| AFC Bournemouth 1 v 2 Ipswich Town FA Premier League Wednesday, 2nd April 2025 Kick-off 19:45 |  |
AFC Bournemouth 1-2 Ipswich Town - Match Report Wednesday, 2nd Apr 2025 21:49 Nathan Broadhead’s first Premier League goal and Liam Delap’s 11th goal of the season saw the Blues to a 2-1 victory over AFC Bournemouth, reducing the gap to safety to nine points. Broadhead gave the Blues the lead after good work from Julio Enciso in the 34th minute, Delap smashed in the second on the hour, before Evanilson pulled one back for the Cherries, but Town held on to claim their first Premier League win of 2025. Town boss Kieran McKenna made six changes, some enforced, with Axel Tuanzebe, Cameron Burgess, Ben Johnson, Sam Morsy, Broadhead and Conor Townsend returning to the XI. Tuanzebe was back on the right of the defence following his hamstring injury and hand operation with Dara O’Shea moving into the middle and Luke Woolfenden dropping to the bench. Burgess replaced Jacob Greaves at left centre-half with the former Hull City man among the subs. Townsend was handed his second Premier League start for the Blues at left-back with Leif Davis absent from the squad. Skipper Morsy was back in midfield with Kalvin Phillips on the bench, despite requiring more than 20 stitches to a foot injury following the Nottingham Forest match 17 days ago. Ben Johnson was wide on the right with Enciso, making his 50th Premier League appearance, on the left and Broadhead in the middle. Omari Hutchinson missed out on a place in the squad due to a knock, while Jaden Philogene was a sub. Liam Delap was the out-and-out striker with Conor Chaplin back on the bench for the first time this year following his knee injury. Bournemouth were without top scorer Justin Kluivert with Alex Scott one of five players coming into the team which lost 2-1 at home to Manchester City in the FA Cup on Sunday. Defenders Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez returned from suspension, while skipper Adam Smith was also back in the team. Lewis Cook was in midfield, while Dango Ouattara started for David Brooks, who joined Marcos Senesi, Tyler Adams and Julior Soler on the bench. The home side saw most of the ball in the early stages but without being able to threaten Alex Palmer’s goal. On 11, a corner on the right was played short to Ryan Christie but his cross failed to find a teammate. Two minutes later, after Johnson had been harshly adjudged to have committed a foul by the corner flag on the left, Smith sent over a free-kick which O’Shea flicked behind for a corner. From the flag-kick, the ball fell to Ouattara on the right of the box from where he sought to cut back towards Scott but O’Shea reacted quickly to get in the way and turn behind. On 20, Johnson’s cross from the right deflected through into Cherries keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga’s arms too far in front of Delap. Three minutes later, with the home side having continued to see most of the ball, Ouattara curled a left-footed effort from the right wide of the far post. In the 24th minute, Burgess flicked on a ball from the right to Ensico on the edge of the box. The Paraguayan seemed hesitant as it arrived and when it came his shot hit Smith. In the aftermath, the ball bounced onto Scott’s arm just outside the area but referee Robert Jones missed it, much to the frustration of the Town players and manager McKenna on the touchline. On 28, with the Blues beginning to get a foothold in the game, Enciso sent an effort from distance over the bar. Four minutes later, Antoine Semenyo unleashed a low effort through to Palmer, which the keeper claimed comfortably. However, the Blues immediately played themselves into trouble, Palmer and Morsy gifting the ball to Christie, who quickly moved it inside to Scott in the box but O’Shea was on hand to block on the line with the keeper beaten. It was a fortunate escape for Town but within a minute they went in front. Enciso, who was becoming increasingly influential, brought the ball across from the left past a number of defenders before feeding Broadhead on the right of the box. The Wales international sent Huijsen to the shops with a clever feint, then confidently put the ball between Kepa’s legs and into the net for his first Premier League goal. A VAR check looked at whether Broadhead had been offside but the goal was confirmed and once the game restarted Enciso continued to look Town’s main threat. On 37, the on-loan Brighton attacker wafted a cross from the left towards Johnson at the far post and only just failed to find the ex-West Ham man. Four minutes later, Cook shot wide from the edge of the box, then, in the 42nd minute, Broadhead played into the path of Jens Cajuste breaking into the area but the Swedish international’s shot from a promising position flew well over. After one uneventful additional minute, it was the Town supporters who cheered the half-time whistle. The home side had begun the game the stronger but without particularly threatening in the opening 25 minutes. The Blues began to come more into it as the half-hour approached with Enciso, in a narrow right-sided role, more involved in the game, running at the Cherries midfield and backline. And - after Bournemouth had spurned their best chance of the half from a Blues mistake - the Paraguayan created Town’s excellent goal, Broadhead finishing with more confidence than you’d imagine for someone who last scored a year and a day ago in the famous 3-2 win against Southampton at Portman Road. Ahead of the restart, Bournemouth swapped Smith for Tyler Adams, while the