Newcastle United lost the chance to win a club-record tenth consecutive game by falling into a dismal situation. 4-1 home defeat to Bournemouth in the First Division.
Justin Kluivert’s goals late in the first half gave Bournemouth a one-goal lead at half-time, with Bruno Guimaraes equalizing midway through the first period for the hosts.
Newcastle struggled to create many clear-cut chances after the break and were eventually punished by Kluivert when he scored his hat-trick in injury time, with Milos Kerkez adding a fourth in the 96th minute.
How the game developed
Newcastle tried to make history at St James’ Park but got off to a surprisingly slow start and were quickly punished by Bournemouth. Having seen Dango Ouattara and Antoine Semenyo waste chances, Kluivert, whose father Patrick played briefly for Newcastle, fired a superb low shot past Martin Dubravka to put the Cherries in front after just six minutes.
Newcastle began to accelerate midway through the first half and took advantage of sustained pressure to find an equaliser. Lewis Corridor’s corner landed on the head of the unmarked Guimaraes, whose effort twisted past the weak outstretched palm of Kepa Arrizabalaga.
An absolutely enthralling first half continued to set pulses racing inside St James’ Park as both teams exchanged blows. Bournemouth’s Ouattara saw several half-chances come and go, while Anthony Gordon’s deflected shot went past Kepa’s near post at the other end.
Guimaraes had achieved the equalizer for Newcastle, but became a villain on the threshold of half-time. The Brazilian gave up possession deep in his own half and Bournemouth took full advantage, Ouattara playing a pass to Kluivert and the Dutch striker slotting his second shot of the afternoon past Dubravka.
Several spirited challenges caused a melee moments before half-time as referee Stuart Attwell brandished three yellow cards, and Sandro Tonali almost produced a second equalizer for Newcastle with the final kick of the half. The Italian’s volley was denied by Kepa to conclude a captivating 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 converted a David Brooks cross from close range, but VAR correctly disallowed the shot after the ball had gone out of play early in the attack.
Newcastle could not withstand Bournemouth’s speed and direct approach on the counterattack and the Cherries almost scored the third goal in the 69th minute. Brooks’ quick movement forced Dubravka to run towards his far post as he took the ball off the line. goal to keep the hosts in contention.
However, Dubravka was left helpless as the sensational Kluivert secured the points in the 92nd minute. Bournemouth regained possession high up the pitch and Tyler Adams’ interception fell kindly to the Dutchman, who produced an exquisite effort past the Slovakian goalkeeper. .
However, Bournemouth did not end there. Just to further humiliate Newcastle, Kerkez decided to add his name to the scoresheet, firing a shot past Dubravka with his favored left foot to ice a commanding victory.
Newcastle looked unprepared from the first kick at St James’ and quickly found themselves behind. The Magpies were unable to withstand Bournemouth’s intense man-to-man pressing approach as they regularly gave up possession in their own half trying to play through their visitors.
Despite being decimated by injuries, Bournemouth did not let their energy levels drop for a second on Tyneside. The pressure forced an error from Guimaraes as they scored before the break and their third came with a similar possession recovery in injury time, harassing Newcastle for the Magpies’ corner flag despite time ticking down.
The Magpies are usually the team that overwhelms their opponents with a powerful midfield, tenacious defense and speedy forwards, but on Saturday they were outclassed by Andoni Iraola’s relentless Cherries.
Alexander Isak has been he form player in the Premier League over the past six weeks and came into Saturday’s game having scored in his previous eight league games. However, he could barely get a sniff of Bournemouth’s imposing centre-backs.
Illia Zabarnyi and Dean Huijsen produced exceptional displays to keep Newcastle’s formidable forward line calm, with Isak managing just one shot and an expected goals total of just 0.06 on Saturday lunchtime.
Few defenses have been able to stifle the Swede, but Bournemouth did exactly that, forcing him wide and making tackles when necessary. With Jamie Vardy’s 11-game scoring streak on the horizon, Isak will have to start from scratch if he is to set a new Premier League record.
Bournemouth were relentless in pressing Newcastle all over the pitch, but their tactics only worked because of their ruthlessness on the counter-attack. The likes of Brooks, Ouattara and Semenyo shone with their pace as the Cherries moved quickly up the field with turnovers, even if it was Kluivert who grabbed the headlines after a skilfully realized hat-trick and an incredible display.
The Cherries proved too devastating for a surprisingly disjointed Newcastle defence, which struggled to cope with the direct runners and rough pace. Their clinical advantage propelled them to victory and earned them a well-deserved victory in a difficult venue.
Bournemouth’s midfield must also take great credit, winning the ball back regularly, but it was the front quartet who decided the game with their bravery and ingenuity in the final third.
