Kluivert emerging from dad's shadow as Bournemouth 'dream' of Europe

Justin Kluivert has scored 11 goals in 23 appearances for Bournemouth this season

When the 1,700 Bournemouth fans with a ticket for Saturday's match at Newcastle left their homes in the early hours of the morning – some just after midnight – they may have been questioning their own judgement.

The high-flying Magpies had won nine in a row in all competitions, had triumphed in each of their previous five home matches, and had one of Europe's most in-form strikers at their disposal in Alexander Isak.

Andoni Iraola's team had not lost in the Premier League since November, but were without a host of first-team players through injury, including Marcos Senesi, Marcus Tavernier, Luis Sinisterra, Evanilson and Enes Unal.

As it turned out, Cherries supporters needn't have worried.

Dutchman Justin Kluivert was the hero in the magnificent 4-1 victory, scoring a hat-trick against the club for whom his Champions League-winning father, Patrick, netted 13 goals in 37 appearances during the 2004-05 campaign, but only one at St James' Park.

"I heard I had more goals than him here already, so that is one win over him," the 25-year-old told BBC Match of the Day. "I followed Newcastle when I was younger - unfortunately for them, Kluivert now plays for another team."

The win not only extended Bournemouth's club-record unbeaten top-flight run into double figures, it also lifted them up to sixth place – just a point behind the fourth-placed Magpies.

"We can dream big," added Kluivert, who netted a landmark hat-trick of penalties against Wolves back in November. "We can go very far.

"A result like this just feels amazing. It's the best feeling in the world. We trust in each other and believe in each other. I think that's the spirit in our team."

Former Liverpool and Tottenham midfielder Danny Murphy told BBC Match of the Day: "Bournemouth were wonderful, incredible. That was as good an away performance as I have seen.

"They had nine first-team players injured, played against a team who had won nine in a row and played a brave tactical press against the quickest front three in the league. This isn't a one off either."

"Bournemouth are right up there now," former West Ham, Chelsea and Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole told TNT Sports. "I think they'll be challenging for Europe.

"Their front four tore Newcastle apart."

How good have Bournemouth been?

Despite their injury troubles, Bournemouth's tally of 37 points from 22 matches is comfortably their best return at this stage of a Premier League campaign.

The Cherries have been particularly impressive away from the Vitality Stadium. They have…

• …won four of their last six Premier League away games, taking more points on their travels (14) than any other team since 30 November.

• …scored two or more goals in seven consecutive away league games in a single season for the first time in their history.

• …beaten Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford for the second year in succession.

• …become the first team since Manchester City in December 2021 to beat Newcastle by three or more goals at St James' Park in the Premier League.

• …the league's second-best goalscorer away from home in Kluivert, whose tally of eight is bettered only by Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (11).

Newcastle are by no means the only supposed bigger team to struggle against Bournemouth this season. The Cherries picked up only two points against the teams that finished in the top six last season, but have already beaten the Magpies, Arsenal and Manchester City this term.

They also held high-flying Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, drew with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, and got the better of both Tottenham and Manchester United.

Whether Bournemouth can maintain their challenge for Europe remains to be seen, but Tyler Adams says the Cherries have the belief to push on from their current lofty position.

"We're showing real confidence against them [the big teams]," said the American midfielder. "I've heard the Champions League music before [at RB Leipzig] – I would love to hear it again.

"We have to be realistic but don't want to [limit] expectations."

'Controlled chaos' – Iraola's impact at Bournemouth

Only six clubs have picked up more Premier League points than Bournemouth since Andoni Iraola's first victory in October 2023

The early days of Iraola's reign, which yielded only three points from his first nine league matches, now seem like a lifetime ago.

Reports that followed a 2-1 home defeat to Wolves in October 2023 suggested Iraola's job may be on the line just five months after his arrival, but the turnaround has been spectacular.

Since the Spaniard's first win in charge – against Burnley a week later – Bournemouth have won 82 points from 51 games, the seventh-best record of all Premier League clubs, 11 more than Manchester United and 17 more than Tottenham.

One of Bournemouth's hallmarks under Iraola is their aggressive high press, with Newcastle defender Dan Burn admitting after Saturday's game that the Magpies had fallen into Bournemouth's "traps".

Iraola's team have won possession in the opponents' third on 141 occasions, more by far than any other side in the division.

Their tally of 193 high turnovers is the third-best in the league – behind only Tottenham and Arsenal – while they have had more high turnovers ending in a shot (44) than any other side.

Before Saturday's Premier League fixtures, the Cherries also ranked first for distance covered, second for number of sprints, second for direct speed - the speed of their attacks - and third for number of attempts.

"It's controlled chaos," Adams said of the approach under Iraola. "We want to make the game as chaotic as possible, but controlled for us.

"We're running all over the place, but you have to trust and be smart because we know we can leave ourselves vulnerable."

Opta's expected points model, which simulates the number of goals scored by each side based on the xG value of all shots attempted, lists Bournemouth's expected total as 37.8 – lower only than Arsenal (40.16) and Liverpool (44.75).

Those figures should be taken with a pinch of salt, of course, but they underline how well Bournemouth have performed since the start of this season in particular.

Kluivert 'just warming up'

Kluivert, who returned to the side on Saturday after an injury to defender James Hill, will dominate the headlines after his treble at St James' Park.

Like his manager, the Dutchman took some time to find his feet at the Vitality Stadium, scoring his first Premier League goal for the club five months after joining from Roma.

He ended last season with nine goals in 36 appearances but has already bettered that tally this term, after his treble against Newcastle lifted him on to 11 in 23 outings across all competitions.

Curiously, he has now scored two more Premier League goals at St James' Park than his dad managed during his only season in England.

"I didn't know the stat," Iraola said. "I played against his father - he scored against me [for Barcelona]. He was a hell of a player.

"Patrick has been his coach, so [Justin] has this advantage. For sure, [Patrick] gives very good advice."

In November, Kluivert junior made Premier League history by becoming the first player to score a hat-trick of penalties in the same match – a 4-2 win over Wolves at Molineux.

On Saturday, however, all three of his goals came from open play – including a rasping long-range drive in the second half to complete his hat-trick.

"He's unbelievable," said Adams, who played with Kluivert while at Leipzig. "He's found a very good home here. I know what he can do in attack, but he has done an unbelievable job defensively.

"He's such a creative player and dictates the play for us. He's just warming up."