Bournemouth made it three wins in a row by beating Brighton 2-1 in a derby between two of the Premier League’s most overachieving darlings on Saturday.
WATCH — Bournemouth vs Brighton full match replay
The Cherries (3rd place, 9 points) went ahead after 18 minutes when Alex Scott unleashed a left-footed laser from the edge of the box to beat Bart Verbruggen at his near post. The Seagulls (11th, 4 points) had just one shot in the first half, but got on the board right after halftime as Yankuba Minteh served up a mouthwatering cross to Kaoru Mitoma at the back post to make it 1-1.
Bournemouth scored the winning goal from the penalty spot (Antoine Semenyo), but all credit goes to Marcus Tavernier for the mazy, dribbly run that he took five Brighton defenders on just to create the space and angle to play in Evanlison, who drew the foul and won the penalty right after.
Brighton struggling in final third
Both clubs are brilliantly run from the boardroom down to the pitch, with a distinct style of play that has allowed them to quickly identify capable replacements and keep chugging right along after selling nearly $1 billion worth of players between the two sides in recent seasons. Bournemouth have picked up where they left off despite losing three-fourths of their backline from last season (for $195 million), whereas Brighton are sputtering just a bit without Joao Pedro leading their line anymore ($82 million).
Through four games, Brighton have generated just 4.32 xG (non-penalty, because they started the season with three in three games) and Saturday’s goal was only their second from open play. Pedro’s are big shoes to fill, but some combination of Danny Welbeck, who started the last three games, and 19-year-old Greek striker Stefanos Tzimas ($30, from Nurnberg), who made his PL debut against Bournemouth, will have to do the job until January at least.
What’s next?
- Brighton vs Tottenham Hotspur — Saturday, 10 am ET
- Bournemouth vs Newcastle — Sunday, 9 am ET
Bournemouth vs Brighton live updates - by Andy Edwards
Bournemouth vs Brighton final score: 2-1
Goalscorers: Alex Scott (18'), Kaoru Mitoma (48'), Antoine Semenyo (61' - PK)
GOAL! Bournemouth 2-1 Brighton: Semenyo converts from the spot after Evanilson is fouled (61')
GOAL! Bournemouth 1-1 Brighton: Mitoma heads home Minteh’s mouthwatering cross (48')
GOAL! Bournemouth 1-0 Brighton: Scott’s screamer finds the back of the net (18')
Bournemouth starting lineup
Petrovic - Hill, Milosavljevic, Senesi, Truffert - Adams, Scott, Tavernier - Brooks, Semenyo, Evanilson
Brighton starting lineup
Verbruggen - Veltman, Van Hecke, Dunk, De Cuyper - Milner, Hinshelwood, Rutter - Minteh, Mitoma, Welbeck
How to watch Bournemouth vs Brighton live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 10 am ET, Saturday
Venue: Vitality Stadium — Bournemouth
TV Channel: Peacock
Streaming: Stream live on Peacock
After losing 4-2 to Liverpool on opening day, Bournemouth kept a pair of clean sheets to beat Wolves and Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 each. Andoni Iraola’s side looks largely unfazed by the departures of $195 million worth of defenders in the summer (Dean Huijsen, Illia Zabarnyi and Milos Kerkez) based on recent results (0.65 xG allowed in those two games, combined).
Brighton experienced some turnover of their own this summer, and the Seagulls have (predictably) struggled in the final third following Joao Pedro’s departure to Chelsea. Fabian Hurzler’s side put up just 0.51 (non-penalty) xG and drew Fulham in the opener, then they couldn’t put away any of their 13 shots (for 1.64 non-penalty xG) and lost to Everton before shocking Manchester City with a real smash-and-grab job. Brighton have been awarded a penalty in all three of their games thus far, a trend they will hope continues down on the south coach this weekend.
Bournemouth team news, focus
OUT: Adam Smith (thigh), Enes Unal (knee) | QUESTIONABLE: Lewis Cook (knee)
Brighton team news, focus
OUT: Adam Webster (knee), Solly March (knee)
Bournemouth vs Brighton prediction
Both of these teams are fantastic at baiting their opponents to overextend and open themselves up to being countered, so it’ll be fascinating to see who takes the bait first. To this point, Bournemouth look the slightly more disciplined bunch. Bournemouth 2-1 Brighton.
