WILSON ENDS DROUGHT TO LIFT HOWE
AFTER going from guru to goner in the eyes of some, Eddie Howe secured what felt like a must-win — and there is a sudden outbreak of optimism at Bournemouth. This was their first home Premier League victory since November 2. In the meantime, they suffered 10 defeats in 12 games and slipped into the bottom three. Yet this offered Howe’s men a much-needed lift. Even Callum Wilson scored, ending a drought that saw the striker go 1,319 minutes without a league goal. ‘Eddie, Eddie, Eddie,’ chanted the locals at full time and the Bournemouth boss said: ‘It’s all in our hands, all about us. If you don’t get wins, you’re going to get relegated. We’re desperate to retain our Premier League status, desperate to stay here.’ For Brighton, this loss dragged them further into the mire. They have won only one of their last nine and Graham Potter blamed ‘five minutes of madness’ when Bournemouth stole two goals. ‘We played really, really well for the first 30 minutes then shot ourselves in the foot,’ he said. Wilson had not scored in the top flight since September and Dominic Solanke has yet to open his Premier League account for Bournemouth, despite signing for them 12 months ago. Yet Howe persisted with the pair here, hoping they would come good in his hour of need. They barely had a sniff in the opening 30 minutes, with the only real chance falling to Brighton when Aaron Mooy’s ball over the top trickled through to Neal Maupay, who was denied by a strong right hand from Aaron Ramsdale. The home fans were frustrated. Passes back to the goalkeeper drew boos and they had to wait until the 33rd minute for their side’s first shot of the game. Diego Rico had time to place his effort but struck the side-netting. That woke up Bournemouth who seemed to adopt a sudden shoot-on-sight policy. In the 36th minute, one went in, with Harry Wilson burying a shot from 12 yards. That was Bournemouth’s first league goal of 2020 and was quickly followed by a second. Rico’s corner caused confusion and midfielder Pascal Gross found his own net. In a desperate bid to get back into the match, Brighton made a triple substitution. Yet Bournemouth prompted away fans to head for the exits in the 74th minute when Callum Wilson rounded Maty Ryan and tapped home. Those who did leave missed Mooy belting in a consolation. BOURNEMOUTH (4-4-2): RAMSDALE 8.5; A Smith 6.5, Francis 6.5, Ake 6.5, Rico 7; H Wilson 7.5 (L Cook 89), Lerma 6.5, Billing 7, Fraser 6.5; C Wilson 8, Solanke 7.5 (Gosling 85). Subs not used: Boruc, Surman, Simpson, Kelly, Surridge. Scorers: H Wilson 36, Gross 41 (og), C Wilson 74. Booked: Lerma. Manager: Eddie Howe 7. BRIGHTON (4-3-3): Ryan 6; Alzate 5, Webster 5, Dunk 5, Bernardo 5 (Trossard 60min, 6); Propper 5, Stephens 5, Mooy 5; Gross 4.5 (Connolly 60, 6), Maupay 5, Jahanbakhsh 4.5. (March 60, 6). Subs not used: Duffy, Murray, Schelotto, Button. Scorer: Mooy 81. Booked: Bernardo. Manager: Graham Potter 5. Referee: Kevin Friend 6. Attendance: 10,065.