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51 min: James Hill takes a long throw into the opposition penalty area from near the corner flag but Sunderland are able to clear their lines.
49 min: Adams and Jimenez combine out on the right flank before working the ball inside to Senesi. He sends a high ball looping into the Sunderland penalty area, where Roefs leaps to claim under pressure from Evanilson.
47 min: Enzo Le Fee picks out a Diarra run in behind the Bournemouth defence. The Senegal international finds himself one on one with Petrovic and forces the Bournemouth goalkeeper into a good save. He should have scored!
47 min: Chemsdine Talbi curls a cross into the Bournemouth penalty from the left but his delivery is far too close to Petrovic, who gathers with a minimum of fuss.
Second half: Bournemouth 0-1 Sunderland
46 min: Play resumes and Bournemouth have made a change, bringing on Evanilson for David Brooks.
Half-time: Bournemouth 0-1 Sunderland
A fairly even match reaches half-time with Sunderland in front courtesy of an Eliezer Mayenda tap-in after excellent work from Dan Ballard and Habib Diarra. Both sides have had decent penalty appeals turned down, with the shout going against Sunderland for a blatant Jimenez shove on Le Fee being the more egregious. Bournemouth have passed up a couple of half-decent opportunities to equalise and Sunderland are just about worth their lead.
45+2 min: Jimenez advances up the inside left and plays the ball wide to Rayan again. He drills in a low cross from the byline but Kroupi is unable to steer the ball on target from a very tight angle. It’s half-time.
45 min: Jimenez sprays the ball wide for Rayan and Bournemouth win a corner. Brooks’ inswinger from the left is headed back towards him by a Sunderland defender.
43 min: Bournemouth win a free-kick wide on the left. Truffart curls the ball towards Rayan, who wins the header and sends the ball acrossd the face of goal. It only meets the head of Mayenda and Roefs tidies up.
41 min: Enzo Le Fee curls a corner towards the near post, where Alex Scott hoofs it clear. It would be fair to say that Sunderland are not making the most of their set-piece opportunities so far this afternoon.
39 min: David Brooks curls a cross from the left into the Sunderland penalty area but is unable to pick out Eli Kroupi, who is beaten by the bounce of the ball at the far post.
36 min: Bournemouth have a penalty appeal of their own turned down as Granit Xhaka appears to wrestle Rayan to the ground at a James Hill long-throw. I’ve seen them given but they usually aren’t.
35 min: Marcus Tavernier curls a free-kick from just outside the penalty area around the outside of the defensive wall and on target. Roefs punches it away. Noah Sadiki was booked for kicking the ball away after Geertruida had fouled Tyler Adams to concede the free-kick.
32 min: With the ball at his feet way outside his penalty area, Roefs is pressed hard by Kroupi and both men go to ground. Bournemouth’s players appeal somewhat optimistically for a red card, Sunderland get a free-kick.
31 min: Alex Scott pulls a low shot from a just outside the Sunderland penalty area a couple of feet wide of the upright. It was a fairly weak effort, which I think Roefs would have dealt with.
29 min: Had Scott managed to beat Roefs with that effort, Bournemouth’s equaliser would have been a near replica of Sunderland’s opener.
28 min: Roefs spills a Tavernier shot from distance and the ball breaks towards Alex Scott. The Sunderland goalkeeper is able to smother the follow-up shot before one of his defenders hacks the ball clear.
25 min: Senesi is penalsied for a foul on Sadiki, giving Sunderland a free-kick wide on the right. The delivery from Xhaka is overhit and the ball sails straight into the waiting arms of Petrovic.
23 min: A searching ball from Jimenez across the face of goal is expertly put out for a corner by Geertruida at the far post before David Brooks can tap home an equaliser. It was an excellent cross from Jimenez, followed by a superb bit of defending.
21 min: Petrovic actually spilled that low Diarra drive into the path of Mayenda, who was in the right place at the right time to take advantage from close range.
GOAL! Bournemouth 0-1 Sunderland (Mayenda 18)
Sunderland lead! Great movement from Diarra and a brillant pass from Ballard to the midfielder results in the Sunderland striker hammering a low diagonal shot past Petrovic. Mayenda is on hand to tap in.
18 min: I should also add that I have no problem with refs making mistakes, but Gillett’s view of that blatant shove in the back could not have been more clear. Anyway …
16 min: “I have no skin in this game, but that is absolutely scandalous refereeing and VAR work on the Le Fee non-penalty,” writes Cathal O’Flaherty. “Ref had a clear view of a blatant shove in the back and bottled it, and there’s even less excuse for VAR not to intervene. They should enjoy next weekend off for that.”
