Full-time: Bournemouth 2-1 Brighton
Eddie Howe’s team complete an important comeback thanks mainly to the second-half introduction of Jordan Ibe, who created both their goals. A precious win ends Bournemouth’s sequence of four straight defeats and leaves Crystal Palace as the only pointless side in the Premier League.
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Bournemouth substitution: Gosling on, Arter off.
90+2 min: Dunk trips King just outside the area. The home fans demand a penalty but referee Pawson saw right. Ibe steps up to try to crown a fine performance by smacking the freekick into the net. He curls his shot around the wall ... but just wide.
89 min: Bournemouth are defending by attacking, and Afobe wins a corner. They take it short and doss about with the ball near the flag. It all gets a bit too annoying for Propper, who shoves Arter to the ground to concede a freekick.
86 min: Corner to Brighton. March’s delivery bounces through several players in the box and is retrieved by Rosenior outside the area. The full-backs decides to have a crack at goal. At least I’m assuming that’s what he was aiming for. It ended up in the stands.
84 min: Bournemouth have done a good job so far of suppressing Brighton’s hope. Hughton’s substitutions have yet to make any impact and the course of the game remains very much in the home team’s favour.
81 min: Ibe leads another charge. After winning the ball on half-way he pops it on to King and dashes forward anticipating a return pass. But King runs into trouble and the opening is closed off.
79 min: Rosenior slips as he goes to heads the ball clear, and winds up conceding a corner. But it comes to nothing.
Bournemouth substitution: Afobe on, Defoe off. The 34-year-old seems to be hobbling slightly as he makes his way off the pitch to a big ovation. He may already have done enough.
Brighton substitutions: Izquierdo and Murray on, Gross and Knockaert off. Chris Hughton wants that equaliser!
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75 min: It’s been a heartening comeback for Bournemouth and it could kickstart their season (and give Ibe’s career a big boost) - so long as they do not let this lead slip.
GOAL! Bournemouth 2-1 Brighton (Defoe 73)
Ibe plays a vital role again. After a corner was headed clear, he picked up the ball about 25 yards, nipped between two opponents and flipped a clever pass to Defoe. The striker took a touch and turned in one rapid movement, then cracked a deadly low shot into the net from 10 yards.
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71 min: Gross is down injured at the edge of the Bournemouth penalty area but the referee sees no reason to stop, so nor do the hosts. The away fans are booing as Bournemouth play their way towards the opposing box. King fires a low cross into the area. Duffy, with a panicked stab at it, deflects it to Ibe about 18 yards out. Ibe unleashes a slow shot goalward. Dunk hurls himself in front of it ad deflects the ball over the bar. That was a crucial intervention because that shot looked net-bound.
69 min: Corner for Brighton. They nearly scored from the last two. But this one drops harmlessly into the arms of Begovic.
GOAL! Bournemouth 1-1 Brighton (Surman 66)
Lovely goal! Surman slipped the ball to Ibe at the edge of the area and then dashed into the box in anticipation of a return pass. Ibe delivers it with a cheeky backheel. Then Surman feints past the last defender and curls a cool finish into the bottom corner from 10 yards!
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Bournemouth substitution: Ibe on, Fraser off.
64 min: Nice work by Defoe wide on the let, skipping away from two challenges and feeding the ball to Arter in the middle. He then dashes forward in the hope that Bournemouth will work the ball into the box. They eventually do, but the cross is headed clear by Dunk under no pressure.
62 min: Jordon Ibe is preparing to come on. He’s been disappointing since his arrival from Liverpool but, when at his best, he has the dribbling ability that could change this game for Bournemouth by unhinging the visitors’ defence.
60 min: March and Dunk gang up on King, forcing him out of the box and then dispossessing him.
58 min: Knockaert’s pass on half-way is intercepted by Defoe. Bournemouth scamper forward hoping to profit. But it’s all a bit harum-scarum and Brighton are able to mop up quite easily.
56 min: Buoyed by their goal, and perhaps also by Bournemouth bluntness, Brighton rumble forward in search of a second goal. The hosts are looking short of ideas and confidence.
GOAL! Bournemouth 0-1 Brighton (March 54)
Gross beats Daniels easily on the right and the curs over an out-winging cross. Smith doesn’t even jump to meet it, so March is able to get a solid header to it, sending the ball into the bottom corner from nine yards! After soaking up sterile pressure for most of the match, Brighton have struck with a well-aimed sucker punch! Problems mount for Bournemouth.
