Bournemouth 2-1 Everton

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe said his team showed "true character" to move out of the Premier League's bottom three and end Sam Allardyce's unbeaten start at Everton.

Scotland winger Ryan Fraser completed a slick counter-attack to put the hosts ahead in the first half and then struck the winner with a deflected effort in the last minute.

Idrissa Gueye's second-half equaliser, assisted by Oumar Niasse just three minutes after he came on, gave Allardyce hope of becoming the only Everton manager to go unbeaten in his first seven Premier League games.

But even Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who denied Callum Wilson and Jordon Ibe in each half, could not stop Fraser's effort as it flew in off defender Michael Keane's outstretched leg.

The win moves Howe's men into 14th place and means they avoid going nine league games without a win, although they lost striker Joshua King to a hamstring injury in the first half.

Ryan Fraser scores his third goal of the season to give Bournemouth the lead at the Vitality Stadium

"More drama - the last two games have had incredible twists and turns, but underneath that we've had two very good performances," said Howe. "The players kept going and showed they can dig deep when they need to.

"We make it difficult for ourselves sometimes and that's where true character comes through.

"It could easily have changed the momentum of the match when we gave them a goal, but we kept going, looked strong towards end and deserved to win."

Everton stay ninth, level on 27 points with Leicester, but conceded more than one goal in a game for the first time since their 4-1 defeat at Southampton on 26 November.

Big Sam undone by Wee Ryan

Fraser strikes to complete his first Premier League brace, off Michael Keane's leg

Allardyce's unbeaten run was ended at the Premier League's smallest stadium by the top flight's smallest player.

Fraser stands just 5ft 4in but the 23-year-old epitomised the positivity of Howe's side, who defied the key absences of striker Jermain Defoe and midfielder Harry Arter to dominate a first half in which they peppered Pickford's goal with seven shots.

Their pressure told when a slack pass from James McCarthy, making his first league appearance of the season, was seized upon by Wilson, who released King down the right and his cross was perfect for Fraser to convert.

Bournemouth looked comfortable after going ahead but their desire to play out from the the back comes with inherent risks and it proved their undoing shortly before the hour mark.

Steve Cook's misplaced ball fell kindly for Gylfi Sigurdsson, who teed up substitute Niasse to lay the ball off for Gueye to fire in the equaliser.

But the hosts' attacking principles remained undiminished despite Everton sitting back and trying to pick them off on the counter attack, and in the 89th minute they got a slice of luck when Fraser's purposeful run and shot deflected in.

"I'm pleased for Ryan Fraser, such a great lad and he's beginning to to show what a great player he is," said Howe.

"It's been a long journey for him from Aberdeen - I don't mean in terms of miles! - but the level of his game technically was very high, the finish for the first goal was very good."

Bournemouth's final shot tally was 19, compared to Everton's six. This was a day when fortune indeed favoured the brave.

Defensive strength not always enough

Rediscovered defensive stability, two goals conceded in seven games, and relegation fears convincingly banished - Allardyce has certainly made an impact since he took over from caretaker manager David Unsworth at the end of November.

But even as Everton have climbed the table on a bedrock of strong defending, they have scored just seven times in six games, with four of those contests against sides below them in the table.

They arrived at the Vitality Stadium having been unable to breach the defence of struggling West Brom on Boxing Day, and continued that uninspired attacking play on the south coast.

Allardyce started with three defensive midfielders in Morgan Schneiderlin, Gueye and McCarthy, and although Gueye took his goal well, it took the introduction of an attack-minded player in Niasse to unpick the home defence.

Allardyce also left lively wingers Ademola Lookman and Nikola Vlasic out of his matchday squad in favour of Yannick Bolasie, still returning to fitness after a year out, and another long-term absentee in McCarthy, who lasted just 45 minutes before he was replaced by Wayne Rooney.

The introductions of Rooney and Niasse ultimately proved to be in vain, as the visitors mustered just one shot on target in the whole match, despite facing a team that has now conceded 32 goals in 21 games this term.

"Our goalscoring abilities are limited, you don't need to be a manager to look at what the squad has got," said Allardyce, who is trying to sign Besiktas forward Cenk Tosun.

"It's got players who can play well and create but not many out-and-out goalscorers. That's why I work so hard on defence as we're not going to be a free-scoring team."

Man of the match - Ryan Fraser (Bournemouth)

Two goals, three shots and three keys passes for Bournemouth's Scotland winger.

Cherries will miss King - the stats

• Joshua King has had a hand in 31 Premier League goals for Bournemouth (24 goals, 7 assists), 12 more than any other player.

• King has scored three and assisted three against the Toffees in the Premier League, more goal involvements (6) than he has managed against any other side in the competition.

• Bournemouth's victory ended a club-record-equalling run of eight Premier League games without a win (D4 L4).

• Everton conceded two goals against Bournemouth, as many as they had shipped in their previous six Premier League games under Sam Allardyce.

• The Toffees suffered their first league defeat under Allardyce, after winning three and drawing three of their first six under their new boss.

• Idrissa Gueye scored his first goal in his last 32 Premier League appearances, since netting against Sunderland in February.

• Oumar Niasse has scored three and assisted one in his last six Premier League sub appearances.

What's next?

Bournemouth travel to Brighton on New Year's Day (12:30 GMT) while Everton host Manchester United at Goodison Park on the same day (17:30 GMT).