Newcastle United missed the chance to win a club-record 10th consecutive season as they plunged into a dire situation 1:4 home defeat against Bournemouth in the Premier League.
Goals from Justin Kluivert at both ends of the first half saw Bournemouth go into the break with a one-goal lead, with Bruno Guimaraes equalizing for the hosts midway through the opening period.
Newcastle struggled to create many clear-cut opportunities after the break and were eventually punished by Kluivert, who scored his hat-trick in stoppage time, while Milos Kerkez added a fourth goal in the 96th minute.
How the game developed
Newcastle looked to make history at St James’ Park but got off to a surprisingly slow start and were quickly punished by Bournemouth. Having already seen Dango Ouattara and Antoine Semenyo miss opportunities, Kluivert – whose father Patrick briefly played for Newcastle – fired a superb low shot beyond Martin Dubravka to give the Cherries the lead after just six minutes.
Midway through the first half, Newcastle gained momentum and took advantage of the sustained pressure to equalize. Lewis Hall’s struck corner landed on the head of the unmarked Guimaraes, whose effort curled beyond the weakly outstretched palm of Kepa Arrizabalaga.
The extremely exciting first half continued to provide excitement at St James’ Park as both teams traded blows. Bournemouth’s Ouattara saw several half-chances come and go, while Anthony Gordon’s deflected shot whistled past Kepa’s near post at the other end.
Guimaraes had scored Newcastle’s equalizer but turned into the villain just before half-time. The Brazilian released the ball deep in his own half and Bournemouth took full advantage, Ouattara fed Kluivert and the Dutch striker fired his second shot of the afternoon beyond Dubravka.
Several fierce tackles sparked a scuffle just before half-time when referee Stuart Attwell showed three yellow cards and Sandro Tonali almost brought Newcastle’s second equalizer with the last shot of the half. The Italian’s volley was saved by Kepa, ending a riveting first half.
Bournemouth continued to play with impressive intensity after the half-time whistle and thought they had extended their lead after the hour mark. Ouattara converted David Brooks’ cross from close range, but the goal was rightly ruled out by the video assistant coach as the ball was no longer in play at the start of the attack.
Newcastle couldn’t cope with Bournemouth’s speed and direct counter-attacking approach and the Cherries almost scored the decisive third goal in the 69th minute. Brooks’ shot near the post forced Dubravka to move towards his far post as he shot the ball off the goal line to keep the hosts in the game.
However, Dubravka was helpless as the sensational Kluivert secured the points in the 92nd minute. Bournemouth won possession high up the pitch and Tyler Adams’ interception fell to the Dutchman, who fired a superb shot beyond the Slovak goalkeeper.
However, Bournemouth weren’t finished there. To further humiliate Newcastle, Kerkez decided to add his name to the scoresheet by thundering a shot beyond Dubravka with his favored left foot, securing a resounding victory.
Newcastle looked unhappy from the first shot against St. James and quickly fell behind. The Magpies were unable to cope with Bournemouth’s intense man-to-man pressing approach as they regularly gave up the ball in their own half and tried to play through their visitors.
Despite Bournemouth being decimated by injuries, his energy levels never wavered for a second on Tyneside. The pressure forced Guimaraes to make a mistake as they scored before half-time and their third goal came with a similar recovery of the ball in stoppage time, edging Newcastle to the Magpies’ corner flag despite the clock running out.
The Magpies are usually the team to outscore their opponents with a strong midfield, tenacious defense and quick forwards, but on Saturday they were defeated by Andoni Iraola’s relentless Cherries.
Alexander Isak was The He has been the Premier League’s best player for the last six weeks and started Saturday’s affair having scored on spin in his last eight league games. However, he had little chance against Bournemouth’s impressive central defenders.
Illia Zabarnyi and Dean Huijsen both produced exceptional performances to keep Newcastle’s formidable forward line quiet, with Isak managing just a single shot and an expected goals total of just 0.06 on Saturday lunchtime.
Few defenses were able to suppress the Swede, but Bournemouth did just that, pushing him out wide and resorting to tackles when necessary. Given Jamie Vardy’s 11-game goal streak, Isak will have to start from scratch if he wants to set a new Premier League record.
Bournemouth continued to put Newcastle under constant pressure down the pitch, but their tactics only worked because of their ruthlessness on the counterattack. The likes of Brooks, Ouattara and Semenyo all shone with their pace as the Cherries quickly moved forward through turnovers, although it was Kluivert who will grab the headlines after a deft hat-trick and an incredible performance.
The Cherries proved far too devastating for a surprisingly disjointed Newcastle defense that struggled to cope with direct runs and raw pace. Their clinical lead gave them the victory and a deserved victory in a difficult venue.
Bournemouth’s midfield also deserves huge credit for winning the ball back with regularity, but it was the forward quartet that decided the game with their bravery and ingenuity in the final third.