Bournemouth

Tom Jordan
Fan writer

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It is a wonderful time to be a Cherries fan - and 2024 has been a year with many moments to cherish.

In particular, Bournemouth's first top-flight win over the current Premier League champions was a special one - not least given it was our first point against them.

While we are fortunate enough to have witnessed some big scalps over our relatively short Premier League stint, Manchester City was one team that had always eluded us. The fixture was actually the most one-sided in the top flight, but 2024 was the year which changed all that.

The victory, courtesy of Antoine Semenyo and Evanilson, was not only impressive because of the result but also because of the manner of it.

Bournemouth thoroughly deserved it. They outclassed a City side full of world-class players, and Andoni Iraola won the battle of minds with one of the best in Pep Guardiola.

But I know what you are thinking: Manchester City are in a mini crisis and have only won one game in their past 12. And you would be correct.

But which side started their Premier League downfall? It was Bournemouth.

It was a statement to the rest of the league that simply 'surviving' was not the Cherries' only aim in 2024, instead we wanted to continue to flourish and progress in the top flight.

Having taken a big scalp in Arsenal a few games earlier, it was also a sign that the win was not just a 'flash in the pan'. Iraola's men mean business this season, regardless of the opposition.

Are Bournemouth one of the main reasons for City's drop-off? Maybe. But is this a reason why Cherries fans will be ending 2024 with big smiles on our faces? Definitely!

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Jeff Hayward from the Back of the Net podcast this "more notice" should be taken of Bournemouth.

He joined the team on The Monday Night Club to discuss the Cherries' recent fine form and the "incredibly" brave style of play on show under Andoni Iraola.

Take a look at both clips, watch the show on iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds.

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking to the media before Boxing Day's Premier League game at home against Crystal Palace (15:00).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Iraola expects to have the same squad available as he did for the win over Manchester United on Sunday despite picking up some "niggles" at Old Trafford: "I don't expect anyone new - I also hope that we don't lose anyone."

• Adam Smith will be evaluated following his withdrawal at half-time while Luis Sinisterra, Alex Scott, Julian Araujo, Marcos Senesi and Marcus Tavernier were all absent from the 3-0 win.

• He was not drawn into commenting on a potential European push: "I want to repeat what I tell you every day - I don't believe in the long term goals when we are not half way through the season. Because we are higher [in the league table], it is not a big change."

• He says his comments on getting too excited is "not a message, it is what I believe".

• On the challenge posed by Palace: "They are getting better results and performing better. You can see the level of the players they have, a load of players in the England squad, it's going to be difficult."

• Asked what the next step is for the Cherries, Iraola said: "I want us to be as more efficient as we can, as long as we continue creating chances and having the performances we're having, we'll be fine."

Follow all of Monday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Manchester United and Bournemouth.

Here are some of your comments:

United fans

Jessica: Manchester United didn't play well as a whole. The player who stood out for me was definitely Bruno Fernandes. I think United are going through one of those fazes where they aren't winning games at the minute, but I still value them and think they can do good things in the future.

Wilbert: I feel sorry for Amorin. He has inherited an average squad unfortunately. They can't string three passes together without giving it away, defending crosses is a nightmare, and they can't even hit the target when they get a chance. Good luck to him, he is going to need it!

Peter: Amorim is lost trying to put a team together for the Premier League. He keeps playing players who cannot compete for 90 minutes and he has no striker that can hold on to a ball in the team. Amad Diallo has been lucky to score, but his defending is poor. Malacia is not Premier League quality. Hojlund can't win a tackle.

John: I have said to others that we as Manchester United supporters don't deserve these performances. We need to steady the ship and play a formation that the players understand. This is possibly going against the manager's style at moment, but we get caught too easily and we need to play to our strength, which is long ball and pace with the midfield supporting.

Bournemouth fans

Charl: Excellent from the start to the finish. Kepa was outstanding. Zabarnyi was everywhere - he marshalled the defence along with Huijsen and broke up the Manchester United attack with confidence. Ouattara is not good enough at this level, and why is Brooks not starting?

Jackie: A well deserved win. Bournemouth have had their ups and downs, but now they are the best they have ever been. Amazing manager.

Ian: Excellent performance from all the Bournemouth team. They all gave 110%. Please stop piling all the blame on the Manchester United team and instead praise the Bournemouth team for a brilliant show. Thanks to all the wonderful supporters who always make up the 12th man!

