Not too much to get angry about, though, for Bournemouth: they’ll be OK, I’m sure. Surman and Ritchie played nicely, and Gradel did OK when he came on. Villa were a bit stodgy, and didn’t create much, but Amavi was good, and Gana, and Gestede looks such a threat in the air.
My hot prediction: someone in the tabloids tomorrow will describe Villa’s win as a “smash-and-grab raid”. I’ll bet thousands on it. Thanks for reading – goodbye.
Well, Bournemouth are little unlucky there: they didn’t play that badly, and probably, on balance, deserved a point. Villa hardly looked like world-beaters, and they were pretty inept in the first 45 minutes, but they scored a simple but effective goal from a corner, and then closed the blinds, so to speak.
Bournemouth created two good chances in the first half, when they played well, but they didn’t really get going in the second 45, and didn’t test Guzan enough. Liverpool away next!
Full-time: Bournemouth 0-1 Aston Villa
That’s it!
Updated
90 min + 5: It’s a goal kick, after Richards, and then Guzan – unconvincingly – cleared. This game is over.
90 min + 5: Excellent play from Bournemouth down the right, and Clark intercepts. Corner!
90 min+ 4: It feels like ages since Guzan has had to make a save. Put us out of our misery, ref!
90 min + 3: Wilson tries to go down the left, but Richards outmuscles him and Villa clear. He made one mistake that nearly led to a Gosling goal, but otherwise Richards has been tops.
90 min + 2: On the touchline, Tim Sherwood is geeing his team up. They haven’t played great, Villa, but since going ahead, they haven’t look like conceding. Bournemouth can’t get the ball.
90 min + 1: We’re into stoppage time. Five minutes! That’s ludicrous. There haven’t been any stoppages!
90 min: Villa are going to win this. Bournemouth look flat.
89 min: Gestede runs it into the corner, and he wanted a foul: I think Cook trod on him. But no call, and Bournemouth can bring it clear. They need to be down the other end! It’s not happening for them, to be honest.
88 min: Richards comes across to deny Gradel. He’s an excellent one-on-one defender, isn’t he? Bournemouth are running out of steam. They’ve got about three minutes left.
87 min: Villa in a frenzy in defence for a moment, but they clear, and Elphick is late on Gestede, and Villa can run down the clock.
85 min: Bournemouth can’t get the ball off Villa. But that’s a foul by Sanchez on Kermorgant, and Bournemouth can get it in the box.
84 min: Final change for Bournemouth: O’Kane for Gosling. One last effort from the hosts? They don’t really deserve to be behind.
83 min: Surman finds Ritchie with a fabulous crossfield ball, and Ritchie can attack the full-back … but it’s a waste. He shot hurriedly, which was the wrong decision. Shame: Surman and Ritchie have been Bournemouth’s best players today.
81 min: Ooh, I think Clark was lucky there. Kermorgant’s clever flick found Wilson, and he looked to go past the Villa defender. There was a tangle of bodies, and both players went to ground, right on the edge of the box. Wilson wanted a whistle, but Clattenburg put both hands behind his back. Let’s see that again!
Updated
80 min: I apologise: Richardson is in for Sinclair. Now a yellow card for Gosling, who is blowing hard.
79 min: An email from Fiona Smith! “Bournemouth don’t play at the Goldsands Stadium anymore!”
Lol. Yeah, it says it at the top of the page, but we don’t provide the info for that: itcomes from some other company. Anyway, I think we should just tell the sponsors to get bent, and use the old name. Dean Court is better all round.
Change for Villa: Kieran Richardson is on. For Amavi, I think.
75 min: Aw, shame: that was almost excellent. Gosling surprised Villa by feeding Kermogant, who had run over it, down the right, but Kermogant’s cross was just too high, and Villa clear. That showed imagination, though, and the crowd appreciated it. A bit like Steve McMahon’s goal for Liverpool against Palace in the 1990 FA Cup semi-final. Without the goal bit, obviously.
74 min: Gana is booked for a clip on Francis, who has attacked well for the hosts. Decent area for Bournemouth, this.
73 min: Great header from the sub. It was just a corner from Westwood, and Gestede attacked it in the box, and clanked it past Boruc. Soft defending from the hosts, but Gestede did so well to get on the end of it. Great play.
