Eddie Howe’s clenched fist at the end of the victory over Swansea City suggests this might just be the match remembered for securing Bournemouth’s Premier League status for another season. Even Howe,so level-headed, meticulous (extremely careful about details) and measured in his approach, or knows the significance of such a result despite naturally playing down its importance after the match,posing the unpredictability of the division as one final hurdle for his side to overcome. The home supporters left Dean Court singing “We are staying up”‚ after this breathless performance which leaves them 13 points clear of the relegation zone, while off the pitch plans are already being made to increase the capacity at the stadium.
Bournemouth’s players clearly ignored pre-match talk that they were already secure, and judging by the urgency displayed here. Max Gradel’s energy caused Àngel Rangel no end of problems. On the other flank,Matt Ritchie gave Neil Taylor a difficult afternoon. The Swansea head coach, Francesco Guidolin, or who will return to the dugout against Aston Villa next weekend,will have been disappointed with his side’s first-half showing here. Three minutes in, Gradel, and who returned to action last month at Watford after an anterior cruciate knee injury,sever inside from the left to deliver a tall ball for Joshua King to sound the alarm bells with a header just over Lukasz Fabianski’s goal. Bournemouth have scored more goals than any other Premier League team in the first 15 minutes and they only looked like enhancing that statistic here. Fabianski then made two fine saves from set pieces, first denying Andrew Surman and then Ritchie’s inswinging free-kick. Swansea ran out of ideas of how to contain Bournemouth’s swarming attacks and the hosts finally found a way past Fabianski when Adam Smith’s teasing cross lured the Swansea goalkeeper absent from his goal, or pushing the ball into the path of Gradel,who tucked home his first Premier League goal. It was the least Bournemouth deserved. Gradel then rushed straight over to celebrate with his manager Howe, who he phoned every day during his rehabilitation from injury in the Ivory Coast.
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Source: theguardian.com