Bournemouth 2 – 1 Burnley. Philip Billing’s stunning second-half strike helped Bournemouth claim their first Premier League win of the season against fellow strugglers Burnley.
After collecting the ball just inside the visitors’ half, Billing spotted goalkeeper James Trafford off his line before sending a looping effort over the head of the 21-year-old, who got a hand to the shot but was unable to keep it out.
Charlie Taylor’s first goal for Burnley – a fierce strike past goalkeeper Andrei Radu from the edge of the area – had given the visitors an early lead at the Vitality Stadium.
But Bournemouth responded well and restored parity when Antoine Semenyo robbed Taylor of the ball and sent a low finish across Trafford into the far corner.
Marcus Tavernier had missed a glorious opportunity to level moments before Semenyo’s equaliser, while Chris Mepham, Billing and Dominic Solanke all spurned good openings as the Cherries threatened.
Second-half substitute Jay Rodriguez thought he had salvaged a point for Burnley late on, but his effort was ruled out for the narrowest of offsides after a lengthy review by the video assistant referee.
Sander Berge almost scrambled in an equaliser deep into stoppage when his close-range shot from Taylor’s delivery was kept out by Andrei Radu, who was relieved to see the Norwegian poke the rebound over the crossbar.
The win eases some of the pressure on Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola, whose side climb above their opponents and out of the relegation zone.
Responding to speculation about his future before this match, Iraola said he “understands” the rumours surrounding his tenure but remains focused on getting Bournemouth out of their current predicament.
This win, in front of watching owner Bill Foley, will go a long way to easing some of the scrutiny on the former Rayo Vallecano boss, whose team created the better opportunities after falling behind to Taylor’s early effort.
The Burnley full-back’s 11th-minute opener appeared to spark the hosts into life, and they should have restored parity prior to Semenyo’s goal when Tavernier somehow scuffed a low effort into the ground and over the crossbar from point-blank range.
Mepham sent a free header straight at Trafford not long after the leveller, while Billing blazed over the crossbar as Bournemouth ended the first half in the ascendancy.
Cherries fans sung Iraola’s name as the home side pressed for a second-half winner, and they were finally rewarded for their efforts when Billing found the net from about 40 yards out with 15 minutes remaining.
Bournemouth had to endure a nervous wait while Rodriguez’s goal was checked by VAR before being ruled out, but a late Burnley equaliser would have been harsh on Iraola and his players.
Vincent Kompany said Burnley were “nowhere near Premier League standards” in last Saturday’s defeat at Brentford, and the Clarets can have few complaints about the outcome on the south coast after being second best for long spells.
Kompany’s team missed the aerial presence of Lyle Foster, who was ruled out after falling ill on the morning of the game.
Taylor had not scored since finding the net for Leeds in a Championship fixture against MK Dons in 2015, but Burnley failed to build on the full-back’s early strike and were indebted to Trafford for keeping them on level terms in the first half.
Rodriguez had not seen much of the ball after replacing Zeki Amdouni at half-time, but the former Southampton and West Brom striker thought he had earned the visitors a precious point when he found the bottom corner with a low left-footed strike.
The forward appeared to be just ahead of Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly when the ball was played to him, but it took the VAR more than five minutes to rule the goal out.
Burnley have now lost three top-flight games this season after scoring the opening goal – more than any other side.