GOAL! Bournemouth 0-1 Villa (Gestede 72)
It’s the sub! On his debut!
Updated
72 min: Villa change: Carlos Sanchez on for Jordan Veretout. I think Villa are happy with a draw. Elphick gets Boruc out of a jam, but it’s a Villa corner.
71 min: Daniels’ ball in is a waste, but we just had a first look at Gradel there: he looked like he had the beating of Bacuna.
70 min: Hooked clear by Clark in his six-yard box. Villa defending nervily at the moment: Bournemouth are pushing them back.
68 min: Richards with an excellent clearing header from Ritchie’s cross. Now Gestede at the other end! Bournemouth couldn’t clear, and it looped up for Gestede at the back post: he hit it on the volley, but didn’t catch it correctly and it bobbled wide. Tight angle.
Change for Bournemouth: Max Gradel on for Pugh.
66 min: Gary Taphouse on commentary is convinced that the atmosphere at Bournemouth is something special. Should we be sceptical? Bournemouth seems far too nice a place to go bananas over a football match.
Another change imminent for the hosts.
Updated
64 min: Excellent tackle by Gana on Kermogant, who hasn’t got into the game at all. It’s still tight, but it’s much more even. Villa have pulled their socks up.
63 min: Gestede finds Agbonlahor, and he just burns Cook on the break – but Villa aren’t up in support, and he has no one to pass to. Bacuna’s long throw is unbelievably unimaginative, and doesn’t work: it’s smashed clear.
61 min: Nicely taken by Wilson, but Richards does very well to block. Now Wilson is completely free in the box, on the left, but he takes far too long, and Villa clear.
Updated
60 min: Amavi does well again, and beats Francis, but Elphick does well to come across, and it’s a Bournemouth free-kick. Amavi looks good: he’s played well today.
Change for Villa: Rudy Gestede in for Ayew, who’s struggled. Gestede, who’s come from Blackburn, is tall, and he’s dominant in the air. Even better than Crouchy!
57 min: Brad Guzan’s kicking has been reassuringly terrible, and he bloots one straight out of play. Why, when it comes to kicking, do some goalkeepers look as if they’re handling a live grenade?
56 min: Ritchie carries it forward, but his pass to Francis is all wrong. Tony Gale on Ritchie: “He looks a good player to me. I think he’ll enjoy the Premier League.”
55 min: Ooh, great play by Amavi: he beat Francis much too easily, and fizzed a ball across the face of the goal. No one there for Villa, but it’s a significant improvement from the visitors.
54 min: Ritchie’s booming cross from the left, but it’s plucked out of the air by Guzan. Villa break – they’ve got so much pace on the counter-attack – but Bournemouth come back and cover.
53 min: It’s much livelier, is this! Bournemouth go down the left and force a corner. And now a change for the hosts: Josh King off, Yann Kermorgant on.
Updated
51 min: Richards has been very solid for Villa. He seems to have been around for ages, but he’s only 27. He’ll have a great season, no doubt. Now Amavi with a good tackle to stop Wilson breaking clear.
50 min: Tony Gale reckons Agbonlahor should have taken the shot, but I think he did the right thing by cutting it back: Gana was in a much better position. Good save, and good start to the second half.
My hot prediction for the second-half? A second yellow for Steve Cook.
47 min: Great save by Boruc! Villa’s best attack. Agbonlahor got clear in the box, on the right side, and his pull back was met by Gana – but his low shot was blocked by Boruc. I thought that was going in. Fine save by the barrel-chested Pole.
We're back!
45 min: And straight away Bournemouth have the ball. They really picked it up in the final 15 minutes, did the hosts. Wilson with the ball in, but Villa clear.
Half-time: Bournemouth 0-0 Aston Villa
Well, that got better. The first half an hour was a snoozefest, but Bournemouth picked it up, and they should probably be ahead. Villa have offered very little. See you shortly.
Updated
45 min + 1: Reflex save from Brad Guzan! Ciaran Clark was booked for a knee in Ritchie’s back, and from the set play, it was knocked back in, and Pugh hit it: Guzan did well to react, but it was straight at him. And that’s the half.
