Wilson goal hits the spot for Cherries
CALLUM WILSON made a scoring return for Bournemouth last night to send them into the quarter-finals.
He netted from a 76th-minute penalty to put the Cherries 2-1 up in his first game since recovering from a serious knee injury that had kept him out since January 31.
Wilson then capped a memorable comeback by setting up the third for substitute Benik Afobe.
Earlier, it had all been about the impact of young players. Bournemouth defender Jack Simpson, 20, put the Cherries ahead on his first-team debut, only for Marcus Tavernier, 18, to level for Middlesbrough.
Bournemouth made eight changes from the team who beat Stoke away on Saturday but there was still plenty of Premier League experience in their side.
Boro showed even less respect for the competition, retaining only Daniel Ayala from the side who lost 1-0 at home to Cardiff City to emphasise the fact that restoring their faltering promotion ambitions was their chief priority.
Bournemouth thought they had scored when Lys Mousset nodded in Ryan Fraser’s free-kick from the left but he had needlessly strayed offside. Simpson then headed wide from a corner by Fraser.
Wilson’s first real chance arrived after 18 minutes, when Adam Forshaw failed to control a cross from Marc Pugh but his shot went a foot wide.
Boro had another escape seven minutes later, when Charlie Daniels went for a repeat of his amazing goal against Manchester City in August.
Keeper Dimi Konstantopoulos could not hold the ball but Fraser was only able to
BOURNEMOUTH MIDDLESBROUGH
poke the rebound wide of goal.
Boro made very little attacking impression but they went close two minutes before half-time. Adama Traore nicked the ball from a dozing Ryan Gosling and charged forward, shooting just wide from 20 yards.
The Cherries went ahead four minutes into the second half and once again Boro struggled with a ball in the air. This time it was an inswinging corner by Fraser from the left and Simpson got free of a poor attempt at marking from Dael Fry and volleyed in with his left foot.
But if the Premier League side expected the visitors to cave in, they were to be disappointed. Seven minutes later, Traore launched another powerful run but passed this time, finding Tavernier.
The Boro youngster, whose only other first-team appearances had been in the previous two rounds of this competition, seemed to wait an age before striking it left-footed across Bournemouth keeper Artur Boruc and into the net.
But Fry then manhandled Simpson from another corner and Wilson stroked home the penalty.
And Wilson made sure of the win by laying on a third for substitute Afobe with a hard, low cross.
BOURNEMOUTH (4-2-3-1): Goals: MIDDLESBROUGH (4-4-1-1): Booked: