Will Unwin was at Turf Moor: here’s his report.
Lewis Cook, today’s outstanding player, spoke to Sky: “It is massive. We went on a run in the early part of the season and we want to replicate that, the past month has not been the best.”
Josh Cullen, Burnley’s captain, spoke to the BBC: “We can be pleased with a lot of the parts of our game but the overriding emotion is bitterly disappointed we haven’t got anything to show for it.
“We started the game really well, we were on top and creating chances but one chance for them and you get punished. We are learning the hard way. After last week we had to show a bit of fight and spirit today. I think we did that. The desire and spirt was there.
“Every decision that has been a close one this season seems to go against us. We won’t stop fighting until the day is done and there’s still enough points left to get us out of this situation.”
The table looks grand for Bournemouth, bleak for Burnley.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 27 | 39 | 63 |
| 2 | Man City | 26 | 33 | 59 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 26 | 39 | 58 |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 27 | 22 | 55 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 26 | 16 | 50 |
| 6 | Man Utd | 26 | 0 | 44 |
| 7 | West Ham | 27 | -4 | 42 |
| 8 | Newcastle | 27 | 12 | 40 |
| 9 | Brighton | 27 | 5 | 39 |
| 10 | Wolverhampton | 27 | -3 | 38 |
| 11 | Chelsea | 26 | 1 | 36 |
| 12 | Fulham | 27 | -3 | 35 |
| 13 | AFC Bournemouth | 26 | -12 | 31 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 27 | -15 | 28 |
| 15 | Brentford | 27 | -11 | 26 |
| 16 | Everton | 27 | -8 | 25 |
| 17 | Nottm Forest | 27 | -15 | 24 |
| 18 | Luton | 26 | -17 | 20 |
| 19 | Burnley | 27 | -35 | 13 |
| 20 | Sheff Utd | 26 | -44 | 13 |
Here’s the goal that sealed it for Bournemouth
Absolutely STUNNING solo effort from Antoine Semenyo pic.twitter.com/hh9209CbQE
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 3, 2024
Full-time: Burnley 0-2 Bournemouth
Burnley gave it everything but it wasn’t nearly enough. And that would seem to condemn them to next season’s Championship. They may soon run out of games, having not won in nine. Bournemouth win for the first time in 2024, two counterattacking goals getting the job done.
90+4 min: “Sacked in the morning” goes the Bournemouth song to Big Vin. That seems unlikely. “We are staying up” is the other song. That’s highly likely.
90+2 min: Trafford, under heavy pressure, has to hoik the ball into the sky. He’s a keeper under pressure from fans, too, the £15m man. Not that he could do much for either goals.
90 min: Six minutes added on, after both teams make changes in the aftermath of that decisive goal.
A double substitution ⬅️ pic.twitter.com/fSQJwcYebT
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) March 3, 2024
88' Rodriguez and Gudmundsson replace O'Shea and Cullen.
— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) March 3, 2024
0-2
89 min: Bournemouth may just have secured Premier League football for next season with that goal. They’ve also gone some way to condemning Burnley to the Championship. Attacking quality has told here.
Goal! Burnley 0-2 Bournemouth (Semenyo, 88)
He’s had a few sighters, but Lewis Cook, who created the first, sends away Semenyo, and his shot is deflected past a dumbfounded Trafford.
Updated
87 min: Perhaps David Moyes has headed to the Etihad. Has he missed a grandstand finish here? The signs aren’t positive as Neto leaps to claim the ball with no challenge on him.
85 min: Here comes Burnley’s big push. Or does it? Odobert clanks a cross behind the goalline. Too wasteful, too often.
84 min: Burnley fans baying for blood after Smith smashes into Taylor. It’s a yellow only.
83 min: It’s Bournemouth on the attack now but Adam Smith, who’s had a good game, makes a horlicks of a pass and the attack comes to its end.
81 min: David Moyes, at Turf Moor on a scouting mission, has left the building. Trying to beat the traffic, no doubt. He still lives locally, Lytham way. Lovely spot.
79 min: James Trafford is way out of his goal as Burnley try and push up. Then sells O’Shea short with a pass. That’s the issue of the sweeper-keeper. As good on the ball as they might be, there’s still a chance they can be something of a clodhopper.
77 min: Burnley eventually make a change. Vitinho, who seemed to have run himself out, is replaced by Manuel Benson.
76 min: Another chance for Semenyo, who cuts in from the right and shoots. Wide again. The Bournemouth chances are stacking up.
75 min: Fine forward play – genuine quality – from Solanke, who holds the ball up, and plays in Semenyo who misses. That deserved a better finish.
73 min: Kluivert, the goalscorer, is off, and on comes Big Phil Billing. Semenyo meanwhile, drifts a cross that nobody seems to want to chase. Funny game, this. And perhaps a good indicator as to why both teams have been on such ruinous runs.
Updated
71 min: Burnley want a penner, Alex Scott stepping across and the ball takes a while to go dead to see if VAR will rule it. Odobert tried to buy that, and his money was refused.
70 min: Big Vin makes the change: Amdouni is on for Bruun Larsen.