Mark: Passports for Europe? More like for Champions League at this rate! Wow! Having supported Bournemouth for nearly 40 years, I still pinch myself. Soon I should start realising that, with Andoni in charge and the players we have, anything is possible. We must be strong when someone soon comes after Iraola! We love him, the players love him, and let's honest most clubs in Europe do now too.

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Are Bournemouth and Andoni Iraola getting enough credit for what they are achieving this season?

The Cherries are fifth in the Premier League on 28 points, having only lost five of their 17 games, and are three points off Nottingham Forest in third.

Discussing their form on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast, pundit Nigel Reo-Coker said "they are not getting enough credit and Iraola deserves more recognition for what he is doing."

"The recruitment they have done has been brilliant and they are such a well-organised team," Reo-Coker added. "Everyone knows their job and what is expected of them.

"They are playing with freedom and are really expressing themselves. The players have bought into Iraola and what they are doing is sensational.

"It is also brilliant for the Premier League to see someone different flying."

Listen to the Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds

Highlights and analysis from Sunday's five Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from the rest of the weekend.

If you missed Match of the Day 2, catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

And you can watch Saturday's Match of the Day here.

Listen back to Sunday's full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Everton 0-0 Chelsea

• Man Utd 0-3 Bournemouth

• Tottenham 3-6 Liverpool

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At 19 years 252 days, Dean Huijsen became the youngest Bournemouth player to score an away goal in the Premier League. He is also the youngest player to score an away goal at Old Trafford in the competition since Lewis Hall for Newcastle United in May (19 years 250 days).

Justin Kluivert has scored five penalties for Bournemouth in the Premier League this season - the joint-most of any player across Europe's big five leagues, alongside Lille's Jonathan David and Bayern Munich's Harry Kane.

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Bournemouth goalscorer Justin Kluivert has been speaking about the win: "It is a massive win - back-to-back wins here at this beautiful stadium is amazing. It is unreal.

"We have been working hard and we were building last year. It is amazing with this coach."

On the Cherries' scoring in each of their last 10 games: "It is our philosophy. It is what the manager wants from us and that is why we score every game. We need to keep cruising like this.

"There is always something after a goal, so you have to be sharp, and we scored the second goal.

"Up the Cherries, happy Christmas!"

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Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking about the win away at Old Trafford: "It is an important win for us. We won 3-0, but it was more difficult than it looks when you see 3-0. I think we have been quite solid. It was a mature performance.

"Kepa's performances have helped us this year. Kepa has been very good in possession and with [the different] positions. I think he is confident and, in a very young defensive line, we need players with experience.

"I am happy that we were more clinical today, we scored from a set play. I think it was a solid performance, not amazing but it was solid. We kept playing the same way and pushing until the end.

"After half-time, we regrouped and we were better in the second-half.

"I value the 28 points. I think the amount of points we have is good. At Christmas, it is a good amount."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Manchester United's performance

What did you make of Bournemouth's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

There are five matches in the Premier League on Sunday.

• Everton v Chelsea - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Fulham v Southampton

• Leicester v Wolves

• Man Utd v Bournemouth - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Tottenham v Liverpool (16:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

All kick-off times 14:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all the action and reaction here

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against a variety of guests.

For week 17, he takes on Reverend & the Makers singer Jon McClure.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

While every Manchester United fan was smiling after last weekend's derby, they are still 13th, seven places below Bournemouth in the table.

There is an awful lot of work to be done at Old Trafford and it does not sound like Marcus Rashford has the stomach for the fight.

From what he has said this week, it seems like he wants out and it feels like many United fans would say "good riddance".

The new United manager, Ruben Amorim, does not have an agenda against Rashford, but he is trying to set some standards in his first few weeks at the club.

He has made a big call, saying what he did about Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho after leaving them out of the Manchester City game, but he is entitled to do that. He has got a short-term issue of trying to win some games but also the long-term aim of setting the standards he wants from his squad.

Amorim left the carrot dangling there for both players saying that, if they apply themselves properly, they can come back into the fold - and there is nothing wrong with that, either.

That was how it worked at most clubs I played for, but Rashford has responded with this talk of needing "a new challenge". It is going to be interesting to see what happens next, and which clubs come in for him now.

Back to the game, and I was at Old Trafford in December last year when the Cherries won 3-0. I love what Andoni Iraola has done at Bournemouth and they have been great to watch this season too - they always create loads of opportunities.

