Bournemouth vs Everton. Premier League.
Vitality StadiumAttendance11,291.
Sunday 25 September 2016 18:51, UK
Everton lost their unbeaten start to the season as Junior Stanislas netted a thumping winner for Bournemouth in a 1-0 victory on Saturday at the Vitality Stadium.
Stanislas, who netted a late equaliser in this corresponding fixture last season, struck midway through a first-half, which saw the hosts hit the woodwork twice.
Everton lacked cutting edge in the final third, however, Enner Valencia did squander a good chance late on.
The win snaps a run of two straight defeats for The Cherries, who had also lost nine of their last 13 Premier League games coming into this.
Everton welcomed back four-goal Romelu Lukaku into the fray after he missed the midweek defeat against Norwich with a toe injury but Leighton Baines missed out due to a hamstring problem.
Gareth Barry was declared fit to play despite struggling with a groin problem and he looked a yard off the pace as Harry Arter and Jack Wilshere dominated the midfield battle early on.
Callum Wilson, who ran the two Everton centre-backs ragged in the early stages set the tone for the hosts and flicked a header wide with just 90 seconds on the clock.
Everton settled but only looked threating from set-pieces. Lukaku forced a fantastic one-handed save from Arthur Boruc on 10 minutes after he wriggled free about seven yards from goal.
Bournemouth responded and put together a blistering 10 minutes spell of all-action football, where they hit the woodwork twice and then took the lead.
Wilson broke away again down the right and his cross was stoked towards goal by Wilshere but Seamus Coleman's deflection took the ball onto the crossbar. The upright was rattling again minutes later when Arter dribbled forward and curled a left-footed effort against the outside of the far post.
The hosts deserved the lead and they got it on 22 minutes.
Everton were slow to react as Bournemouth switched the play. Arter found Stanislas about 22 yards and he fired an unstoppable effort right into the top corner.
Ross Barkley was a subdued figure throughout and should've levelled the game on 54 minutes but he powered a header wide from 12 yards after a wicked cross from Coleman.
Eddie Howe's men had kept just one clean sheet in last 17 games in all competitions and you could see how much their manager wanted to improve that poor run as he headed and kicked very ball on the touchline.
His team didn't give him many heart-fluttering moments, although Valencia really should've done better on 89 minutes when he turned a Yannick Bolasie cross wide from close range.
Player Ratings
Bournemouth: Boruc (7), Francis (6), Smith (6), Daniels (7), Cook (7), Ibe (7), Stanislas (7), Wilshere (7), Arter (8), Surman (7), Wilson (7)
Subs: Gosling (6), Gradel (6), Afobe (6)
Everton: Stekelenburg (6), Oviedo (5), Jagielka (6), Williams (6), Coleman (6), Gueye (6), Barry (5), Bolasie (5), Barkley (5), Mirallas (5), Lukaku (6)
Subs: Deulofeu (5), Cleverley (6), Valencia (5)
Man of the match: Harry Arter