Updated
45 min: Clever pass from Surman, to King, who was clear of Bacuna down the left. King did well to come back inside, but his shot was wild, and much too high. Not much longer till half-time. I think we’d all benefit from a break.
Updated
44 min: Bacuna with it … off the wall and behind for a corner. Westwood’s ball in from the set piece is hopeless.
Updated
43 min: Slack defending by Cook: a lunge on Agbonlahor right on the edge of the box as Gabby broke. He’s booked, rightly. Big chance for Villa here.
42 min: Another chance for Bournemouth! And a save by Guzan. Clark pushed up, and Wilson was in down the right-hand side. He was clear of the Villa backline, but his shot lacked authority, and Guzan saved with his legs. Wilson should have done better.
41 min: “Are you Walsall in disguise?” sing the home fans, waggishly. Villa haven’t really threatened. Ayew’s been out of the game, and we haven’t seen much of Agbonlahor, either.
39 min: Villa give it away again, and King moves smoothly into the penalty area, but he’s crowded out. A sloppy couple of minutes from Villa: they keep making errors!
Updated
37 min: Best chance of the game, and Eddie Howe hangs his head. Richards got into a muddle in the penalty area, and Amavi tried to tackle Wilson, but it fell really kindly to Gosling, who smashed it over. What a chance! Actually, he didn’t smash it: he just got under it, with his left foot. Maybe it was slightly behind him, but he should have scored.
35 min: Guzan smashes it long, but Bournemouth win it back. I think it’s time for a shot on goal!
Gosling bodychecks Richards, and I can’t believe that’s not yellow. That’s crazy: Gosling made no effort to play the ball. Just a warning from Clattenburg, though.
32 min: Maybe the heat is having an effect: the game’s been neat and tidy, but not much space, and very little “goalmouth action”, as they say. Ritchie cuts it back for Surman with a nice layoff, but Surman’s shot is wide. He tried to cut across it, and hit it well, but it didn’t come back enough.
30 min: Bournemouth pressing a bit better, but no clear chances.
Dean Kinsella has been scanning the lineups: “Cook versus Clarke must be an encouraging omen for Bournemouth.”
Yeah maybe, but if this were cricket, this game would be, I don’t know, a strokeless Chris Tavaré innings that annoys the entire nation of Australia.
Updated
27 min: Gary Taphouse on commentary described the atmosphere at Dean Court as “raucous and rambunctious”. I mean, it’s a nice idea, but it’s not La Bombonera. Corner to Bournemouth, but Ritchie’s ball in is well cleared. Now Gana shoots for Villa. It’s over.
25 min: Ritchie with a shot from long range. No pressure on the ball from the Villa defence, but Ritchie’s effort is well wide.
23 min: Gueye, or Gana, as he’s known on his shirt, looks to find Amavi, but it’s out of play. Then Amavi tried to let it run out of play for a goal kick, but Francis nicked it off his toe, and Bournemouth were nearly in … but it just wouldn’t fall to a Cherries shirt.
Now a yellow card for Joshua King, the first of the afternoon.
22 min: Amavi does well to intercept, and now Sinclair can break. Bournemouth, though, are quickly back in to their defensive shape.
“Good possession from both sides, but they’re not really carving out anything incisive,” says Tony Gale. Quite right.
19 min: Veretout looks for Agbonlahor, but his pass is overhit. Villa scored just 31 goals last year in 38 games, incidentally. Chance for Bournemouth! Pugh got across Bacuna from Francis’s cross from the right, but couldn’t direct his header. That was a decent opening.
Updated
17 min: Bournemouth slightly on top, but no goal chances yet. Corner to Villa, but it comes to nothing. Wilson goes down the right, but Villa recover well and clear.
15 min: Elphick looks for Surman, but it’s misplaced. Shot of Richard Scudamore, the Premier League chief executive, in the crowd. He’s a corporate drone, isn’t he? Also a sender of sexist emails. Remember?
Updated
11 min: Gosling dallies in midfield, and Villa come away with it. But Bournemouth get back and defend. Ayew can’t keep it in down the right. This game hasn’t really caught fire.
