Dan’s double
Danjuma 1, 28, Brooks 69, Solanke 90+2 1
ARNAUT DANJUMA took just 24 seconds to set Bournemouth on their way into the play-off places.
Dutch destroyer Danjuma scored twice and made another as the Cherries routed lowly Coventry to pick up their fourth straight win. Boss Jonathan Woodgate admitted Danjuma was frustrated to be denied the chance to complete a hat-trick after being substituted late on.
Woodgate said: “He wanted to stay on to try and get his hat-trick but the team comes first. If something happened to him in the last five minutes here, I’d never forgive myself.
“He will have more opportunities in his career to score hat-tricks, but the team is more important than an individual player being on two goals.
“A 4-1 victory is a good result because Coventry are a decent team and should be higher in the table.
“I thought we played really well. We played with a high intensity from the start and were difficult to play against.
“That is what I ask for – to start quickly and put the opposition on the back foot.”
Following Reading’s defeat at Watford on Friday, the
Cherries knew a point would be enough to propel them into sixth place.
But there was never any danger Woodgate’s men would settle for a draw and they got off to a blistering start with Danjuma breaking the deadlock straight from kick-off.
David Brooks raced down the right before crossing into the path of Danjuma, who gleefully slotted home from six yards.
Coventry were level just two minutes later thanks to a sweetly-struck 25-yard free-kick from Leicester loanee Matty James.
Brooks and Danjuma both came close to restoring Bournemouth’s lead before the
Dutchman doubled his and the Cherries’ tally 17 minutes before half-time.
Danjuma combined neatly with Philip Billing before squeezing his shot through the legs of Coventry goalkeeper Marko Marosi and into the far corner from a tight angle.
Brooks put the game out of Coventry’s reach with a cushioned finish from Danjuma’s pinpoint cross on 69 minutes.
The home side added a
BOURNEMOUTH: Begovic 6; Smith 6, Carter-vickers 7, Steve Cook 6, Kelly 6; Lerma 6, Wilshere 5 (Pearson, 72, 6); Danjuma 9 (Anthony, 90), Billing 7 (Riquelme, 90), Brooks 8 (Stacey, 90); Solanke 6 (Surridge, 90). Unused subs: Travers, Mepham, Long, Rico. COVENTRY: Marosi 6; Ostigard 5, Mcfadzean 5, Pask 6 (Thompson, 60, 5); Eccles 5, Kelly 6 (Hamer, 79), James 7, Mccallum 6; Godden 4 (Gyokeres, 79), O’hare 6 (Allen, 90), Walker 7 (Bakayoko, 90) Unused subs: Wilson, Biamou, Shipley, Dacosta MAN OF THE MATCH: Arnuat Danjuma. The Holland international was absolutely unplayable at times. REFEREE: David Webb 7. fourth in stoppage time when a combination of Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke and Sky Blues substitute Dominic Thompson diverted Ben Pearson’s cross into the net.
Coventry also had defender Josh Pask stretchered off with a head injury following a nasty-looking collision with Billing.
Manager Mark Robins said: “Josh has been taken to hospital so we hope it is not too serious.”