It’s worth mentioning that as a Sunderland fan, I do have skin in this game but I’d imagine even the most dyed-in-the-wool Bournemouth fan would admit they got away with a big one there.
14 min: Having started poorly and taken advantage of some early leniency from the referee, Bournemouth currently have the momentum.
13 min: A Tyler Adams cross into the Sunderland penalty area is headed clear but Bournemouth continue to pile on the pressure.
11 min: Kroupi drags a shot wide from a great position in the Sunderland penalty area. He really should have scored after Bournemouth had won the ball high up the pitch, pressing Habib Diarra to within an inch of his life and forcing him to cough up cheap possession.
10 min: Bournemouth win their first corner, a Tavernier cross from the left getting put behind before Eli Jr Kroupi can get to the ball. Nothing comes of the set-piece.
9 min: A Senesi ball from deep is intercepted by Dan Ballard and Sunderland win a throw-in on the halfway line. Trai Hume appears to be struggling with what looks like a groin injury. He’s soldiering on for now.
8 min: Xhaka raises his right arm and then whips the corner into the side-netting.
7 min: Sunderland win a free-kick in a good area, in line with the left side of the Bournemouth penalty area. Le Fee lofts the ball towards the far post and it’s nodded behind for a corner.
6 min: Both Le Fee and Granit Xhaka were completely baffled by Gillett’s decision not to award Sunderland a penalty for that foul on the young Frenchman by Jimenez. I can’t say I blame them.
4 min: Sunderland have an excellent shout for the penalty turned down as Enzo Le Fee is barged off the ball by Alejandro Jimenez, who made no attempt whatsoever to play it. Jarred Gillett had a clear view of the inciident but doesn’t intervene. That’s a big let-off for Bournemouth.
3 min: Lutsharel Geertruida takes another throw-in, this one near the halfway line. Sunderland get the ball upfield and Noah Sadiki has a shot deflected. Despite being wrongfooted, Petrovic gets down to make the save.
2 min: Roefs’ Bournemouth counterpart Djordje Petrovic gets the ball to feet and follows suit with a long ball upfield. Sunderland win an early throw-in which their left-back Trai Hume takes.
Bournemouth v Sunderland is go ...
1 min: Sunderland get the ball rolling, their players wearing blue shirts, white shorts and blue socks. Robin Roefs gets and early touch and wellies the ball upfield.
Not long now: The teams are in the tunnel at the Vitality Stadium on a sunny afternoon in Bournemouth – a pleasant change from the horizontal rain in which the hosts seem to have played most of their home matches in recent months. With Metallica blaring over the tannoy, the players march out led by Jarred Gillett and his team of match officials. Kick-off is just a few minutes away.
Eliezer Mayenda: The 20-year-old from Zaragoza starts up fron for Sunderland in place of the injured Brian Brobbey this afternoon. Mayenda scored Sunderland’s first goal upon their return to the Premier League in a 3-0 win over West Ham on the opening day of the season but has not found the net in 16 appearances in all competitions since.
Andoni Iraola: “It’s a team that has played really well this season,” he said of today’s visitors. “Starting from the goalkeeper - he has been very, very good for them. He has a really long kick so it puts you under pressure really early. Every free-kick and every set-piece situation, they put a lot of pressure on you, they manage the situations very well.”
Regis Le Bris: “We are in a tough league – a young team with injuries, suspensions and different events,” said Sunderland’s head coach, upon being asked about his side’s run of three league defeats. “We expected that a bit earlier [in the season]. It is not the best period from a results perspective. We are learning a lot, and it is often in these tough phases that you are learning more.”
Speaking about the racist abuse to which winger Romaine Mundle was subjected on social media following Sunderland’s defeat against Fulham, Le Bris said the club “stand with” their player, adding: “There is no room for racism or abuse in football. That is clear for us. We stand for respect and inclusion. Diversity is the values of football and the values of the club.”
Fun fact: The Bournemouth striker Eli Jr Kroupi began his professional career as a 16-year-old playing for Lorient under the current Sunderland gaffer Regis Le Bris. In an interview with Le Telgramme this week, the comparatively elderly 19-year-old said he was looking forward to being reunited with the coach who gave him his first senior start.
