next Sunday.

Goalscorer Cunha was also obviously enraged and had to be led down the tunnel to prevent more punishment.

Cunha's video of pulling the spectacles off the face of an Ipswich Town employee soon went viral on social media.

The Ipswich defeat was O'Neil's fourth in a row, and the second consecutive game marred by unpleasant post-match scenes.

Following Wolves' 2-1 loss to West Ham United last Monday, Mario Lemina got into a scuffle with Hammers captain Jarrod Bowen, which sent both players to the ground.

O'Neil and his coaching staff were instantly on the field, attempting to alleviate the situation, but things just became worse.

Lemina quickly squared up to assistant coach Shaun Derry, pressing their foreheads together until Wolves teammate Toti Gomes pulled the midfielder away.

Lemina was relieved of his leadership due to his role in the post-match brawl.

With O'Neil's departure, Wolves are now seeking for their fourth permanent manager since Nuno Espirito Santo resigned at the conclusion of the 2020/21 season.