Report: Burnley 0 Bournemouth 2 – Another nail in Burnley’s coffin
Burnley’s Premier League survival hopes were dealt a further blow after they lost 2-0 to Bournemouth at Turf Moore.
Andoni Iraola’s side took the lead against the run of play thanks to Justin Kluivert’s well-taken finish and sealed victory in the closing stages thanks to Antonie Semenyo’s clinical finish.
The defeat leaves Burnley marooned in the bottom three and stuck on 13 points – 11 points from safety with just 11 games to go. Meanwhile, a priceless win for the Cherries sees them move onto 31 points and almost secure in the Premier League for another season.
Story of the game
It was a bright start for Burnley. Neto was forced into a few early saves. Lorenz Assignon forced the Bournemouth keeper to concede an early corner from which the home side failed to threaten.
The Clarets have been masters of their downfall at times this season, conceding goals from overplaying at the back and making some elementary mistakes at the back, and they were given a warning in the eighth minute. Marcus Tavernier found a way past Assignon and sent a lovely-looking ball into the box, but there was no one in a Bournemouth shirt to turn the ball home.
Five minutes later, Bournemouth took the lead. Burnley were punished once again for poor defending. A long ball forward which Burnley failed to deal with. Dara O’Shea, the guilty party, Kluivert, took the ball down and lashed it past the helpless James Trafford.
Burnley responded well to the setback and got themselves on the front foot. Charlie Taylor thought Semenyo had fouled him. The referee said no and was backed up by VAR.
Burnley continued to ask questions of their visitors, dominating possession since they fell behind but had still not forced Neto into a save.
Five minutes before the break, Burnley came close to a leveller. Odobert slid a lovely ball into David Fofana; he could not get his shot away as Neto came rushing out. The ball did break to Bruun Larsson, but Adam Smith blocked his effort excellently.
Larsson was then denied again by Neto, a fantastic stop from a free kick in first-half stoppage time.
The Cherries had a brilliant chance to make it 2-0 in the 55th minute. Semenyo’s touch found Tavernier in the box, but he fired his shot into the side netting.
Josh Cullen was next to have a go for Burnley, and he curled a shot into the hands of Neto as Burnley continued to push for an equaliser.
Cullen did have the ball in the net in the 65th minute, but it was ruled out by referee David Coote, who spotted a foul in the buildup. There was more frustration inside Turf Moore as the home side, who dominated most of the contest, still found themselves behind.
Bournemouth sealed all three points in the 88th minute, Semenyo with a fine finish into the top corner to all but secure the Cherries’ Premier League status for another season.
Image: Bournemouth FC