Blues stuck with the same personnel. The Cherries were first to threaten after the break, Scott hitting a well-struck 25-yard effort which Palmer did well to flip over the bar. Tuanzebe had been caught by a stray arm in the build-up and looked hurt before carrying on. In the 50th minute, Christie hit a low effort through to Palmer, who claimed down to his left. Bournemouth were dominating possession but with the Blues looking to break but with passes going astray as they were getting into threatening positions. On 55, the ball was headed out from under the Town bar following a corner, then Tuanzebe got his head in in front of Illia Zabarnyi from Christie’s cross from the right. The ball still wasn’t clear but Ouattara shot into the side-netting from a tight angle on the right. Christie was injured during that passage of play and was replaced by Senesi and Brooks took over from Scott. As the game reached the hour mark Ouattara blazed deep, deep, deep into the stand behind the goal, before the Blues doubled their lead. Delap played in Townsend on the left of the box and the former West Brom man cut back to the Town striker, who smashed his 11th goal of the season very powerfully past Kepa before the Cherries glovesman could move. A minute after going two goals in front, there was a big scare for the Blues. Tuanzebe clipped Semenyo’s heel as the former Bristol City man broke into the area on the left and referee Jones awarded a penalty. However, VAR took a second look and the contact was clearly outside the box and a free-kick, which came to nothing, was given instead. The Blues weren’t far away from a third goal in the 67th minute when Enciso looped a header over the bar from a corner. But within a minute, the Cherries pulled a goal back. A cross from the left flicked off Johnson and fell to Cook, whose shot was saved down to his right by Palmer. However, the keeper wasn’t able to hold on and Evanilson found the net to make it 2-1. On 72, O’Shea headed powerfully wide at the near post from a corner on the left with the Irishman clearly believing he should have done better. Ahead of the restart, Town swapped Delap, Broadhead and Enciso for George Hirst, Jack Taylor and Jack Clarke. Soon after the changes, Townsend was booked for a foul on Evanilson. Semenyo shot just wide after the ball had ricocheted to him 25 yards out with Bournemouth taking the game to Town and the Blues looking to break, while keeper Palmer’s relaxed approach to taking goal-kicks was annoying the home support. As the game entered its final 10 minutes, Clarke won a corner on the left, then after Kepa had claimed it, Morsy stole the ball back and Clarke teed-up Taylor, who shot over. Before the game restarted, Morsy was replaced by Phillips, the Egyptian international bowing down to pray before leaving the field, again irking the Cherries support. Huijsen was booked for a foul on Clarke in the 84th minute as the former Sunderland man tried to weave his way into the Bournemouth half. With three minutes left on the clock, Bournemouth swapped Zabarnyi for Daniel Jebbison ahead of a free-kick in a dangerous position on the left, which the Blues successfully defended. Town were by now doing little other than defend their final third and clearing the ball. Ahead of the announcement of six additional minutes, Adams sent a ball from deep on the left towards the far post and Semenyo wasn’t too far away from getting something on it. Palmer claimed low balls in from both flanks, then in the 95th minute Johnson was replaced by Philogene. Seconds before the whistle, O’Shea brilliantly headed away a cross from the left, before Philogene tripped Milos Kerkez wide on the left, the ex-Aston Villa forward picking up a yellow card for his trouble. Cherries keeper Kepa went up for the free-kick, but the ball was nodded behind at the far post by Ouattara and moments later referee Jones’s whistle triggered a huge cheer from the visiting fans having witnessed their side win their first league game of 2025 and only their fourth of the season. Having established their two-goal lead, the Blues will have been frustrated to have been pegged back to 2-1 but from there defended solidly to claim their first win since the victory over Chelsea at the end of December, their first Premier League success in 11 games and their first league victory at Dean Court since September 1953. The Cherries are now without a win in five in the league and have lost their last four league games on home turf. The win moves the 18th-placed Blues nine points behind Wolves ahead of them - effectively the same position prior to the midweek fixtures - with Saturday’s visit by the Old Gold giving Town a chance to reduce that gap to six, although with the Midlands side having a much superior goal difference. Town’s Premier League status had looked gone after Wolves extended their advantage to 12 points last night, but while still unlikely, this evening’s victory gives the Blues hope that they can still bridge the gap to the Molineux side. Bournemouth: Arrizabalaga, Huijsen, Kerkez, Cook, Scott (Brooks 58), Evanilson, Christie (Senesi 58), Ouattara, Smith (c) (Adams 46), Semenyo, Zabarnyi (Jebbison 87). Unused: Dennis, Soler, Hill, Silcott-Duberry, Winterburn. Town: Palmer, Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Burgess, Townsend, Morsy (c) (Phillips 81), Cajuste, Johnson (Philogene 95), Broadhead (Clarke 72), Enciso (Taylor 72), Delap (Hirst 72). Unused: Walton, Woolfenden, Greaves, Chaplin. Referee: Robert Jones (Merseyside). VAR: Graham Scott.
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