#PLStories- Gary O’Neil says No blame on Dominic Solanke after big miss at Villa #AFCB

Cherries were beaten 3-0 at Villa Park, with Solanke squandering the side’s biggest chance, failing to convert a one-on-one with the visitors just one goal behind. Villa went on to score twice late on to condemn O’Neil’s men to defeat, which sees them slip down to 19th in the table. Striker Solanke is now on his longest goal drought for two years, having failed to find the net in each of his last six appearances. He went eight games without a goal from January to March 2021, under Jason Tindall and then Jonathan Woodgate. His last goal came in an FA Cup loss to Burnley in January, with his run without a Premier League goal now at 10 matches, since netting in defeat at Leeds in November. The 25-year-old looked like ending that drought when latching onto a Hamed Traore pass and racing through on goal on Saturday. However, he delayed his shot, allowing former Cherries defender Tyrone Mings to get back and produce a sliding block. Asked if that miss highlighted a lack of confidence in Solanke’s game at present, O’Neil told the Daily Echo: “I’ve not seen it back. Obviously the view from the bench is tricky on that one. “But we created a few opportunities. “We got Dom in behind a few times, got Dango (Ouattara) in behind a few times. “At this point in the season and the level we’re playing at, we need to be better in those situations. “Aston Villa were more clinical than us. They probably didn’t arrive in situations too many times more than we did.” Asked later how big of a concern Solanke’s lack of recent goals is, O’Neil added: “We need to work with Dom, of course. “There was a lot out there I thought we could’ve done better with. “There were individual performances where I would expect better from them. “But it’s always as a group. So there’s no blame on Dom. Everyone has weekends when you’re slightly below your best. “It’s the way it is. We stick together. The group understand it fully, we need to bounce back again, make sure we keep creating chances. “My job is to work with the players and make sure we are better at taking them.” One-time England international Solanke, who netted 30 goals last season, has notched just four times in 24 appearances across league and cup this term. His overall record in the Premier League, for Liverpool and Cherries, reads played 85, scored seven.