While Amad Diallo has been exceptional since Amorim arrived, United remain a very average team, and I fancy Bournemouth to repeat their result from 12 months ago.

United fans get very angry whenever I predict they will lose, and can be quite bullish about it on social media - although they are usually wise after the event rather than making a call before the game like me. I wonder how confident they are feeling at the moment?

McClure's prediction: 2-0

I think United might keep it going after wining the derby.

Bournemouth are a good side, of course, but I think Amad Diallo is a real talent and United boss Ruben Amorim seems to have already worked out who the problems are in his squad.

Read the full predictions and have your say

Josh Lobley
BBC Sport journalist

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Manchester United (kick-off 14:00 GMT.)

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Iraola offered a squad update: "If not the same, it's going to be a very, very similar squad [to West Ham]. No changes."

• He was asked if Enes Unal should be in the first XI given his recent performances: "He's not starting a lot of games but he is playing in almost every game. I'm very happy for him and I'm also very happy for Evanilson. It's a difficult decision and I hope I make the right decision."

• He explained why his side are not as clinical in front of goal as they could be: "The way we play, it makes our forwards arrive more tired to finish our chances - it is not the same chance you have as if you just waiting for a chance as a nine. You have to do all of the work and maybe you don't arrive with your mind as clear to finish in same way."

• Iraola spoke on how Antoine Semenyo can improve his attacking threat: "When you are a full-back, you try to guess what the opposition is going to do and cover his strong foot. I think he has to mix everything a bit. I try to encourage him to change during the game so they can cover him."

• On Manchester United under Ruben Amorim: "I think they play in a different way [to under previous manager Erik ten Hag]. They keep the games more under control and have really good patterns. They concede very few chances and are continuing [to improve]."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to full commentary of Manchester United v Bournemouth on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra from 14:00

Mark Mitchener
BBC Sport senior journalist

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The Christmas repeat season is in full swing as the holidays approach – check your local listings for when you can catch The Great Escape or Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for the umpteenth time – and there was an air of cosy familiarity at Vitality Stadium on Monday as, once again, Bournemouth left it late to earn a share of the points against West Ham.

It would be tempting to copy and paste what I wrote on this page last week about the Cherries' tendency to score late goals (with nine of their 24 Premier League strikes now coming after the 86th minute), and highlight Andoni Iraola's use of substitutes again after replacement Enes Unal's free-kick equaliser.

That took the Dorset club to the heady heights of sixth in the table – and made sure that by any metric, this has been their best start to a top-flight season.

Bournemouth's previous best record after 16 Premier League games came in 2018-19 when they were eighth, with 23 points. They are now sixth, with 25. Indeed, the Cherries have never made it this far into a season in the top division while still maintaining a positive goal difference.

But whether fans' jokes about checking their passports for Europe next season become a reality, will likely depend on becoming more clinical in front of goal.

That they are creating enough chances is beyond dispute. In the past three games, Iraola's side recorded 29 shots against West Ham, 22 at Ipswich and 21 against Tottenham – but those 72 shots (of which 23 were on target) have only produced four goals.

Manchester United are the next opposition in the Cherries' crosshairs on Sunday, but not before the Red Devils will have endured a potentially gruelling Carabao Cup quarter-final at Tottenham on Thursday, as well as several days of media scrutiny over Marcus Rashford's future.

Despite the supposed near-random nature of the fixture computer, this will be the fifth time in six visits that Bournemouth have been sent to Old Trafford either in December or early January. Anything approaching last season's festive cracker, when Iraola's side were 3-0 winners after a dominant display, would be a perfect Christmas present for a side on the crest of a wave.

Sam Davis
Fan writer

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Bournemouth now occupy a European place following their home draw with West Ham on Monday - and another late goal.

This time it was courtesy of a screamer from substitute Enes Unal, who has now scored back-to-back goals from the bench. It feels like it is time to discuss the Cherries' Turkish frontman and whether he can be more than just an impact sub.

Signed from Getafe with a decent goals record, the expectations were high, but he has had to settle for a constant seat on Bournemouth's bench.

An injury in the summer cost Unal his place in the Turkey squad for the Euros and this in turn meant he was not available for any of pre-season, so he is understandably behind in terms of match sharpness and general fitness levels.

Bournemouth also decided they had to invest big in a striker following Dom Solanke's departure, opting for Porto's frontman Evanilson. The Brazilian has been a bright spark and it feels as if he has the spot nailed over Unal, but with the latter starting to impact games more regularly of late, maybe he can start to push for that striker spot.

