Bournemouth clinched a hard-fought 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion at the Vitality Stadium, sealing their third straight Premier League victory and further underlining the bright start to their campaign under Andoni Iraola.
In a match full of momentum shifts, injury blows, and controversy, it was Alex Scott who opened the scoring with a sensational early goal and Antoine Semenyo who converted a second-half penalty to see the Cherries through. Kaoru Mitoma had levelled almost immediately after the break, but Brighton could not quite finish the fightback.
Brighton were dealt two ruthless blows before the 30-minute mark: Jack Hinshelwood was forced off in the opening minutes, while Maxim De Cuyper left the field after a collision with the advertising board. In between, Bournemouth pounced.
The hosts had barely settled into their rhythm when Scott, in electric form, received the ball around 20 yards out after interplay involving Antoine Semenyo and others.
With confidence and precision, Scott unleashed a left-footed rocket that beat Bart Verbruggen at his near post in the 18th minute. The goal gave Bournemouth the lead and set the tone for a first half in which Brighton struggled to find cohesion.
Brighton’s problem wasn’t a lack of effort but more about rhythm and continuity. Deprived of two defenders almost simultaneously, they labored to build attacking momentum. Their only bright moment in the first half came from Yankuba Minteh, whose presence caused problems, but clear chances were at a premium.
Bournemouth, encouraged by their crowd and buoyed by the early goal, largely managed the tempo and aimed to frustrate the Seagulls whenever possible.
View this post on Instagram
The second half began with Brighton stamping their authority more evidently on the game. Just minutes after the restart, Minteh delivered a beautiful cross to the back post. Kaoru Mitoma timed his run perfectly, connecting with a header into an unguarded net to level things up.
It seemed Brighton had the momentum. But as the game progressed, Bournemouth gradually regained control.
The turning point arrived in the 61st minute. After a sweeping Bournemouth move initiated by Marcus Tavernier, the ball eventually fell to Evanilson, who was brought down in the box by Jan Paul van Hecke.
The contact sparked dispute among Brighton’s players, who believed the challenge was minimal, but the referee pointed to the spot. Semenyo stepped up and calmly slotted home the penalty, restoring Bournemouth’s lead.
The goal showed composure under pressure and gave the Cherries a platform to see out the remaining stages of the match.
From there on in, Bournemouth defended resolutely. Brighton had spells of pressure as they tried to unlock a defence that had regrouped well. Petrovic in goal had to make a few key stops, while Bournemouth’s back-line—despite its offseason shake-up—held firm.
The visitors tried to force openings, deploying changes, pushing full backs forward and testing Bournemouth from wide channels, but nothing quite stuck. Substitutions were made, urgency increased, but as the clock ticked on, Bournemouth’s lead held. Time was their ally and they used it shrewdly.
In statistical terms, the match perhaps did not reflect an avalanche of chances. Bournemouth ended with a marginally higher xG and made more of the moments that came their way.
Brighton, despite pockets of clever play, especially through Minteh and Mitoma, failed to translate their offensive intent into clear scoring opportunities.