Enes Unal played a crucial role on his full Premier League debut as AFC Bournemouth beat Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0 at the Vitality Stadium to set a club record.
Having teed up Marcos Senesi’s early opener – the defender’s fourth goal of the season – Unal sent a bullet header into the top-left corner after the break to double Bournemouth’s advantage in Sunday’s south-coast derby.
The introduction of Julio Enciso from the bench in the second half saw Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton enjoy more spark in the final third, but the result was put beyond doubt when Justin Kluivert slammed home late on.
It means Bournemouth have reached 48 points in a Premier League season for the first time and moves them up to 10th position, two points above Wolverhampton Wanderers and four points ahead of Brighton in 12th.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
36 | -4 | 54 |
| 9 |
West Ham
WHU
|
37 | -12 | 52 |
| 10 |
Brighton
BHA
|
36 | -4 | 48 |
| 11 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
37 | -12 | 48 |
| 12 |
Crystal Palace
CRY
|
37 | -6 | 46 |
How the match unfolded
The Cherries started brightly, with Unal bursting down the right-hand side before looking to find fellow centre-forward Dominic Solanke, but a challenge from Lewis Dunk prevented a goal.
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Bournemouth kept up the pressure and opened the scoring after just 13 minutes, when Unal flicked the ball on at the near post and Senesi headed home from just a few yards out.
Brighton grew into it after going behind and had an excellent chance to find an equaliser as Facundo Buonanotte danced through the challenges of the opposition defence inside the box, only to fail to beat goalkeeper Mark Travers.
Andoni Iraola’s side should have made it 2-0 after Alex Scott dispossessed Igor Julio before pulling it back to Unal, but the Turkish striker dragged his effort wide from just inside the penalty area.
Just a few minutes after the break, the Cherries could again have doubled their lead as Kluivert burst into the box and Antoine Semenyo was waiting unmarked at the back post, but Kluivert opted to shoot from a tight angle and could only find the side-netting.
Bournemouth's second goal did arrive in the 52nd minute, Unal marking his first league start in style when he powered in a header after meeting Dango Ouattara’s floated cross to the back post.
Enciso twice went close as Brighton searched for a way back into the contest, striking off target from the edge of the box before sending a stunning attempt just wide.
Kluivert added further gloss to Bournemouth’s victory, however, driving in from the right and lashing in with his left foot to wrap up a comprehensive triumph. It was his seventh Premier League goal, beating the tally of six by his dad, Patrick Kluivert, during his career.
Iraola’s European hopes firmly alive
The Cherries have now extended their unbeaten run at home to six games in the Premier League, with the Vitality Stadium becoming a bit of a fortress in recent months.
Bournemouth are in with an outside chance of qualifying for Europe, with Iraola’s men moving back into the top half of the Premier League table, just six points behind Manchester United in sixth.
Unal’s goal and assist might give Iraola something to think about in terms of team selection, too, as the Bournemouth boss looks to finish his maiden season in the competition on a high.
However, a late injury for Semenyo, who had to be taken off on a stretcher, will perhaps dampen the mood.
De Zerbi’s debutants fail to deliver
De Zerbi handed full Premier League debuts to Mark O’Mahony and Odeluga Offiah, making seven changes overall as the Seagulls looked to bounce back from their heavy defeat to Manchester City last time out.
However, those alterations did not have the desired impact, and it is now just two wins from their last 16 Premier League games for the Seagulls, with De Zerbi’s side only beating Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United on the road this season.
Brighton have secured just two points from a possible 21 available in their previous seven fixtures, and a second season in Europe is looking a hard feat to achieve.
Club reports
Bournemouth report | Brighton report
Final Premier League fixtures
Key facts
Brighton and Hove Albion have won just one of their last 12 away matches in the Premier League (D4 L7), failing to win any of their last five (D2 L3). In fact, in 2024, only Luton (0), Nottingham Forest (0) and Everton (0) have won fewer matches on the road in the division than the Seagulls (1).
Since Bournemouth's first home win of the season (28th October 2023), only Manchester City (0) and Liverpool (1) have lost fewer home Premier League matches than Bournemouth, with the Cherries unbeaten in each of their last six at the Vitality Stadium (W4 D2) – their longest unbeaten run at home in the Premier League since October 2018.
Only Arsenal (16) and Everton (12) have scored more goals from corners than Bournemouth this season (11) in the Premier League. It’s the most goals the Cherries have ever scored from corner situations in a single Premier League season.
Justin Kluivert’s goal for Bournemouth was his seventh in the Premier League, overtaking his father Patrick Kluviert’s tally of six goals in the competition in the process.
