Report: AFC Bournemouth 3-1 Blues
9 February 2022
Blues were beaten by AFC Bournemouth in the Sky Bet Championship on Wednesday night.
Goals from Ryan Christie and Dominic Solanke before the break had put the Cherries in the ascendancy until Jefferson Lerma got himself sent off amidst increasing Birmingham City pressure.
Second-half substitute Onel Hernandez then pulled one back in the 69th minute and there were chances to equalise, but as in the reverse fixture, Jaidon Anthony scored the game's final goal to take matters away from Lee Bowyer's side.
TEAM NEWS:
The Head Coach made three changes to the side that performed well against Sheffield United at St. Andrew's on Friday night. Jeremie Bela and Jordan Graham come in on the flanks and Ivan Sunjic returns to the midfield.
Jordan Graham started on the South Coast.
MAIN EVENT:
A flashing light show greeted the teams ahead of kick-off but Blues ensured they were constantly switched on as they saw off a series of early Bournemouth set-pieces with minimum fuss and then pressed their hosts, forcing Nathaniel Phillips to head away goalbound efforts from both Gary Gardner and Lyle Taylor in the ninth minute.
However, the positive start was to be ended when the home side went in front after 17 minutes. Christie hit the bar in the first instance before the Cherries recycled play on the left of the penalty area, allowing Philip Billing to scuff the ball across the face of goal where the Scotsman was waiting to this time find the net.
Fresh from scoring, the number ten then created goal number two for Scott Parker’s side. Capitalising on a loose touch in the midfield, Jordan Zemura fed Christie and his reverse pass found the peeling run of Solanke who finished first time across Neil Etheridge inside the area.
Blues could have pulled one back in the final five minutes of the first-half when Gary Gardner won a free-kick. The resulting delivery from Jordan Graham was an inviting one, but the outstretched boot of Kristian Pedersen was just inches away from a telling connection.
Lyle Taylor went closest for Blues in the opening 45.
Half-time: AFC Bournemouth 2-0 Blues
Bowyer’s men started the second period brightly and had the first major chance of the half. A pinpoint diagonal across the pitch from Teden Mengi found Jeremie Bela deep in the Cherries’ half, with his cross met in the air by Gardner only for Mark Travers to superbly paw the ball away.
But Blues’ cause to find a way back into the match was not helped shortly after the hour mark when Teden Mengi pulled up injured and had to be replaced by Onel Hernandez. Although the pendulum of fate edged slowly back to the visitors when Jefferson Lerma was shown a straight red card off for scything down the Cuban.
This quickly changed the mood to one of panic on the South Coast and just 120 seconds after the dismissal the deficit was halved. Hernandez looked to curl from the edge of the area, and it found its way in at the near post via a Nathaniel Phillips deflection.
And just moments later an equaliser seemed certain when substitute Lukas Jutkiewicz met Juninho Bacuna’s precise cross but saw Travers produce another impressive stop.
All the momentum was with Blues, so it was a sucker-punch when, against the run of play, Bournemouth restored their two-goal advantage. Finding a way to break out, the ball fortuitously fell to Anthony who bundled it into the corner.
Jeremie Bela and Sunjic both threatened in the closing stages, making Parker's charges sweat until the last for the points.
Jeremie Bela battles with Dominic Solanke.
KEY MOMENT:
The red card added to the tidal wave Blues had been building since the break and led to a deserved goal through Hernandez, but there was just not quite enough in the locker to back it up on this occasion.
Onel Hernandez fires in his second goal in Royal Blue.
FINAL OUTCOME:
Blues remain in 18th position, having collected 33 points from their 31 league matches.
MATCH DETAILS:
AFC Bournemouth (4-3-3): Mark Travers, Jack Stacey,Nathaniel Phillips, Lloyd Kelly (captain), Jordan Zemura, Todd Cantwell (Siriki Dembele 60_, Jefferson Lerma, Philip Billing (Kieffer Moore 87), Ryan Christie (Lewis Cook 60), Dominic Solanke, Jaidon Anthony.
Substitutes not used: Freddie Woodman, Lewis Cook, Chris Mepham, Ben Pearson, Gary Cahill.
Booking: Lerma sent off 67.
Blues (3-5-2): Neil Etheridge, Maxime Colin, Teden Mengi (Onel Hernandez 63), Kristian Pedersen, Jeremie Bela, Gary Gardner (captain), Ivan Sunjic, Juninho Bacuna, Jordan Graham (Ryan Woods 89), Scott Hogan (Lukas Jutkiewicz 54), Lyle Taylor.
Substitutes not used: Connal Trueman, Tate Campbell, Remi Walker, Jordan James.
Booking: Gardner 20, Pedersen 34, Graham 47, Hernandez 67, Sunjic 90+2.
Referee: James Linnington.
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