CHERRY Howe: Six-pointer win with 10 men can reboot our season
BOURNEMOUTH 2 ASTON VILLA 1
EDDIE HOWE declared that his Bournemouth team are “alive and kicking” after they bloodied Aston Villa’s noses in a right old relegation ding-dong.
Phillip Billing and Nathan Ake put the home side in control of the game before the break.
But Jefferson Lerma’s dismissal for a second yellow card early in the second half gave Dean Smith’s men a route back in.
New boy Mbwana Samatta halved the deficit with Villa’s first headed goal of the season and what had looked like a routine march to victory for the Cherries became anything but.
They held on, though, thanks to some backs-tothe-wall defending – and the final blast of referee Anthony Taylor’s whistle was greeted by players, management staff and fans alike as if they’d just won a major trophy.
Howe and his men paraded round half the ground before linking arms in the half they’d just defended.
And the Bournemouth boss said: “How’s the pulse? It was off the radar for a spell. It has calmed down now but that’s one of the many beauties of football, the emotions attached.
“And that was one that was going all over the place, because we played so well up till the sending off – that is as good as we’ve played for a while.
“The red card changed everything. We felt a little hard done by, Jeff was incredibly unlucky as there were other challenges that didn’t go punished with yellow cards that were worse than that.
“But with that feeling and how the game had gone and the run of form we have been on, it was hugely important we got over the line.
“We don’t know whether it will define our season but it seems like a big
BOURNEMOUTH ASTON VILLA 6 ............. Shots on Target ........... 5 5 ............. Shots off Target ........... 9 5 ............... Blocked Shots ............ 4 1 ...................... Corners ................... 8 10 ....................... Fouls .................... 15 1 ...................... Offsides .................. 3 1 .................. Yellow Cards .............. 3 1 .................... Red Cards ................ 0 62.6 .... Passing Success %.. 76.0 61 .................. Duels Won ............. 49 55.5 ....... Duel Success % ..... 44.5 12 ..................... Tackles ................... 3 83.3 ........ Tackles Won % ............ 0 40 ............. Possession % .......... 60 51.4 ....... Territorial Adv % .... 48.6 305 ............ Total Passes ......... 454 13 ............... Total Crosses ........... 23 149 ............... Lost Balls ............. 166 55 ................ Recoveries ............... 61 52.5 ........ 1st Half Poss % ....... 47.5 28.8 ...... 2nd Half Poss % ...... 71.2