Report: Bournemouth 3-0 Bolton
IN BRIEF
Wanderers suffered a 3-0 defeat against Bournemouth at the Goldsands Stadium on Monday evening.
The hosts broke the deadlock shortly before the break through Marc Pugh who fired home from close range, with Matt Ritchie doubling their advantage a minute before half time as he drilled home past Adam Bogdan.
In the second period, Yann Kermorgant missed a penalty kick for the Cherries with Dorian Dervite receiving his marching orders for a foul on Callum Wilson in the box, but the latter added a third late on as he poked the ball home.
TEAM NEWS
Neil Lennon made three changes to the Bolton side, with Barry Bannan, Neil Danns and Mark Davies in from the off. Giles Coke and Oscar Threlkeld both dropped to the bench, whilst Paddy McCarthy missed out with injury.
FIRST HALF
As was expected, the game started at a breakneck tempo. Callum Wilson fired an early warning shot, jinking inside Tim Ream and Dorian Dervite before seeing a low effort blocked by Adam Bogdan.
Despite a number of forays into Bolton territory, the hosts were largely stifled within the opening 15 minutes. Matt Ritchie saw a shot blocked at the back post by a combination of Bogdan and Mark Davies.
Wanderers did carve out a couple of opportunities of their own, with Adam Le Fondre exploiting space in behind the Bournemouth rearguard.
On one occasion he stole in round the back of a static defence to meet a flick on, but failed to make significant contact with a glancing header.
After a bit of a lull in play, the game suddenly burst into life once again on the half hour mark.
Bogdan was once again alert to first deny Wilson, who attempted to round the Hungarian when in the clear, before then reacting well to place a strong glove on Ritchie’s low shot.
But just as it seemed the half would end goalless, the home side edged in front.
A cross from the right side found Pugh at the back post, who after feinting his initial shot whipped the ball back onto his left foot before crashing an effort across Bogdan and into the far corner.
The home side were clearly buoyed, whilst Bolton needed the whistle for half time. It didn’t come in time, as Ritchie doubled the hosts’ advantage.
Arriving at full pelt the Bournemouth number 30 met Yann Kermorgant’s deft touch with a crisp low drive into the far corner.
SECOND HALF
Bolton endeavoured to find a route back into the game at the start of the second period, as Bannan saw a rasping drive from Mark Davies’ pass deflect narrowly wide of Artur Boruc’s post.
But for the most it was the home side who continued with much of the pressing.
Steve Cook was inches away from converting Wilson’s low centre following a short corner routine whilst Kermorgant’s audacious effort from all of 40 yards was tipped over the bar by Bogdan.
Things seemed to go from bad to worse for Bolton on 70 minutes when Dervite was shown a straight red after hauling down Wilson inside the area when he was clean through.
But from the resulting spot kick Kermorgant blazed his kick high over the bar.
That spurned opportunity didn’t dampen the mood at the Goldsands Stadium though.
And they were soon cheering a third when Wilson collected the ball inside the area, spun away from a marker before firing low into the net.
The hosts did push inside the closing stages of the clash with Wilson coming close to a second of his own, but the advantage remained at three at the final whistle.
FULL TIME