Match Report
3 December 2020
Barnsley 0 v 4 AFCB
A wet and blustery night at Barnsley will test the best of teams and Bournemouth was under pressure in the first half until they started to assert their superiority with two well taken goals. Philip Billing hit an early shot from distance to take the lead on 12 minute and Dominic Solanke made it 0-2 right on half-time. Diego Rico's clever free kick made it 0-3 on 52 minutes and Sam Surrdige rounded off an impressive night for the Cherries, as they stuck four past luckless Barnsley. The Cherries are top of the table for at least a few hours, but Jason Tindall will know that Bournemouth racked up an impressive scoreline without totally dominating the opposition.
Billing gets Bournemouth off to a flying start.
Bournemouth made three changes with Stanislas and Riquelme moving to the bench and Lerma suspended. Sam Surridge, Lloyd Kelly and Philip Billing came into the starting line-up. Josh King and Arnaut Danjuma were still not available.
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First half
Bournemouth are playing three at the back. Adam Smith and Rico are the wing-backs. Brooks is playing next to Lewis Cook in the middle. Sam Surridge almost makes the most of a long ball but is beaten by the angle.
Dominic Solanle gets in on the end of a long crossfield ball from Billing but delays too long before the block came in. Bournemouth get round the back and Surrridge picks out Solanke but the header goes over.
Chaplin feeds Mowatt and the long shot is parried away by Begovic. Lewis Cook makes a foul and Barnsley have a free kick just outside the box. Begovic loses it and the clearance cannons off Billing for a corner. The game is really open with both sides making chances.
Bournemouth play from the back and beat the press. Brooks and now Adam Smith comes in from the right and finds Billing. Billing has snuck a long-range shot right in the bottom right corner on 12 minutes. A superbly struck goal, from a sweet left foot.
Solanke in the box is denied by the keeper's legs, corner. Solanke just runs out of room before getting his cross in for Surridge. Adam Smith fouls and Barnsley have a good position to strike at goal. Kane puts it miles over the bar.
This is a very fluid game, which is suiting Bournemouth as long as they don't take too many risks in their own half. Bournemouth are playing very much on the break. Woodrow has been booked for a trip on Lewis Cook.
Steve Cook gets a good header out. Adeboyejo finds the ball just behind him and out of reach in the box. Chaplin puts the ball across the face of goal, but there is nobody there for Barnsley.
Helik puts it back across goal at the far post, but Bournemouth squeeze the ball out at the far post some how.
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Second half There are no changes at half-time. The ball is being played long most of the time with little control. Bournemouth have a free- kick with Surridge falling after Andersen blocked him.
Rico has smashed in the top right corner from the free kick. What a shot! It's 0-3 on 52 minutes. Brooks on the break is forced wide by Brittain.
Barnsley sub Chaplin on 58 minutes and Styles and Adeboyejo. On come Frieser, Odour and Thomas.
Brooks fires a shot over from 25 yards. Brittain does brilliantly coming in from the right and smashing a ball along the goal line, but there is no Barnsley player filling to gamble on it. Halme has replaced Helik on 63 minutes.
Woodrow hits a long shot but Begovic is equal to it, corner. Begovic catches the ball from the corner. Thomas dummies Kelly well, but the shot doesn't curl enough.
Sam Surridge on the break and his shot is half-saved by the keeper but it trickles in. That's 0-4 on 68 minutes. This game is over and Barnsley have been a tad unlucky with such a large scoreline. Bournemouth have scored 29 goals this season and 11 of them have been from outside the box.
Bournemouth sub Brooks and Solanke on 72 minutes. On come Dan Gosling and Jaidon Anthony.
Barnsley almost catch Lewis Cook out when they press, but they haven't managed to capitalise on it as Steve Cook is there. Andresen has been booked for a foul on Gosling.
Riquelme is on for Lewis Cook. Riquelme draws a save with his first contribution.
Kane is subbed for Palmer on 82 minutes. Mowatt goes or a low shot but it's off target. Sollbauer is carded for a block on Surridge. Frieser gets a free kick from Rico. Gosling gives another foul away. Billing is feeling it.
Ofoborh and Kilkenny replace Adam Smith and Philip Billing on 90 minutes. There are three added minutes. Begovic saves at his feet from a low cross.
Summary
Bournemouth have put out a marker on what they can do away from home. They rode their luck at times and yet came out comfortable winners. The clean sheet is the bonus being the first away one since the Chelsea win last December. A wide variety of goal scorers again perhaps show that Bournemouth are not missing Danjuma and King as much as they should be. Bournemouth's quality is starting to show through in this league as they top it for the first time this season.
AFCB
1 Begovic, 6 Mepham, 3 S Cook, 5 Kelly, 15 A Smith, (Kilkenny 90), 29 Billing (Ofoborh 90),
16 L Cook ( Riquelme 79), 7 Brooks (Gosling 71), 21 Rico, 9 Solanke (Anthony 72), 14 Surridge
AFCB Subs: 23 Travers 24 Ofoborh, 25 Simpson, 26 Kilkenny, 4 Gosling, 19 Stanislas,
20 Riquelme, 32 Anthony, 33 Zemura
AFCB Ratings: Begovic 7, Mepham 5, S Cook 6, Kelly 5, A Smith 6, Billing 7, L Cook 6, Brooks 6, Rico 7, Solanke 6, Surridge 7
Barnsley: 1 Walton, 26 Sollbauer, 30 Helik (Halme 63), 6 Andersen, 7 Brittain, 8 Kane (Palmer 82), 27 Mowatt, 4 Styles (Odour 58), 29 Adeboyejo (Thomas 58), 11 Chaplin (Frieser 58), 9 Woodrow
Barnsley Subs
16 Thomas, 19 Schmidt, 21 Palmer, 22 Oduor, 24 Halme, 25 Miller, 28 Frieser, 32 James, 40 Collins
