Bournemouth 3-0 Brighton: Cherries move into the top half of the Premier League as Marcos Senesi, Enes Unal and Justin Kluivert score in dominant win over struggling visitors

Another confident performance from Andoni Iraola’s side not only extended their six-game unbeaten home run, but called time on Brighton’s upper hand in the South Coast derby, denying Roberto De Zerbi’s players a fourth consecutive victory on Sunday afternoon.

The travellers were wearied ones, hopes of European competition all but entirely slipped away and rooted to 12th place after going six games without a win. Just over three days on from a 4-0 humbling at Amex by the Manchester City machine, the much-changed side looked like a shadow of their former selves as the season draws to a close.

Only Joao Pedro, Pascal Gross, Valentin Barco, and Lewis Dunk kept their places after Thursday’s defeat left their injury-ravaged side even shorter, with Jan Paul van Hecke the latest absentee.

Unsurprisingly, the changes told. De Zerbi’s side began brightly, pushing forward, but lacked a cohesion which blunted early tests of Mark Travers in goal. Bournemouth, by contrast, seemed raring to go for the contest, unruffled by the visitors’ early attempts to catch them off-guard.

The hosts were the first to truly threaten just past the 10 minute-mark, when a crafty flick-on on from Antoine Semenyo kept the ball in play on the right and unleashed Premier League debutant Enes Unal, who sent a crisp cross towards a looming Dominic Solanke.

Bournemouth defender Senesi got his side ahead in the first-half with a header from close-range

Senesi’s fourth goal of the Premier League campaign gave Bournemouth the best possible star

The forward might have had his 19th Premier League goal but for a hasty defence from Lewis Dunk, who caught the shot with his body as he fell. Shouts for a VAR intervention were hastily waved away by a no-nonsense Paul Tierney.

Instead, Bournemouth had to make to do with a corner, but they wouldn’t have just wait long for their opener. Claiming a second, Lewis Cook sent in a flyer straight to the head of Brighton’s Irish youngster Mark O’Mahony. 

But rather than knocking it to safety, his intervention only served to tee up a leaping Marcos Senesi, who wasted no time burying the ball past as stunned Bart Verbruggen.

O’Mahony’s shrugged shoulders and De Zerbi in the dugout burying his face in his coat collar summed up the turning mood, the air taken out of Brighton’s sails.

Probing runs from Simon Adingra and Barco on the left were quickly stunted, although Bournemouth did have to wait out a brief scare inside the first 20 minutes when Lewis Cook fell awkwardly on his shoulder and seemed to be in some pain.

Brighton battled through a spell of under-confidence in the face of a zesty Bournemouth side and settled somewhat heading for the half-an-hour mark, but too often, De Zerbi’s players looked easily beaten by their full-throated opponents.

Bournemouth should have claimed a second in the 31st minute, when an unmarked Unal was given a chance for target practice at the top of the penalty area thanks to a brave run from Alex Scott on the right wing and a neatly struck cross, but the pay-off was imperfect and the ball slipped just wide of the post.

Instead, they had to wait for the second-half, storming out of the gates and ferocious from the off.

Unal (right) scored Bournemouth’s second goal of the game with a powerful header as the hosts took control of the match

Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo was carried off on a stretcher following a heavy challenge

It was a hugely positive day for Cherries boss Andoni Iraola as his side moved into the top half of the Premier League table

Despite De Zerbi shuffling the deck yet again and swapping the unfortunate O’Mahony for Danny Welbeck, it was Iraola’s players who looked reinvigorated by the break. On the heels of firing in the side netting after a twisting run in from the left, Justin Kluivert combined with Dango Ouattara in the 52nd minute to set up a waiting Unal in the box, jumping to catch the ball and score with a twist of his head.

Keen for an immediate response, Adingra offered up the Seagulls’ finest chance of the contest so far, a curling, dangerous strike from just inside the area which forced a stretched fingertip save from Travers to tip the effort over the crossbar.

The returning Julio Enciso, on for Adingra, also came close to finally dragging Brighton onto the scoreline, striking just wide with a skidding effort square on goal moments after his introduction in the 66th minute.

Brighton’s frustration began to tell, with Semenyo skittled by a risky challenge from Barco level with the Brighton goal which the defender – already on a booking – was lucky to get away with.

Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi cut an exhausted figure in the dugout as his team were outclassed

Brighton players struggled to create chances against a robust Bournemouth opposition

Justin Kluivert completed the perfect performance for Bournemouth with a goal late in the game

Solanke, a more muted figure in a deeper position with Unal on the pitch, came close in the 75th minute at close range. Dunk was again final defender – and the ball again ricocheted off his body for the crucial block, prompting yet more unanswered claims.

But even if the Cherries’ star man went without, there were rich pickings for his team-mates, with Kluivert netting the well-deserved winner after tripping into the box in the 87th minute from the right to snuff out all hope of a Brighton comeback.

Bournemouth’s sparky victory may not come entirely untarnished – a hot-blooded challenge from Joel Veltman on Semenyo saw the winger taken off on a stretcher in the 96th minute, face twisted in pain – but the club look set to end their season on a high supporters may not have anticipated at the sticky start of their campaign. 

After yet another difficult day, their rivals on Sunday are set to experience the exact same sensation, in reverse.