25 January 2025
Bournemouth 5 Nott’m Forest 0
Two of the in-form teams in the Premier League met at the Vitality Stadium as Bournemouth welcomed Nottingham Forest. Nobody would have predicted the seasons they are having so far but something had to give on the south coast. Having surprised many big teams this campaign, both teams were looking to keep their impressive records intact.
Forest rocked up with an air of confidence about them, almost like they had started believing themselves that they were now a top team. That can be a good and a bad thing. One thing we have learnt so far this season is that you take The Cherries for granted at your own risk. This was going to be a tough test for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side as they pushed for a top four place.
The visitors had the first glimpse of goal as the ball was played into Elanga in the box. The winger pulled it out of the air with a sublime control and turn. Sadly his finish was not so impressive, as he struck his effort into the side netting, not even testing Kepa in the Bournemouth goal. It was an early warning for the hosts however.
As another move for Forest broke down, The Cherries played the ball out through the visitors’ high press. Adams played it into the path of Kluivert, who burst through the middle from the halfway line. The Forest defenders just backed off him, more concerned about the runners around them. It was almost as if they were inviting him to have a shot at goal.
Kluivert does not need such bold invitations at the moment. Fresh off the back of a hat-trick at St James’ Park, he struck a venomous effort towards the bottom corner of the goal that had Sels beaten all ends up. The Vitality Stadium erupted as it hit the back of the net, taking the lead against high-flying Forest with only nine minutes on the clock.
As both sides struggled to get their passing game going, the ball broke to Yates some way out. It sat invitingly to be hit, as the midfielder struck a volley towards the far corner, which seemed goal bound. Kepa got down well to get a strong hand to it, to turn it around the post. Cue all the high fives from his defenders like he had just found the cure to cancer.
Gibbs-White was the next player who had a chance to get his side back on level terms. The ball dropped to him in the box on the half-volley and he struck it sweetly but his effort narrowly went the wrong side of the post. The fans who had made the long trip down south felt that it was just a matter of time before their team were going to score.
Bournemouth opted to go on the attack, looking for that second goal. Semenyo picked it up outside the box and drove towards the penalty area. He got a shot off towards the far corner but Sels got down well to get a strong hand to it, turning it away from goal. This game was poised on a knife-edge and you felt the next goal was going to be critical to the outcome of this match.
After the interval the visitors tried to find a way back into the game. A free-kick was whipped into the box and Milenkovic rose highest to get a header away. It was straight at Kepa but the keeper still had to acrobatically turn it over the crossbar with his fingertips. Espirito Santo’s side had created plenty of chances since falling behind but could not find an equaliser.
Kerkez then played a brilliant pass out wide to Kluivert. He teased the defender before making room to cross into the box. He picked out Ouattara in the middle, who got up above the Forest defenders to head into the far corner and double The Cherries’ lead. The Vitality Stadium erupted as Iraola’s side gave themselves some breathing space in the game.
The Spaniard’s side were brimming with confidence and thought they had scored a third when Ouattara and Kluivert combined. The Dutch forward slotted him but it was soon chalked off for offside. They did not have to wait long for a third goal as Ouattara slotted home with a host of Forest defenders stood around him. It was poor defending from the visitors.
Tavernier then fired off an effort from outside the box. Sels parried it but straight in front of him, where Ouattara was the first to react. The makeshift striker, due to Bournemouth’s injury crisis, slotted home to score his first ever senior hat-trick. The Cherries’ fans were loving life as they were putting Forest to the sword in this one.
Nottingham Forest’s fans were looking dumbstruck in the away end. They were being brought back down to earth with a real bang. This was the sort of result they had endured in previous seasons but not what they had been expecting this campaign. The same could be said of Nuno Espirito Santo who had a look on his face that he was in a nightmare he could not wake up from.
The Cherries put the icing on the cake when Tavernier came forward and fed it into the path of Semenyo. He managed to create some space to get a shot away, which beat Sels and nestled into the far corner of the goal. The Bournemouth fans started singing ‘can we play you every week’ at this stage and their team had earned the opportunity to rinse the opposition.
It was a superb victory for the hosts and was a big statement to the rest of the teams in the Premier League. Despite having their two first-choice strikers out injured, Dango Ouattara had stepped up to the plate in some style. For Nottingham Forest, they will just want to forget this result and try to get back to winning ways to push for European qualification.
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