Bournemouth 3 Brighton 0
It was a south coast derby at the Vitality Stadium between two sides who were looking to achieve a top ten finish to their season. Considering the poor start The Cherries made to their season, this would be seen as a massive high note to finish on.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side are winless in their last five games and have struggled with the additional pressure of European football thrown into their schedule this season. However, it was the hosts who had the first glimpse of goal.
The ball was crossed in towards Solanke but Dunk did brilliantly with a covering tackle to deny him. Set pieces seemed to be an issue for The Seagulls and from one such corner Senesi headed home from close range to give the hosts the lead.
Brighton always look dangerous on the counter and as Buonanotte danced past defenders, he took the ball a little wide and Travers was able to block his effort at the near post. It was a warning for Gary O’Neil’s side that this skilful Brighton side can hurt you in an instant.
Credit: @premierleague
Scott then robbed Igor of the ball in a wide position and charged towards the box. He spotted Unal unmarked in the box but the forward dragged his effort well wide of the far post. This can be an issue for The Cherries, not all their players are as clinical as Solanke in front of goal.
This was underlined at the start of the second half as they worked the ball well to Kluivert. He had space to run into and headed towards goal but then sent his shot into the side netting when he should really be working the keeper as a minimum.
Kluivert then found Ouattara, who did well to cross at the byline before the ball went out. He managed to pick out Unal in the box, whose towering header beat Verbruggen to double the lead for the hosts. It perked the home fans up in a game that had an end of season feel to it.
The Seagulls tried to find a way back into the game and Adingra fired off a great shot at goal but Travers made a fantastic save, acrobatically tipping it over the crossbar. It was an important stop for The Cherries as a goal for Brighton could have changed the whole complexion of the game.
De Zerbi’s side continued to knock on the door and some great passing football saw Enciso with a clear sight of goal but he sliced his shot wide of the target. From the position he was in, the away fans were expecting to see the net bulge.
The tricky midfielder was once again in the action as he twisted and turned outside the box. He looked to bend a shot into the far corner, with Travers beaten, but it narrowly missed the target. The Seagulls were starting to look more dangerous by the minute.
Credit: @afcbournemouth
However, The Cherries struck the sucker punch as they countered and the ball was played into Kluivert in the box. He cut onto his left foot, dropped his shoulder to lose his man and drilled the ball into the back of the net to seal the victory for Gary O’Neil’s side.
The win takes Bournemouth up to tenth in the table with a total of 48 points, a record for The Cherries in a Premier League season. They are not done yet, with three games left, and will be eyeing a top ten finish to be the icing on the cake to their season.
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