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50 min: Gross sends a corner beyond the far post, where Duffy meets it unmarked. His header is cleared off the line by Surman! And then the follow-up is cleared off the line, too! From the resulting corner Duffy gets in another header from the same position. And Stephens flicks it on from five yards out ... and is aghast to see it bounce out off the crossbar! After 50 minutes of tidy tedium, that was a thrilling burst of action!
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49 min: March rolls past Smith down the left and sprints down the wing. But Smith recovers enough to deflect his cross out for a corner.
47 min: Knockaert collects the ball from a throw-in in an advanced position down the left. As it bounces up to him he sends it across towards the far post. March leaps above Smith and gets in a header - but not with anywhere near enough power to trouble Begovic.
46 min: No substitutions during the break. That could mean we’re in for more of the same, but let’s hope not.
“I noticed you’ve invoked the names of Beckenbauer and Juninho Pernabucano in your commentary, presumably in an effort to liven up the fare on display so far,” blurts Peter Oh. “I’ll be coaching my youth team against tough opposition this weekend. I might borrow from your approach and exhort my full-back to bomb forward like Dani Alves!” Good thinking, Peter. And don’t forget to tell him also to be steadfast and true, like Mick Mills.
Half-time: Bournemouth 0-0 Brighton
It hasn’t been terrible but there’s been a sad lack of magic. Bournemouth have passed and moved bureaucratically, and well-read Brighton have cancelled them out.
43 min: More of the same. Brighton will say they’re keeping their eye out for an opportunity to strike on the counter but, mostly, they’ll be happy with a point here. As things stand they look a good bet to get one, because Bournemouth are tidy but uninspired. “You alluded to a potential ‘other’ reason apart from a kit clash for Brighton to be bedecked in yellow this evening,” recalls Richard Morris. “You are of course, exactly right - the Lib Dem Conference starts this evening in Bournemouth. It’s obviously some sort of tribute from the Brighton team.
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40 min: Every Brighton player is behind the ball and within 35 yards of his own goal. Bournemouth are circulating it constantly, looking for a way through. But they can’t find one and, after about 753 consecutive passes, they give the ball away. What they need is a dribbler who will run at Brighton defender’s and mess up their shape a bit, introducing some wildness. Everything is too methodical so far.
37 min: The Bournemouth passing pattern continues: forward, forward, forward, sideways, sideways .. and then to a Brighton, who soon give it back.
35 min: A neat one-two on the left, and Daniels sends over yet another cross. But there was no one in the box to receive it. It’s a curios thing: Brighton haven’t found a way to subdue Daniels, and Bournemouth haven’t committed more players to attacking his crosses.
33 min: Bournemouth push the visitors back, penning them into their own third of the pitch. They’re consistently doing that well but they haven’t yet summoned enough ingenuity to infiltrate a well organised opponent.
30 min: Moments after Propper sends a shot from the edge of the area a few yards over the bar, Bournemouth tear forward. Daniels, so often the conduit of the home team’s attack, races down the left and picks out Pugh, who helps the ball on to Defoe. The striker swivels quickly at the edge of the area and opens fire. His shot curls just wide of the bottom corner.
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28 min: Duffy mucks up again at the back, caught by King attempting to swagger out like Beckenbauer. Fortunately for Duffy, his team-mates again bail him out.
26 min: Defoe almost gets a touch, but Daniels’ headed cross from the left is headed clear. I do believe Defoe, therefore, remains touch-less so far.
25 min: Honesty is the best policy. This has been a stalemate so far and it’s starting to reek. But there’s over an hour left so plenty of time yet for someone to show a bit of sharpness. Please.
23 min: Daniels pounces on a loose Brighton pass on half-way. He strides forward, looking up all the time for a run from a team-mate. No one obliges, and nor does any opponent close him down. So when he reaches 20 yards out, he tries a shot. He strikes it true. But straight at the keeper, who saves comfortably.
20 min: Daniels makes another ambitious run down the left. Arter picks him out. Daniels then pulls a low pass back to Pugh at the edge of the area. He shuffles to make space for a shot, but then shanks the ball wide of the near post.
19 min: Play has confined almost entirely to the Brighton half for the last five minutes or so, but the only sniff of a chance for the hosts came from Duffy’s mistake. Other than that, Brighton have defended well and Bournemouth’s passing has been good until the crucial moment.
