FT: Bournemouth 4-1 Leicester ; Fascinating comeback from the Cherries to take home all three points
Bournemouth clutched victory from the jaws of defeat to reignite their flickering hopes of Premier League survival with a dramatic win over Leicester.
An extraordinary few minutes in the second half saw a total reversal of fortune when all had seemed lost for Eddie Howe’s side, with the Foxes in control to that point.
Dominic Solanke’s first goal since joining the club in January 2019 put Bournemouth ahead after Junior Stanislas had equalised from the penalty spot with Leicester defender Caglar Soyuncu sent off for violent conduct.
Stanislas and Solanke both added second goals to put a gloss on the result that didn’t reflect the play but that could be hugely significant for Bournemouth’s confidence ahead of a trip to Manchester City with the Cherries now three points from safety.
There were no strands of hope for Bournemouth supporters to cling on to as the weekend’s results rolled in. Victories for Watford, West Ham and Aston Villa compounded the already dire situation for the Dorset club and Leicester, themselves desperate for points at the other end of the table, were hardly the ideal opponents.
A first Premier League clean sheet since December earned the Cherries their first point since the restart but only victory would do now for Eddie Howe’s side.
They survived an early scare when Aaron Ramsdale raced from his line to collect Marc Albrighton’s pass but Kelechi Iheanacho snuck in to nick the ball past him before Nathan Ake headed to safety.
Howe could be heard urging his defenders to ‘get it wide’ in the opening exchanges of this frenetic game but they were soon undone by their own frailties and Vardy took full advantage to score his 23rd league goal.
Dan Gosling hesitated in midfield and was robbed by Ayoze Perez. The Spaniard played in Iheanacho and he lifted it over Ramsdale before Lloyd Kelly cleared it off the line and Vardy tenaciously bundled in the rebound.
The problems continue to worsen for Bournemouth 😳
Only a brilliant block from Ake prevented them going further behind. This time Arnaut Danjuma was the guilty party, carelessly gifting possession to Vardy on the edge of the area whose shot Ake did superbly to divert over.
Ake, comfortably the club’s best defender and most prized asset, injured himself in the process and could play no further part.
As the half drew to a close, Bournemouth finally showed signs of life at the other end. David Brooks drifted in off the right and struck a left footed shot which Kasper Schmeichel did well to claw past the post.
Bournemouth’s two most egregious parties, Gosling and Danjuma, were withdrawn by Howe at half time with Philip Billing and Junior Stanislas replacing them.
With no alternative but to attack, The Bournemouth manager also shifted formation to play with three defenders and bolster his midfield.
They looked a little more threatening and Callum Wilson was only inches away from connecting with Steve Cook’s low pass at the far post.
With Bournemouth drifting out of the Premier League their fortunes were reversed in an incredible few minutes.
Schmeichel’s low goal kick hit Wilfred Ndidi on the back and ran straight into the path of Wilson.
Ndidi then brought him down to concede a penalty and was perhaps fortunate to escape with only a booking.
Stanislas converted the spot kick and a minute later, Bournemouth led. It has taken Dominic Solanke 39 Premier League games to score for the club since moving from Liverpool but he could have hardly picked a better time.
Wilson’s flick found him to the left of the area and, though Schmeichel touched it, the ball squirmed under him and into the net.
As Wilson grabbed hold of the ball in the net, Caglar Soyuncu kicked out at him and was shown a red card by Stuart Atwell. VAR Craig Pawson too little time to confirm the decision.
Dominic Solanke scores his first Premier League goal for Bournemouth! ⚽
But straight afterwards Caglar Soyuncu is shown a straight red for his reaction 🤷
With Leicester having lost all composure, Bournemouth added two late goals which could prove crucial if goal difference is to be a deciding factor in the fight for survival.
The first came as Stanislas’ low shot took a big deflection off Jonny Evans before Solanke doubled his tally by beating Schmeichel from close range after an awful pass from Christian Fuchs.