68 min: More boos as Tavernier clatters Cullen and only gets a yellow. The home fans audible now, in questioning the probity of the Premier League. Vitinho is booked for dissent, too. David Coote is not a popular man.
Updated
67 min: Burnley have the ball in the net. Cullen taps in after Bruun Larsen beats Adam Smith to the ball in the air. But foul given. Adam Smith bought that foul. And the boos ring out. Big Vin is aghast.
66 min: No-nonsense stuff from Kerkez who comes out to wallop the ball into the stands to put a Vitinho sortie to its end. The Bournemouth fans are now mocking the volume levels among the Burnley fans.
64 min: There’s movement on the Burnley bench, and Big Vin is trying to change his team. He needs to do something, frankly.
62 min: Bournemouth not afraid of the long ball, either. That seems to be the next step from high pressing. Launching it over the press. Progress, they call it.
60 min: Bournemouth seem happy to sit back and soak up the not exactly white-hot pressure from Burnley. Neto is being well protected by his defenders.
58 min: Burnley’s buildup play is, by contrast, rather slow. Taylor’s cross is cleared away by Zabarnyi.
56 min: Bournemouth show their danger on the counter. Kluivert is sent away and Solanke shoots and Trafford saves well. Then Semenyo and Tavernier link and misses the target. The attacking quality in this match lies with the visitors.
55 min: The fans are trying to pep up this rather tepid affair. Burnley are at the stage of the season where they ought to be fighting for their lives but it’s all rather antiseptic.
52 min: A game that had a fizz in the first half seems to have lost its fire. For Bournemouth, Alex Scott goes down after a challenge from Berge. It doesn’t look like a penalty and it’s not given, either.
50 min: Andy in Abu Dhabi gets in touch: “Regarding your bizarre comment about Sweden being pretty, but ineffectual in 93-94 - that’ll be the Sweden that finished 3rd in the 94 World Cup?”
Andy in Abu Dhabi gets in touch again: “Oh never mind - you said Swindon, not Sweden. As you were.”
48 min: Burnley look to reassert the territorial dominance they enjoyed in the first half but Bruun Larsen.
46 min: Back away we go. Bournemouth have made a change as Alex Scott comes on for Ryan Christie. Scott has real talent, the former Bristol City player.
Half-time: Burnley 0-1 Bournemouth
The difference between the teams is that Justin Kluivert managed to finish a chance while Burnley have struggled to create too much, while looking far too vulnerable in defence. The teams leave the field to a chorus of boos.
45+6 min: Semenyo, already on a booking, fouls Esteve with a shove. The free-kick from Bruun Larsen is poor.
45+3 min: A Bournemouth corner, taken by Cook, and it comes to Tavernier whose shot is so bad it ends up being a rather decent crossfield pass.
45+1 min: Six minutes has been added on, and within the first, Vitinho heads over.
45 min: OOOH! Bruun Larsen thwacks it and Neto makes a fine save, the ball coming back off the crossbar and out again.
44 min: Free-kick in a promising position after Cullen is cropped down by Kluivert. That hurt, it was nasty. A yellow card is waved. VAR looks at a possible red but he will stay on the field for now.
42 min: Burnley go closest yet. Fofana in a one on one with Neto, and the ball then falling to Bruun Larsen, Adam Smith slides in to block. Meanwhile, Semenyo is booked for hauling down Bruun Larsen.
41 min: It’s oh so quiet at Turf Moor. The Bournemouth fans will have had an early start for their 570 mile round trip. Burnley fans hum with dissatisfaction.
39 min: Esteve trips up Solanke, who had drawn the foul. Free-kick in a dangerous position. Tavernier will take, and he whips in with his left but not below the bar.
37 min: Cook’s pass down the flanks is intercepted, and the ball is back with Trafford. Tavernier then robs Assignon and Bournemouth choose to slow their attack rather than take their usual direct route. Neither team is much cop at holding on to the ball.
35 min: Big Vin Kompany’s countertenor voice can be heard to fill the Lancashire air.
34 min: Bournemouth starting to edge up, compress the game a bit more. Burnley seem incapable of putting anything together. That said, Odobert gets a strike in on goal that Neto watches fly by. Josh Cullen had at last found a gap.
32 min: Have Burnley run out of ideas? It feels that way.
30 min: Big Vin Kompany is complaining to the ref that Bournemouth are timewasting. He has a case, too.
28 min: Lots of nice passing by Burnley but it’s all a bit Swindon 1993-94 – pretty but ineffectual. Bournemouth seem happy to stay back and soak it up.
27 min: Duncan Edwards gets in touch: “My Fantasy team desperately needs a big gameweek from a couple of Bournemouth players, which usually proves to be the kiss of death. Sorry Senesi and Solanke.”
Senesi’s already in the team bath.
25 min: Odobert shoots…it’s blocked and he goes down heavily. He looks to be in pain but once the ref – David Coote – waves play on, there’s a quick recovery. What are the chances?
24 min: Solanke and Kluivert link, and then Tavernier smashes over the bar. Real danger when Bournemouth go on the attack.
23 min: Vitinho’s cross is cleared after some more work by Cullen. And he gets another go, Vitinho, when Assignon escapes a dozing Tavernier but the shot flies over.
