- Bournemouth easily defeated Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0 in Sunday’s Premier League match at the Vitality Stadium.
- The Cherries entered the match with the goal of extending their club-record six-game Premier League winning streak at home, and they won with little drama on the South coast.
- Junior Kluivert, Enes Unal, and Marcos Senesi all scored goals to help Bournemouth set a new club record for points in the Premier League.
Bournemouth easily defeated Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0 in Sunday’s Premier League match at the Vitality Stadium.
The Cherries entered the match with the goal of extending their club-record six-game Premier League winning streak at home, and they won with little drama on the South coast.
Junior Kluivert, Enes Unal, and Marcos Senesi all scored goals to help Bournemouth set a new club record for points in the Premier League.
With a game remaining, Brighton is four points behind their most recent opponents in 12th place, while Andoni Iraola’s team has achieved success and is now back in 10th place in the rankings.
The 10th-placed Cherries have 48 points overall, which is two more than their previous high of 46 during the 2016–17 campaign. Competitors Brighton, who came in sixth place the previous year, are ranked 12th with 44 points.
How Bournemouth took charge
Enes Unal celebrates scoring against Brighton at the Vitality stadium. Photo/ Sky Sports
Unal appeared in for his first start for Bournemouth, starting on the right wing, while Roberto De Zerbi made seven changes to his Brighton starting lineup, giving Mark O’Mahony and Odel Offiah their first Premier League debuts.
Due to Bournemouth’s superior play and their first-minute goal, Brighton was not helped by so many changes in the first half of the match.
Senesi was there to head a close-range header into the net following an inswinging corner that was glanced goalward, marking his fourth goal of the year.
The second noteworthy clear-cut opportunity came from Bournemouth’s Mark Travers, who had to be alert to stop Facundo Buonanotte at his near post. Despite both sides having multiple shots on goal during the first half, efforts on target were few and far between.
After meeting a pass from Pascal Gross, Simon Adingra also found space at the back post, but Bournemouth led rightfully at halftime.
Bournemouth’s second half dominance
Bournmeouth defeated Brighton 3-0 to achieve highest points tally in their history. Photo/ Reuters
After halftime, De Zerbi responded by bringing on Danny Welbeck, but Unal increased Bournemouth’s advantage after just seven minutes in the second half.
Dango Ouattara was set up to deliver a cross, but instead he floated over a hanging cross that found its perfect recipient at the back post in Unal. The striker rose above Brighton’s defense to head the ball into the far corner from ten yards out.
Unal had played in just 12 Premier League substitute appearances totaling just 151 minutes prior to this match, therefore it was expected that he would be substituted after 67 minutes to a standing ovation.
Prior to his substitution, Brighton had been making an effort to stay competitive. Julio Enciso missed the mark shortly after entering the game, while Joao Pedro was only able to head off target after encountering a cross.
As the game came to an end, two penalty claims from the Cherries were denied. Shouts from the crowd erupted after Solanke’s shot on the turn looked to strike Dunk’s hand. The two then struggled in the box.
But the three points were assured with three minutes remaining. After slipping past Valentin Barco and cutting past Lewis Dunk, Kluivert shot forcefully from within the area into the net.
The only negative aspect of Bournemouth’s otherwise happy afternoon occurred during stoppage time, when winger Antoine Semenyo was taken off the pitch on a stretcher just before Brighton’s winless league record reached six games.
Even though Bournemouth may soon lose the ability to qualify for Europe, they are now only one point behind eighth-placed West Ham United, which is a testament to the progress they have made under Iraola.
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