This could prove a hugely damaging defeat for Brendan Rodgers and his aim of Champions League football next season, pending the outcome of Manchester City’s appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport later today and the result of Manchester United’ match with Southampton this evening
An extraordinary few minutes in the second half saw a total reversal of fortune when all had seemed lost for Eddie Howe’s side, with the Foxes in control to that point.
Dominic Solanke’s first goal since joining the club in January 2019 put Bournemouth ahead after Junior Stanislas had equalised from the penalty spot with Leicester defender Caglar Soyuncu sent off for violent conduct.
Stanislas and Solanke both added second goals to put a gloss on the result that didn’t reflect the play but that could be hugely significant for Bournemouth’s confidence ahead of a trip to Manchester City with the Cherries now three points from safety.
There were no strands of hope for Bournemouth supporters to cling on to as the weekend’s results rolled in. Victories for Watford, West Ham and Aston Villa compounded the already dire situation for the Dorset club and Leicester, themselves desperate for points at the other end of the table, were hardly the ideal opponents.
A first Premier League clean sheet since December earned the Cherries their first point since the restart but only victory would do now for Eddie Howe’s side.
They survived an early scare when Aaron Ramsdale raced from his line to collect Marc Albrighton’s pass but Kelechi Iheanacho snuck in to nick the ball past him before Nathan Ake headed to safety.
Howe could be heard urging his defenders to ‘get it wide’ in the opening exchanges of this frenetic game but they were soon undone by their own frailties and Vardy took full advantage to score his 23rd league goal.
Dan Gosling hesitated in midfield and was robbed by Ayoze Perez. The Spaniard played in Iheanacho and he lifted it over Ramsdale before Lloyd Kelly cleared it off the line and Vardy tenaciously bundled in the rebound.
The problems continue to worsen for Bournemouth 😳
Only a brilliant block from Ake prevented them going further behind. This time Arnaut Danjuma was the guilty party, carelessly gifting possession to Vardy on the edge of the area whose shot Ake did superbly to divert over.
Ake, comfortably the club’s best defender and most prized asset, injured himself in the process and could play no further part.
As the half drew to a close, Bournemouth finally showed signs of life at the other end. David Brooks drifted in off the right and struck a left footed shot which Kasper Schmeichel did well to claw past the post.
Bournemouth’s two most egregious parties, Gosling and Danjuma, were withdrawn by Howe at half time with Philip Billing and Junior Stanislas replacing them.
With no alternative but to attack, The Bournemouth manager also shifted formation to play with three defenders and bolster his midfield.
They looked a little more threatening and Callum Wilson was only inches away from connecting with Steve Cook’s low pass at the far post.
With Bournemouth drifting out of the Premier League their fortunes were reversed in an incredible few minutes.
Schmeichel’s low goal kick hit Wilfred Ndidi on the back and ran straight into the path of Wilson.
Ndidi then brought him down to concede a penalty and was perhaps fortunate to escape with only a booking.
Stanislas converted the spot kick and a minute later, Bournemouth led. It has taken Dominic Solanke 39 Premier League games to score for the club since moving from Liverpool but he could have hardly picked a better time.
Wilson’s flick found him to the left of the area and, though Schmeichel touched it, the ball squirmed under him and into the net.
As Wilson grabbed hold of the ball in the net, Caglar Soyuncu kicked out at him and was shown a red card by Stuart Atwell. VAR Craig Pawson too little time to confirm the decision.
Dominic Solanke scores his first Premier League goal for Bournemouth! ⚽
But straight afterwards Caglar Soyuncu is shown a straight red for his reaction 🤷
With Leicester having lost all composure, Bournemouth added two late goals which could prove crucial if goal difference is to be a deciding factor in the fight for survival.
The first came as Stanislas’ low shot took a big deflection off Jonny Evans before Solanke doubled his tally by beating Schmeichel from close range after an awful pass from Christian Fuchs.
This could prove a hugely damaging defeat for Brendan Rodgers and his aim of Champions League football next season, pending the outcome of Manchester City’s appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport later today and the result of Manchester United’ match with Southampton this evening
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