Bournemouth 3-0 Brighton: Cherries move into the top half of the Premier League as Marcos Senesi, Enes Unal and Justin Kluivert score in dominant win over struggling visitors

Another assured capacity from Andoni Iraola’s broadside not only extended their six-game unbeaten location run, but called clip connected Brighton’s precocious manus successful nan South Coast derby, denying Roberto De Zerbi’s players a 4th consecutive triumph connected Sunday afternoon.

The travellers were wearied ones, hopes of European title each but wholly slipped distant and rooted to 12th spot aft going six games without a win. Just complete 3 days connected from a 4-0 humbling astatine Amex by nan Manchester City machine, nan much-changed broadside looked for illustration a protector of their erstwhile selves arsenic nan play draws to a close.

Only Joao Pedro, Pascal Gross, Valentin Barco, and Lewis Dunk kept their places aft Thursday’s conclusion near their injury-ravaged broadside moreover shorter, pinch Jan Paul van Hecke nan latest absentee.

Unsurprisingly, nan changes told. De Zerbi’s broadside began brightly, pushing forward, but lacked a cohesion which blunted early tests of Mark Travers successful goal. Bournemouth, by contrast, seemed raring to spell for nan contest, unruffled by nan visitors’ early attempts to drawback them off-guard.

The hosts were nan first to genuinely frighten conscionable past nan 10 minute-mark, erstwhile a crafty flick-on connected from Antoine Semenyo kept nan shot successful play connected nan correct and unleashed Premier League debutant Enes Unal, who sent a crisp transverse towards a looming Dominic Solanke.

The guardant mightiness person had his 19th Premier League extremity but for a hasty defence from Lewis Dunk, who caught nan changeable pinch his assemblage arsenic he fell. Shouts for a VAR involution were hastily waved distant by a no-nonsense Paul Tierney.

Instead, Bournemouth had to make to do pinch a corner, but they wouldn’t person conscionable hold agelong for their opener. Claiming a second, Lewis Cook sent successful a flyer consecutive to nan caput of Brighton’s Irish youngster Mark O’Mahony. 

But alternatively than knocking it to safety, his involution only served to tee up a leaping Marcos Senesi, who wasted nary clip burying nan shot past arsenic stunned Bart Verbruggen.

O’Mahony’s shrugged shoulders and De Zerbi successful nan dugout burying his look successful his overgarment collar summed up nan turning mood, nan aerial taken retired of Brighton’s sails.

Probing runs from Simon Adingra and Barco connected nan near were quickly stunted, though Bournemouth did person to hold retired a little scare wrong nan first 20 minutes erstwhile Lewis Cook fell awkwardly connected his enarthrosis and seemed to beryllium successful immoderate pain.

Brighton battled done a spell of under-confidence successful nan look of a zesty Bournemouth broadside and settled somewhat heading for nan half-an-hour mark, but excessively often, De Zerbi’s players looked easy beaten by their full-throated opponents.

Bournemouth should person claimed a 2nd successful nan 31st minute, erstwhile an unmarked Unal was fixed a chance for target believe astatine nan apical of nan punishment area acknowledgment to a brave tally from Alex Scott connected nan correct helping and a neatly struck cross, but nan pay-off was imperfect and nan shot slipped conscionable wide of nan post.

Instead, they had to hold for nan second-half, storming retired of nan gates and ferocious from nan off.

Despite De Zerbi shuffling nan platform yet again and swapping nan unfortunate O’Mahony for Danny Welbeck, it was Iraola’s players who looked reinvigorated by nan break. 

On nan heels of firing successful nan broadside netting aft a twisting tally successful from nan left, Justin Kluivert mixed pinch Dango Ouattara successful nan 52nd infinitesimal to group up a waiting Unal successful nan box, jumping to drawback nan shot and people pinch a twist of his head.

Keen for an contiguous response, Adingra offered up nan Seagulls’ finest chance of nan title truthful far, a curling, vulnerable onslaught from conscionable wrong nan area which forced a stretched fingertip prevention from Travers to extremity nan effort complete nan crossbar.

The returning Julio Enciso, connected for Adingra, besides came adjacent to yet dragging Brighton onto nan scoreline, striking conscionable wide pinch a skidding effort quadrate connected extremity moments aft his preamble successful nan 66th minute.

Brighton’s vexation began to tell, pinch Semenyo skittled by a risky situation from Barco level pinch nan Brighton extremity which nan defender - already connected a booking - was fortunate to get distant with.

Solanke, a much muted fig successful a deeper position pinch Unal connected nan pitch, came adjacent successful nan 75th infinitesimal astatine adjacent range. Dunk was again last defender - and nan shot again ricocheted disconnected his assemblage for nan important block, prompting yet much unanswered claims.

But moreover if nan Cherries’ prima man went without, location were rich | pickings for his team-mates, pinch Kluivert netting nan well-deserved victor aft tripping into nan container successful nan 87th infinitesimal from nan correct to snuff retired each dream of a Brighton comeback.

Bournemouth’s sparky triumph whitethorn not travel wholly untarnished - a hot-blooded situation from Joel Veltman connected Semenyo saw nan winger taken disconnected connected a stretcher successful nan 96th minute, look twisted successful symptom - but nan nine look group to extremity their play connected a precocious supporters whitethorn not person anticipated astatine nan sticky commencement of their campaign. 

After yet different difficult day, their rivals connected Sunday are group to acquisition nan nonstop aforesaid sensation, successful reverse.