Five greatest Premier League moments: Bournemouth
They may have only been in the Premier League for two seasons so far, but that hasn’t stopped Bournemouth putting in some dazzling displays in the top flight.
Whether coming from behind or delivering a tactical masterclass, Eddie Howe has been at the helm for all of the Cherries’ high-flying displays, as we pick out their five greatest moments of their higher echelon football.
Arriving in style
Bournemouth earned their first ever win in the top-flight with a memorable 4-3 win over West Ham in the opening month of the 2015-16 season.
Callum Wilson’s hat-trick downed the Hammers in a dramatic encounter, scoring twice in the first half with first-time finishes, before Marc Pugh cancelled out levellers from the fighting hosts at Upton Park.
(BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images)
Wilson was the star of the show with his first Premier League goal – emulating the form he showed in the Championship which steered Bournemouth towards promotion – netting 23 goals following his £3m move from Coventry City.
But it was his opening-win trio that really set the Cherries rocking, announcing themselves in style as a team far from content with just one season in the top flight.
Superb Stanislas makes it all-square
Who can ever forget the dazzling moment when Junior Stanislas scored a 98th-minute equaliser as Bournemouth came twice from behind to salvage a point in an astonishing game at the Vitality Stadium two seasons ago?
Everton looked set to take all three points after leading 2-0 at half time.
Despite a Bournemouth fightback, the Toffees still seemed odds to win the game when Ross Barkley swivelled on the turn to add a third in the fifth minute of extra time – following goals from Adam Smith and Stanislas in the 80th and 87th minute respectively.
But the Cherries’ fighting spirit was not to be abated, and Howe’s men secured a much-deserved draw after Stanislas headed home in a remarkable match on the south coast.
Heroic comeback against The Reds
The Cherries completed one of the greatest comebacks in their history last December – treating fans to an early Christmas present by beating Liverpool for the first time in a sensational Premier League encounter.
Howe’s men found themselves two goals down twice during the match – 2-0 down at half-time and 3-1 behind with 15 minutes to go, but battled back on both occasions before Nathan Ake’s 93rd-minute winner sealed a famous 4-3 win.
(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Ryan Fraser was instrumental, the Scot being just one of a string of players who dramatically increased their place in fans’ estimations.
But none more so than Josh King, however – who netted 15 Premier League goals and continued to cement his status as one of the most potent Premier League strikers of the season.
Hitting Hull for Six
Bournemouth’s 2016-17 campaign will be remembered for the highs of a 6-1 win over Hull.
The manager said his side were “faultless” in their performance and they would have kept a clean sheet had it not been for an unfortunate deflection off Steve Cook to level the game up.
But the defender headed in moments later to restore Bournemouth’s lead, before Stanislas netted from the spot and then added a smart finish after the break.
Wilson and Dan Gosling joined in on the fun late on, but it was Bournemouth’s build-up play that impressed most, with a midfield trio of Jack Wilshere, Andrew Surman and Harry Arter all completing a passing accuracy well above 90%.
Brilliant Boruc keeps United at bay
Bournemouth denied Manchester United the chance to put pressure on the top four last season in a dramatic encounter at Old Trafford which saw Zlatan Ibrahimovic miss from the spot, as the Cherries battled with one man down.
Keeper Artur Boruc was the hero, almost single-handedly keeping his side in the game and denying the big Swede, in a match which referee Kevin Friend had a tough day at the office.
(OLI SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images)
The first-half ended in an ugly mix-up between Tyrone Mings and Ibrahimovic, with the former appearing to stamp on the Swede while he was on the ground, before the striker retaliated by elbowing the defender in the face.
TV replays suggested both were lucky not to be sent off.