The Cherries are in fine form and are in the top five for xG in the Premier League. Glaringly, though, they are in the bottom five for shot conversion, so maybe Unal is providing some evidence that he can help address the issue of hitting the back of the net.

It remains to be seen if Unal has enough to push Evanilson and could find his way to be a regular starter for the club. But one thing is for sure: he is most certainly on free-kicks for the foreseeable!

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We asked for your thoughts after Monday's Premier League game between Bournemouth and West Ham.

Here are some of your comments:

Bournemouth fans:

Sam: So frustrating when you see the amount of chances we create. We should be putting West Ham to the sword. I get the feeling if it was the other way round West Ham would win 4-0 against us, but we have to settle for a point. So irritating. Ah well - at least we didn't lose, which we didn't deserve to.

Jonathan: It's a point, at least we pulled it back. But... we need to be more clinical. Was it 29 shots? If we were more clinical we could have been out of sight long before West Ham took the lead. Penalty? Not sure. You can't sprint with your hands by your side. A lot of positives - we're playing some of the best football of any team in the league. Let's just score some more goals. In Andoni we trust!

Paul: Sub-par performance in the first half; much more like our usual selves in the second. Harsh penalty but Adams knows he has to keep his hands down in that situation. Sublime free-kick by Unal. Deserves to get a start at Old Trafford.

Mark: We played well but 29 shots, nine on target. We must convert more. We were lucky to come away with a point. Other teams will punish us for not taking our chances.

West Ham fans:

Mike: Lopetegui is doing a decent job - organised and tries to play on the front foot. Needs to be given more time. Changing a style of play is worth it. In the thick of it and makes positive changes. Good result.

Charley: The line-up was very questionable, especially with the exclusion of Crysencio Summerville. Despite that, the team defended brilliantly. Fabianski put in his best performance of the season. I did notice there was very little communication between the players, which needs to improve. Overall it was a very tight game and I'm happy to come away with a point against such an in-form side.

Pete: Great free-kick and fair result. I wouldn't have wanted to win by that ridiculous penalty but, after a decent performance with plenty of shots, I would have been disappointed to lose. The substitutions and the change to a back three seemed to hinder but promising and good to see some young academy players introduced.

Paul: When you are winning with just minutes left in the game, the gameplan is simple - don't do anything stupid. Then up steps Mavropanos. He has had a decent game up until then, but makes an unnecessary challenge, gives away a free-kick and chucks away two points. The story of this team.

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

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Bournemouth are an excellent team but struggle to turn their superiority into goals.

Even in victory over Tottenham in their previous home game, the feeling was the margin of the win should have been greater than a single goal.

On this occasion, 29 shots still were not enough for all three points.

Although they hit the post early through Antoine Semenyo, it was the end of the opening period when Bournemouth should have capitalised, only for Lukasz Fabianski to deny Dango Ouattara at the far post.

Fabianski getting in the way became a recurring theme for Bournemouth in the second half.

Justin Kluivert, Semenyo, Ryan Christie and Evanilson were all denied by the veteran former Poland international.

Arguably, his best effort was his last as Philip Billing, then Christie, forced him into excellent reaction saves.

Image source, Getty Images

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, speaking to BBC Sport: "We have to take the point. In the second half we were closer to winning than them but we couldn't do it in the end."

On the penalty decision: "We spoke with the referees before the start of the season. They gave an instruction for us not to tell players to defend with arms behind their back because it is not natural.

"I said: 'Are you sure, because I don't want it to cost us?' They told us it wouldn't. First one, penalty. It was natural. Anyone who has played football knows when you run to block [the ball], you finish with one hand up and one hand down.

"Sometimes referees make mistakes and it goes against you. You have to deal with that. This one, they explained and spent five minutes discussing it. The first time it happens, it is a penalty. Now I don't know what they will tell us next summer."

On Enes Unal's free-kick: "He is a specialist. He trains a lot and his consistency is very good. I knew it was a big chance for us."

On if being in the European places affects his aims for the season: "No. Right now, the position doesn't matter. Right now, it is a good amount of points for the games we played. We go to Old Trafford [next] and know it is going to be very difficult."

Did you know?

• Bournemouth's 29 shots against West Ham is their second-most in a Premier League game, only registering more against Sheffield United in March last season (32).