21 min: The corner is taken short. Esteve has chance to shoot but can only connect with fresh air.
20 min: Bournemouth are defending well in closing off the channels Burnley are looking to find. The likes of Josh Cullen are seeing plenty of the ball in midfield. Vitinho forces a corner after a long spell of possession.
18 min: Burnley continue to dominate possession. They are struggling to emulate the cutting edge Bournemouth showed. It was Lewis Cook who played the long ball for Kluivert.
16 min: Burnley want a penalty. Semenyo slides in, and clears from Charlie Taylor. VAR check says “quack quack oops” and there will be no spot-kick.
14 min: Big Vin Kompany a sickened man. And he has every right to be. His team struggle so badly to defend.
Goal! Burnley 0-1 Bournemouth (Kluivert, 13)
Oh Burnley. Long ball in behind and Burnley do not clear their lines, and it’s a belting finish. James Trafford will not be keeping his third clean sheet.
Updated
12 min: Chris Mepham comes on for Bournemouth as Senesi limps off, holding his hammy. Ouch.
11 min: Bournemouth’s Senesi’s day looks to be done. He launches the ball off the pitch and goes to ground. The signal is made for a sub to come on. Looks like a muscle problem. “Gerroff,” shouts one of the more polite Burnley fans.
9 min: First Bournemouth attack and Tavernier escapes down the flank. It’s cleared, but hurriedly. That’s the danger the visitors possess. A word for Charlie Taylor, who knocked the ball away when sliding in. Great play.
8 min: Free-kick after Charlie Taylor is fouled. Bruun Larsen takes again but the angle is all wrong for those attacking the ball. Big Vin is enjoying his team’s showing. They’ve been excellent.
6 min: Smith hacks behind. It’s Burnley doing the high pressing here. They have a corner. Bruun Larsen takes and Fofana hesitates when the ball is there for the taking.
4 min: All Burnley at the moment and the bad news for Bournemouth is that Solanke is walking with a limp. Odobert forces a low save from Neto.
3 min: Some good defending from Zabarnyi stops Fofana in his tracks as Burnley begin with gusto. Vitinho also goes on a mazy dribble but then runs out of road.
1 min: Away we go, Burnley hopefully roused by a very loud PA system announcer. Big Vin Kompany is masticating furiously on the bench, he looks very nervous.
Burnley’s O’Shea is booked – amazingly early – for timewasting in trying to delay a Bournemouth throw. That must be the earliest booking of the season.
The teams take to the pitch: can Burnley win just their second home game of the season?
Vincent Kompany spoke earlier to Sky Sports: “The lads have to show it on the pitch, we have to live it today on the pitch. I imagine a fairly entertaining game today between two teams who want to get a result and hopefully it will be a result for us.
“I can’t look past this game today, I don’t want to think about anything but getting three points today. Only thing that matters for me is this team to show what they are capable of. We are not the favourite in any game, we are not today either. We have to be at our best to get a result and the only way to achieve that is to be our best from the start.”
Bournemouth manager Adoni Iraola spoke to Sky Sports: “It is difficult there is less games remaining, every point is valuable and we want to win especially after the Man City [loss] and Newcastle [draw], we played well but we didn’t get much - we need the three points. We are in a good spot and football wise and we have players performing well but it’s true defensively we have not been good the past games.
“Hopefully today we have the chances and score the goals.”
Excellent interview with Henrik Larsson here, as done by Michael Butler.
For Burnley, Josh Brownhill is suspended and midfielder Johann Berg Gudmundsson and forward Zeki Amdouni are on the bench. In come Vitinho, Josh Cullen and Jacob Bruun Larsen. No changes for Bournemouth since their narrow defeat to Manchester City, which means Dom Solanke is fit to start. He missed the midweek FA Cup loss to Leicester.
The teams
Burnley: Trafford, Vitinho, O’Shea, Esteve, Taylor, Assignon,Berge, Cullen, Odobert, Fofana, Bruun Larsen. Subs: Cork Gudmundsson, Rodriguez, Benson, Ekdal, Amdouni, Ndayishimiye, Delcroix, Muric.
AFC Bournemouth: Neto, Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez, Christie, Cook, Semenyo, Kluivert, Tavernier, Solanke. Subs: Mepham, Faivre, Ouattara, Scott, Sinisterra, Unal, Billing, Travers, Kinsey-Wellings.
Referee: David Coote (Nottinghamshire)
Preamble
It’s fair to say this is not one of the Premier League’s blue-riband fixtures but it’s an important game nonetheless. For Burnley in particular. Safety is not yet beyond full reach but lose to Bournemouth and, well, the gig looks pretty much done. Burnley have lost 10 of their 13 Premier League home games this season, and that cannot be allowed to continue. Bournemouth are not exactly flourishing. Their earlier season form has seen them right, but they have collected just three points in 2024. Problem is that Burnley have collected fewer than that. They’ve had bad runs before under Andoni Iraola, victory in the reverse fixture was his first league win, and the 10th attempt. It all adds up to an edgy affair, and one that could go either way.
Kick-off is 1pm UK time. Join me.