16 min: Bournemouth are making good progress down the flanks but so far they haven’t taken advantage. Their crossing has been inadequate.
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14 min: Duffy makes an amazing misjudgement, trying to play the ball across his own box but getting it nowhere near a team-mate. Instead King accepts it gratefully and lashes off a shot from 20 yards. But Dunk saves his team-mate with a strong block.
12 min: Nice, intricate play by Bournemouth, who work their way behind the visitors’ defence for the first time. But Daniels low cross from the left is then cleared at the near post.
10 min: Arter receives the ball over 30 yards out and quite central. Suddenly he is overtaken by the delusion that he is is Juninho Pernambucano so he tries a shot. It wobbles high and wide. Arter claims a deflection and appeals for a corner. But he’s fooling no one.
8 min: Knockaert skins Daniels wide on the right and then skedaddles towards the box. He has good passing options but decides to shoot, and drills a low shot several yards wide from outside the area.
6 min: Bournemouth are hogging possession but not making many inroads against the visitors, who are retreating in organised numbers and hoping to break quickly when they get the ball back.
4 min: Arter guides a clever ball wide to Fraser on the right. The Scot scurries in-field again and makes good ground before trying to ping a low pass through to Defoe. But Duffy saw what he was he was to and steps in to cut out the pass.
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2 min: Fraser makes a promising burst down the right, bustling his way between two opponents before over-running the ball and losing possession.
1 min: We have kickoff! Bournemouth do the necessary But they lose the ball within 20 seconds, my colleague Liam Rosenior making a good early interception.
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Behold the teams! They march out on to the pitch side-by-side, every player looking steely-eyed: no pre-match smiles or japes today. Let’s get down to business, then.
It’s a chilly evening on the south coast but the the atmosphere is hotting up as kickoff approaches. The Vitality Stadium may be small but it captures sound alright.
The last match between these two was three years ago in the Championship: Bournemouth start today with half of the outfield players who began back then (when Bournemouth won 3-2). That’s an indication of how far Howe and a lot of his players have travelled together recently. As for Brighton, Lewis Dunk is the only one of their starters today who also started three years ago.
Brighton are on the pitch, warming up in their all-yellow away kit. I’m guessing that the reason they’re not wearing their first kit (blue and white stripes) is because having two teams in stripes can make things difficult for people who are colour blind. Or is there a different reason?
Eddie Howe speaks
Gary Nevlle is on Graham Norton duty for Sky and his interview with the Bournemouth manager yields the following revelation: “we don’t think we have shown the real Bournemouth so far this season, so we have to go out there and how what we’re really about.”
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TEAMS:
Brighton have made only one change from last week’s win, with the injured Bruno replaced by the Guardian’s Liam Rosenior. Bournemouth, on the other hand, have made three changes, as Francis, Surman and Pugh all come in. Still no Lewis Cook, though.
Bournemouth: Begovic; A Smith, Francis, Ake, Daniels; Fraser, Arter, Surman, Pugh; King; Defoe
Subs: Boruc, Mings, Cook, Gosling, Ibe, Mousset, Afobe
Brighton: Ryan; Rosenior, Dunk, Duffy, Suttner; Knockaert, Stephens, Propper, March; Gross; Hemed
Subs: Maenpaa, Huenemeier, Goldson, Schelotto, Izquierdo, Murphy, Murray
Referee: C Pawson
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Preamble
Hello, very glad you could make it. Since Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic’s maiden clash with Brighton and Hove Albion in 1923, these two south-coast clubs have played each other 105 times - but never in the top-flight. That is about to change. What is more, even at this early stage in the season, this is a match that both clubs could do with winning if they are to stick around the Premier League for another year.
Freshly promoted Brighton have been making a better fist of the season so far, notching up their first win last week with an impressive 3-1 dismantling of West Brom. Bournemouth, meanwhile, have found the going much tougher and have lost all four of their league matches so far, including against that self-same West Brom. Eddie Howe, once considered infallible, is a manager under pressure. Defeat here is unlikely to lead to his dismissal but, then again, Frank de Boer.
Howe has vowed to “get back to basics” in a bid to restore his team to winning ways. Maybe we’ll find out soon what that means. Chris Hughton, meanwhile, arrives with a team that has found a groove, with last week’s win coming on the back of a decent performance and draw at Watford (another of the teams to have beaten Bournemouth this season). All in all, this is set up to be a feisty and fun Friday night by the seaside. Here we are now, entertain us!
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