Bournemouth 2 Everton 1: Late Fraser second ends host's eight-match winless run
Bournemouth lifted itself out of the relegation zone with a rare win thanks to Ryan Fraser's late second in a 2-1 defeat of Everton.
Published : Dec 30, 2017 23:37 IST
Ryan Fraser's dramatic late second goal secured Bournemouth a 2-1 win over Everton at the Vitality Stadium, ending tits eight-match winless run in the Premier League and lifting it out of the bottom three.
Everton looked set to leave with a point after Idrissa Gueye cancelled out Fraser's first goal, but Bournemouth kept battling and the midfielder sealed all three points with a minute of normal time remaining, courtesy of a shot that took a huge deflection to beat Jordan Pickford.
The host appeared the more purposeful in attack during the first half and was good value for the lead when Fraser rounded off an incisive counter-attack in style with 33 minutes played.
However, Sam Allardyce introduced Wayne Rooney – who had been suffering from illness – at half-time and he helped Everton produce an instant improvement, which resulted in Gueye drawing the visitor level in the 57th minute with only his second Premier League goal for the club.
Bournemouth's luck appeared to have deserted it when Jordon Ibe saw an effort strike the crossbar with nine minutes to go.
But Fraser drove at Everton late on and saw his shot flick off Phil Jagielka to spark scenes of jubilation on the Bournemouth bench, as it claimed its first league win since November 18 and inflicted a maiden defeat on Allardyce since he took over the Toffees.
Bournemouth shaded things during the early exchanges, though chances were at a premium and the standard of football on display was generally poor.
Callum Wilson did at least manage to test Pickford from the edge of the area in the 18th minute, but the goalkeeper was equal to the challenge.
The next shot on either goal came 10 minutes later, with Pickford again making a fairly straightforward stop to turn an Ibe strike wide of his left-hand post.
But the England international could do little to prevent Bournemouth taking a deserved lead just after the half-hour mark.
Wilson held the ball up just outside the Everton area and fed Joshua King down the right flank, with the Norway international clipping an inch-perfect cross to the back post for Fraser to convert with an acrobatic effort.
Allardyce brought Rooney on for James McCarthy at half-time and Oumar Niasse followed soon after, ensuring Everton had more threat in attack.
It was gifted a way back into the game, however, as Simon Francis's woeful pass out from the back was seized upon by Gylfi Sigurdsson. He found Niasse in the area and the substitute produced a lovely flick to Gueye, who finished emphatically from just inside the box.
Wilson nearly restored Bournemouth's lead with the very next attack, but Pickford did well to repel the striker's effort.
Ibe went even closer nine minutes from time, cutting in from the right and seeing a left-footed drive clip the top of the crossbar.
Bournemouth's persistence then eventually paid off in the 89th minute as it claimed a precious winner. Fraser ran in to the left side of the area, cut on to his right foot and fired in a shot that deflected off Jagielka to loop beyond the reach of Pickford.
Key Opta stats
Everton conceded two goals against Bournemouth, as many as it had shipped in its previous six Premier League games under Sam Allardyce. Josh King has had a hand in 31 Premier League goals for Bournemouth (24 goals, 7 assists), 12 more than any other player. Idrissa Gueye scored his first goal in his last 32 Premier League appearances, since netting against Sunderland in February. Oumar Niasse has scored three and assisted one in his last six Premier League sub appearances. |