AFC Bournemouth kicked of their 2022/23 campaign with three-points at home as they saw off Aston Villa on their return to the Premier League.
Last season’s championship runner-ups took an early lead over Villa, as Jefferson Lerma turned in a corner with the first major chance of the game just three-minutes in, before Kieffer Moore sealed a win for Scott Parker’s men in the late stages of the match.
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Story of the match
Bournemouth set out with surprising changes to their line-up, as Ryan Christie, Lewis Cook and Jaidon Anthony were noticeably absent from the starting eleven.
However, the gamble paid off and Bournemouth got their season off to a perfect start at Vitality stadium, taking the lead after just three minutes as Marcus Tavernier’s corner was headed down by Lloyd Kelly, and Villa failed to deal with it effectively, instead allowing the ball to fall to Lerma who fired the Cherries ahead with a deflected effort.
Following the opener, both sides maintained the high intensity, as Danny Ings saw chances come and go, only to be denied by Mark Travers, and Adam Smith was played through on goal, before dragging his effort wide.
After half an hour of play, Villa, who had been on the backfoot since the very start of the match, began to ease into the game. However, Bournemouth remained secure at the back, and crowded their area, sealing out the opposition and keeping a firm hold on the game.
With missed chances galore, frustration soon set in and late challenges became inevitable. Ings was first to be booked, followed swiftly by Smith. Prior to the halftime whistle, Ben Pearson was booked for a foul on Jacob Ramsey, before the latter returned the favour, landing both in the referee’s notebook.
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Second half
The stalemate continued into the second half, now with few chances for either side. A quick free-kick set up an opportunity for Boubacar Kamara, but took a harsh bend to the right and Villa remained a goal behind. Ollie Watkins replaced an exasperated Ings, but to no success.
A glorious day for the south-coast side was made even sweeter late in the second half, as Kelly kept alive a Bournemouth free-kick, finding Moore unguarded in the box for a free header to double their lead, and secure the victory.
With six minutes tacked on at the end, Villa continued to ask questions and probed forward in the dying minutes of the game, yet to no avail.
The score was too much to overcome, and they continued to fail in the final third, instead seeing another player earn a yellow card out of frustration in Douglas Luiz, and being forced to accept the defeat away to a newly promoted side.
An important victory for Bournemouth, who will now be tasked with a tough run of fixtures, as they face big-six clubs Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa, who have now lost three of four opening day matches since returning to the Premier League, will face Everton at Villa Park next Saturday.
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Player of the match: Jefferson Lerma
Scoring the winner only three minutes into the match was far from the only contribution made by Lerma.
In the full 90 minutes of football he played against Villa, the Colombian made few mistakes, helping Travers to his first clean sheet of the season and making Phillippe Coutinho nearly invisible while he was on the pitch, limiting the effectiveness of the Villa attack.