“I never would have imagined this, it’s wonderful,” he said. “We’re not on the same side this time. I was like a child entering a dream; it was truly wonderful for me, and for my parents too. Football is my life. If I didn’t have it, I don’t know where I’d be today.”
Today’s match officials
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Referee: Jarred Gillett
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Assistants: Neil Davies and Steve Meredith
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Fourth official: Matt Donohue
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VAR: James Bell
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Assistant VAR: Craig Taylor
The Vitality Stadium: Bournemouth got in touch with up to 600 season ticket holders in recent days, informing them via email that they will have to move from their current seats to make way for extra hospitality seating that is included in the Vitality Stadium extension plan.
Many of the fans who are being affected are unhappy with the situation, presumably on the grounds that those being forced to make way for the Prawn Sandwich Brigade already have the best seats in the house. The subject of their displeasure was raised at Andoni Iraola’s press conference yesterday.
“I’ve been asking also about these things,” he said. “About how we’re going to save the situation, what’s going to be built, what’s it going to be in two years, how it’s going to be provisionally and I think that it’s a moment where the club has to make important decisions. It’s important to get it right first time. The club has to hear what the supporters want and we have to, all together, get it right because we need to create the best atmosphere we can in our stadium.”
With his contract due to expire at the end of this season, there’s a very good chance the in-demand Iraola will not be around to enjoy the Vitality Stadium glow-up but it’s nice to see him taking unpopular decisions made by the club hierarchy seriously.
Those teams: Andoni Iraola makes two changes to the Bournemouth side that drew with West Ham last time out. Marcus Tavernier and David Brooks come into the side, with Amine Adli and Evanilson dropping to the bench.
There are four changes to the Sunderland side that started against Fulham last weekend, with three of them enforced. Mackems everywhere will be delighted to see club captain Granit Xhaka come back into the side to make his first start in six weeks, while Lutsharel Geertruida, Eliezer Mayenda and Chemsdine Talbi also come in. January signing Nilson Angulo makes way and is among the substitutes, while Jocelin Ta Bi, Nordi Mukiele and Brian Brobbey are injured.
Bournemouth v Sunderland line-ups
Bournemouth: Petrovic, Jimenez, Hill, Senesi, Truffert, Scott, Adams, Brooks, Rayan, Kroupi, Tavernier.
Subs: Mandas, Evanilson, Christie, Smith, Diakite, Adli, Enes Unal, Toth, Milosavljevic.
Sunderland: Roefs, Geertruida, Ballard, Alderete, Hume, Sadiki, Xhaka, Le Fee, Diarra, Mayenda, Talbi.
Subs: Ellborg, O’Nien, Rigg, H. Jones, Jen. Jones, Aleksic, Angulo, Traore, Isidor.
Early team news
At his pre-match press conference, Andoni Iraola revealed that Lewis Cook’s hamstring injury is worse than first feared and is likely to keep him out until after the March international break. Ben Gannon-Doak is also hoping to be back at around the same time. Justin Kluivert and Julio Soler are also unavailable.
Following his captain’s return from injury as a substitute against Fulham last weekend, Regis Le Bris said Granit Xhaka “might” start this afternoon. Romaine Mundle and Jocelin Ta Bi will be sidelined for “a few weeks or months” on the back of injuries they sustained against Fulham, while Nordi Mukiele and Brian Brobbey will be assessed. This game has come too soon for Dennis Cirkin, who is expected to be back in 10 days, while Bertrand Traore is back in full training.
Premier League: Bournemouth v Sunderland
Today’s early kick-off hasn’t deterred travelling Sunderland fans, some of whom were pictured on social media at midnight, boarding their coaches ahead of a 1,098-kilometre (682 miles) round trip to Bournemouth. They’ll have arrived at around 8am and now fortified by hearty breakfasts, some bracing southern sea air (that obviously isn’t as bracing as their northern sea air) and liquid refreshments, will be hoping to see their team end a run of three consecutive league defeats against one of the top flight’s most in-form sides.
Unbeaten in seven matches, four of which they’ve won, Bournemouth are very much in the mix for European qualification and will still be entertaining faint hopes of sneaking into the fifth place position that will almost certainly guarantee Champions League football next season. A win today will move them to within four points of Chelsea and Liverpool in fifth and sixth, and a seventh placed finish ought to be enough to secure European football of some kind next season. Back in 12th, a win for Sunderland would move them to within one of the magic 40-point mark. Kick-off at the Vitality Stadium is at 12.30pm (GMT) but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
