Bournemouth 2 Newcastle 0
Eddie Howe took his Newcastle side to the Vitality Stadium, a stadium he had not won at since he was their manager, looking to build on their huge win over Arsenal last time out in the league. The Magpies are struggling badly with injuries at the moment.
With their squad depleted, Howe knew they would need to be at their best to get a result on the south coast. If only they had an owner with the oil riches of the Saudi state at their disposal, all their problems would……….oh wait.
Bournemouth started well and were testing the visiting keeper early on as Christie rifled in a shot from the edge of the box but it was straight at Pope as he gathered comfortably. It was an early warning that the hosts fancied their chances of upsetting the odds.
Semenyo then ran at the Newcastle defence, cutting in from the right wing, fizzing in a well struck shot into the bottom corner but Nick Pope got down well to parry the shot and The Magpies’ defence were able to clear their lines.
Credit: @afcbournemouth
Longstaff was to have a long range effort at the Bournemouth goal but Neto rather acrobatically tipped the shot over the bar. It was a good save by The Cherries’ keeper and kept the scores level at an integral point of this game.
Cook then turned provider for the hosts as he threaded a ball through for Kluivert who ran through towards goal before getting a shot away which Pope had to be at full-stretch to keep out. Only on Championship Manager 99/00 had Bournemouth fans ever dreamt of seeing that name on the back of one of their tops.
The resulting corner was punched clear but the follow up shot from Christie needed the Newcastle keeper to be on his toes once again to keep it out. Semenyo then had a chance to put the hosts ahead but dragged his shot wide of the goal.
Gordon started to cause some problems at the start of the second half and the winger was hacked down resulting in a free kick. Trippier swung a ball in that caused all sorts of problems but between Neto and the defence they managed to clear.
That was to prove pivotal as Iraola’s side went down the other end and a shot deflected into the path of Solanke who slammed his effort past Pope to send the Vitality Stadium into raptures. Nothing more than Bournemouth had deserved.
Eddie Howe’s side tried to find a way back into the game as the impressive Livramento steamed forward but as he worked the ball to Gordon, his shot from outside the box was straight at Neto in The Cherries’ goal.
Credit: @afcbournemouth
Iraola’s side were growing in confidence and Tavernier struck a thunderous shot at goal but once again Pope was there to deny the hosts. The resulting corner was swung in and bundled over the line by Solanke on the near post.
Things were looking bleak for the Geordies as time began to run out but as they piled forward, the ball broke to Longstaff, who was unmarked at the back post. He looked to beat Neto but his driven shot had all the accuracy of Ant McPartlin’s parallel parking after a bottomless brunch.
Sinisterra had a chance to put the game to bed after being set up by the impressive Solanke but Lascelles did brilliantly to block the shot. Newcastle were struggling to cope with the hosts as they looked to turn the screw in this game.
The Bournemouth winger shot again from outside the box but The Magpies’ stopper got down well to save. Moments later he was to see another shot brilliantly turned over the bar by the Newcastle keeper. This was the busiest a Pope had been since the Spanish Inquisition in 1478.
Andoni Iraola’s side took all three points, deservedly so, moving them three points clear of the drop zone more importantly. Kieran Trippier confronted the disgruntled Newcastle fans after the game shouting ‘how many injuries have we got?’
It all seemed a little childish considering, with the exception of Miley and Hall, every player on that pitch in the game earns in excess of £40k per week. Fans spending their hard earned money on tickets and travel are more than entitled to question the performances of their team.
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