10 min: Gosling looks for Wilson, but Clark does well. There’s no time or space in midfield so far. Welcome to the Premier League, eh?
8 min: Agbonlahor, who is quick as anything, but who I always think looks half a stone overweight, goes down the right. Daniels comes across to clear.
Any thoughts? About anything?
6 min: Ritchie’s corner is flicked on by Surman, but it’s up and out. Shame.
Updated
5 min: Clumsy by Amavi, and that’s a Bournemouth free-kick. It’s tight so far: Villa have lined up with a wall of defenders. King takes on Veretout and wins the corner. Well played: the first bit of action.
4 min: Good defending from Micah Richards, the captain. Tony Gale on commentary approves of Richards. “That’s a good signing by Tim,” he opines. Are Gale and Sherwood on first-name terms?
2 min: Good start from Bournemouth. They’re a team that like to play football, not kick people. But Veretout dispossesses Pugh, and then Pugh fouls the former Nantes player. No yellow. Veretout was away. Pugh is lucky.
Updated
We're off!
1 min: The 11,700 fans at Dean Court are making a racket. Sort of. Bournemouth in black and red stripes, like Milan. Villa in yellow, like, um Norwich.
The players are in the tunnel. Wearing tracksuit tops! So unnecessary.
Updated
It’s 74F in Bournemouth. That’s 23C in metric. Bright and sunny. Joey Barton describes it as “absolutely roasting”. Maybe he should go to Palm Springs.
Not long now! Here’s Bournemouth coach Eddie Howe: “It’s going to be an exciting challenge this season, a tough test but one we’re very much looking forward to.
“I told the players: embrace the occasion and the atmosphere, but nothing’s different from last year. We’ve got to make sure the Bournemouth machine still functions.
God, coaches’ interviews are so boring, aren’t they? Or maybe just Eddie Howe’s.
Updated
Man United are top of the league. They beat Spurs 1-0, and the match was, whisper it, dreary. It’s the best league in the world!
Harry Redknapp reckons Bournemouth will stay up. Well, as a former manager, he would, wouldn’t he?
“Bournemouth will have setbacks this season and it will be about how they recover from those. There will be ups and downs this season. There will be blips but suddenly you pick up a win and away you go again.
“I am very confident that Bournemouth will be good enough to stay in the division. They were so good last year and I don’t see why they cannot continue playing well.”
Here’s a good piece by my colleague Nick Ames on whether Bournemouth, and their former Championship cousins Norwich and Watford, can stay in the top tier:
About five minutes to go at Old Trafford. Spurs have played quite well, but I think I’m right in saying they haven’t had a shot on target. If you’re not into these two teams, follow our clockwatch. Everyone’s involved:
So Jordan Ayew starts up front for Villa, and Micah Richards will play in central defence. Lots of new faces for Villa! Joshua King is in for Bournemouth, and Max Gradel and Sylvain Distin are on the bench.
Lineups are in
Bournemouth: Boruc, Francis, Elphick, Cook, Daniels, Ritchie, Gosling, Surman, Pugh, King, Wilson. Subs: Gradel, Mings, Smith, Kermorgant, Federici, Distin, O’Kane.
Aston Villa: Guzan, Bacuna, Richards, Clark, Amavi, Veretout, Gueye, Westwood, Sinclair, Ayew, Agbonlahor. Subs: Baker, Cole, Richardson, Hutton, Sanchez, Bunn, Gestede.
Referee: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear)
Manchester United are currently finishing up against Spurs. They lead 1-0 – there’s about 13 minutes left. Follow it here!
Updated
Welcome
It’s a big day for Bournemouth. The sleepy south-coast town™ is perhaps better known for its Victorian architecture and its symphony orchestra, but today its football team is playing its first top-flight match for 116 years: that is to say, ever – Bournemouth have never before competed in England’s top league. What a day for it! They play Aston Villa, on the up under Tim Sherwood after some reasonably serious flirtation with the abyss under Paul Lambert, and Jordan Ayew, their big signing from Lorient, should feature.
It’s sunny, it’s August, and we’re all excited. Kick off’s at 3pm BST – do join us.
Updated
Tim will be here shortly.
.png?w=600)
