Newcastle United missed out on a club-record 10th consecutive win as they stumbled in dismal fashion Defeated 4-1 at home to Bournemouth in the Premier League.
Goals from Justin Kluivert at either end of the first half took Bournemouth into the break with one goal apiece, with Bruno Guimaraes equalizing midway through the first half for the hosts.
Newcastle struggled to create many clear-cut openings after the break and were eventually punished by Kluivert when he scored his hat-trick in stoppage time, with Milos Kerkez adding a fourth in the 96th minute.
How the match unfolded
Newcastle were looking to make history at St James’ Park but made a surprisingly slow start and were quickly punished by Bournemouth. Having already seen Dango Ouattara and Antoine Semenyo spurn chances, Kluivert – whose father Patrick briefly played for Newcastle – fired a superb low shot beyond Martin Dubravka to send the Cherries ahead after just six minutes.
Newcastle started to strike midway through the first half and used constant pressure to equalise. Lewis Hall’s corner fell on the head of an unmarked Guimaraes, whose effort squirmed beyond the weak outstretched palm of Kepa Arrizabalaga.
A thoroughly enthralling first half continued to quicken the pulse inside St James’ Park as both sides traded blows. Bournemouth’s Ouattara saw several half-chances come and go, while Anthony Gordon’s deflected shot went wide of Kepa’s near post at the other end.
Guimaraes equalized for Newcastle but turned into a villain on the stroke of half-time. The Brazilian handed over possession deep in his own half and Bournemouth took full advantage, Ouattara teeing up Kluivert and the Dutch striker slotting home his second of the afternoon beyond Dubravka.
A couple of fierce challenges sparked a brawl moments before the break when referee Stuart Attwell handed out three yellow cards and Sandro Tonali almost scored Newcastle’s second equalizer with the last kick of the half. The Italian’s volley deflected off Kep to conclude a stunning first half.
Bournemouth continued to play with impressive intensity after the half-time whistle and thought they had extended their lead on the hour mark. Ouattara headed home David Brooks’ cross from close range, but the shot was rightly ruled out by VAR after the ball went out of play earlier in the attack.
Newcastle could not cope with Bournemouth’s speed and direct approach on the counter-attack, and the Cherries almost scored a third goal in the 69th minute. Brooks’ near post sent Dubravka scrambling towards his far post as he grabbed the ball from the goal line to keep the hosts in the game.
However, Dubravka remained powerless because the sensational Kluivert closed the points in the 92nd minute. Bournemouth took possession high up the pitch and Tyler Adams’ cross was good for the Dutchman, who curled a brilliant shot past the Slovakian keeper.
But Bournemouth did not end there. Just to further humiliate Newcastle, Kerkez decided to add his name to the scorers, sealing a convincing victory with a thunderous effort over Dubravka on his favored left foot.
Newcastle looked undercooked from the first kick of St. James and quickly found himself behind. The Magpies could not cope with Bournemouth’s man-to-man, intense pressing as they regularly surrendered possession in their own half trying to play through their visitors.
Despite being decimated by injuries, Bournemouth didn’t let their energy levels drop for a second on Tyneside. The pressure forced a mistake from Guimaraes as they scored before the break and their third came with a similar possession recovery in stoppage time, upsetting Newcastle for a Magpies corner flag despite the clock ticking down.
The Magpies are usually a team that overwhelms their opponents with a strong midfield, stubborn defense and speedy forwards, but they were outclassed by Andoni Iraola’s relentless Cherries on Saturday.
Aleksandar Isak was the An established player in the Premier League over the past six weeks and enters Saturday’s affair having scored in his previous eight league appearances on the spin. However, he hardly had a nose against Bournemouth’s imposing centre-halves.
Illia Zabarnyi and Dean Huijsen produced outstanding performances to keep Newcastle’s formidable forward line quiet, with Isak managing just one shot and an expected goals total of just 0.06 at lunchtime on Saturday.
Few defenses have been able to stifle the Swede, but Bournemouth did just that, forcing him wide and attacking when needed. Given Jamie Vardy’s 11-goal streak, Isak will have to start from scratch if he wants to set a new Premier League record.
Bournemouth constantly pressed Newcastle all over the pitch, but their tactics only worked thanks to their ruthlessness on the break. Brooks, Ouattara and Semenyo all shone with their pace as the Cherries quickly progressed with turnovers, even if it was Kluivert who would grab the headlines after an expertly taken hat-trick and incredible performance.
The Cherries proved too devastating for a surprisingly disjointed Newcastle defence, which struggled to cope with direct runners and raw pace. Their clinical sharpness saw them through to victory and gave them a well-deserved win on a tough pitch.
Bournemouth’s midfield must also take huge credit, winning the ball back regularly, but the front four decided the game with their bravery and ingenuity in the final third.
READ THE LATEST PREMIER LEAGUE NEWS, RUMORS AND GOSSIP
