25 August 2024
Bournemouth 1 Newcastle 1
Eddie Howe returned to his old stomping ground as he took his Newcastle side to the south coast to face Bournemouth. Both sides opened the campaign with a draw, so were looking to keep their unbeaten runs going. For The Cherries, victory would see them get their best start to a Premier League season since their return to the top-flight.
The Magpies started well and Isak managed to beat his man out wide to get a cross into the box. Gordon tried to get his head to it but the defender managed to get there first and divert it over the crossbar, just, with a looping header. The away fans were riled up by this and were making plenty of noise. It was a packed house, as much as possible when it holds as much as most cinemas, at the Vitality Stadium.
Bournemouth came on the attack themselves and new signing Evanlison almost opened the scoring. His shot from a tight angle forced a good save from Pope to deny him. The Brazilian has even taken the number nine shirt vacated by Solanke as he looks to replace him as The Cherries new target man. Signs were positive from these opening exchanges.
Semenyo was the next player to try and test The Magpies’ keeper. He had an outlandish shot from out wide that thundered against the crossbar and ricocheted over. Moments later he dispossessed Joelinton and crossed for Tavernier to tap home from close range to break the deadlock. Bournemouth seemed to mean business, looking for that first win of the season.
The two teams seemed to cancel each other out for the remainder of the half and Andoni Iraola’s side went into the break with a slender lead. From what they showed in the first forty-five minutes life without Solanke was not going to be a problem for them. New signing Evanilson looked to be a shrewd signing by the Spaniard.
Into the second half and The Magpies started with positive mindset. Longstaff broke through the middle and headed into the penalty area. There was a coming together between the two players and the Newcastle midfielder threw himself to the floor like an extra from Saving Private Ryan. Fortunately for the hosts the official was having none of his theatrics.
Cook then spotted a great pass through the visitors’ defence to pick out Kluivert in a wide position in the box. He held the ball up before trying to pick out Semenyo in the middle. Burn read the pass well and was able to cut it out and put it behind for a corner. You felt at this stage that the next goal was critical to the outcome of the game.
Bournemouth should have doubled their lead after some sublime wing play from Semenyo. He drove into the box and played a low ball into the back post but as Evanilson slid in, he could not get enough of a contact to direct it into the empty net. So close for Iraola’s side, with the new boy dying to get that goal on debut in front of their own fans.
Isak was continuing to cause problems for the home defence. He cut in from out wide and laid the ball into the path of Barnes. He shifted it to his left foot and let fly, with the keeper beaten. Sadly for Eddie Howe’s side the shot was inches wide of the far post. By far the closest The Magpies had come to scoring all afternoon.
The visitors continued to knock on the door with Isak having a header cleared off the line. They recycled the ball well and Barnes crossed to pick out Joelinton. His header seemed goalbound until the outstretched arm of Neto clawed it away from goal. Bournemouth were under intense pressure and you felt it was just a matter of time before we saw an equaliser.
Barnes was involved again as he put in a teasing cross to the back post and Gordon ghosted in to tap home with the defender unaware of the danger around him. It was no more than The Magpies had deserved on this second half performance. They had been putting the hosts under immense pressure for sustained periods of the game.
Scott almost conjured up an instant reply for Iraola’s side. A neat one-two saw him with a sight of goal from some twenty yards out. He had nothing on his mind apart from striking it and the effort narrowly shaved the far post with Pope unable to get anywhere near it. Half the ground had thought it was in as soon as it left the midfielder’s boot.
The Magpies were not done either and Gordon put in a quality ball into the box which was met by the head of Burn. Everyone thought he had scored but Neto made a fine save to keep it out. Guimaraes was the next player to shoot from outside the box and drew an even more impressive save from Neto as his tipped it over the bar. It was heading in the top corner of the goal.
Soon later, the Vitality Stadium was rocking as Ouattara headed home from a corner to seal the win. The celebrations were short-lived as VAR adjudged that the ball in fact came off his arm and not his head. Replays agreed with the outcome and justice had been served. Not if you speak to anyone of a Bournemouth persuasion that is, who felt they had been robbed of a win.
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