Aston Villa kicked off their Premier League campaign with maximum points after seeing off new-boys Bournemouth 1-0 at the Vitality Stadium.
Rudy Gestede's debut goal 18 minutes from time proved the difference for the visitors, who had come close through Idrissa Gueye's attempt earlier in the half.
Bournemouth edged the first-half chances on the South Coast, but after failing to make the most of their openings they were made to pay by Gestede's powerful header.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Bournemouth and Aston Villa at the Vitality Stadium.
Six years after almost dropping out of the Football League altogether, the Cherries complete their fairytale journey from bottom to the top by running out as a top-flight club this afternoon. They come up against an established side in Villa, who themselves head into this campaign on the back of a poor showing last time out which saw them record their lowest-ever points tally.
It is an opening day that promises plenty of excitement and drama, so let's get straight into things by checking out how both teams line up for this historic fixture.
TEAM NEWS!
BOURNEMOUTH XI: Boruc, Francis, Elphick, Cook, Daniels, Ritchie, Gosling, Surman, Pugh, King, Wilson
VILLA XI: Guzan, Bacuna, Richards, Clark, Amavi, Veretout, Gueye, Westwood, Ayew, Sinclair, Agbonlahor
Let's start by taking a look at the visiting side, which is rammed full of fresh new faces. Scott Sinclair and Micah Richards both joined on permanent deals in the summer, while Jordan Amavi, Jordan Veretout and Idrissa Gueye are all handed debuts.
Five players make their Villa debuts in all, with two more news boys - Mark Bunn and Rudy Gestede - among the substitutes. Gabriel Agbonlahor has been deemed fit enough to start, meaning that Benin international Gestede will have to make do with a back-up role.
There is no Libor Kozak for Villa, however, who fails to make the matchday squad altogether. Ayew, Sinclair and Agbonlahor will each be tasked with getting in behind Bournemouth's backline, in what is a dynamic looking visiting side.
In terms of the home side, they include 10 players who featured during last year's memorable promotion-winning campaign. Joshua King, another who is familiar with the second tier, comes in for his competitive Cherries debut in an attacking position behind Callum Wilson.
The most interesting aspect of that Bournemouth lineup is the absence of Max Gradel, who instead has to settle for a place among the back-ups. Christian Atsu misses out altogether, meanwhile, as does another new recruit in Lee Tomlin.
One thing you can say about Eddie Howe's side is that they will certainly have superb chemistry, with the young boss sticking almost entirely to the players who earned promotion last time out. Indeed, that means even record signing Tyrone Mings misses out on the starting lineup.
BENCH WATCH!
BOURNEMOUTH SUBS: Federici, Distin, Smith, Mings, O'Kane, Gradel, Kermorgant
VILLA SUBS: Bunn, Baker, Cole, Hutton, Gestede, Sanchez, Richardson
So new signings Adam Federici, Sylvain Distin, Tyrone Mings and Max Gradel all provide cover on the bench for Bournemouth, which is an interesting selection decision by boss Eddie Howe. Villa, on the other hand, can call upon experienced faces in Alan Hutton, Kieran Richardson and Joe Cole, as well as two other debutants.
The Premier League today welcomes its 47th side, as Bournemouth take on Aston Villa at the newly-named Vitality Stadium:
An intriguing team selection from Eddie Howe, then, but perhaps we should not be so surprised. Bournemouth did storm their way to the Championship title last season after all, scoring 98 goals on their way to promotion - the second best tally of any side in English football's top four divisions.
The attacking style of play adopted by the Cherries certainly caught the eye in the second tier, but will Howe now replicate that when up against the big boys? Blackpool, among others, opted to stick to what they knew best when coming up five years ago, but they went straight back down. Entertaining, granted, but the Seasiders are now plying their trade in League One.
That is not to say Bournemouth will go down the same route as Blackpool, of course, and in fact you could argue that they find themselves in a much better shape heading into this maiden Premier League voyage. Howe has brought in some strong options out wide, with Max Gradel and Christian Atsu boasting plenty of quality. Neither are involved from the off here today, and the latter misses out altogether in fact, but they will no doubt have a big part to play between now and May.
Tyrone Ings is another astute purchase for the top-flight minnows; a player who has been repeatedly linked with a move to a Premier League heavyweight in the past. So the quality is certainly there to survive, but it will be interesting to see if Howe's faith in last season's squad pays dividends. As mentioned, 10 players who played a part in promotion last season are selected for this opening tie of the season.
While it was all smiles for Bournemouth in 2014-15, things could not have been more different for Tim Sherwood's Villa. Long before the Englishman had taken over, the Villans were well on the slide and unable to put the ball in the net. Relegation really did look like a possibility for large parts, but they showed enough under their new boss to pull away.
This is uncharted territory for Sherwood in many ways, having just taken charge of a side for the very first time during pre-season. The former Tottenham Hotspur chief has shown that he has the ability to firefight when needed, but can he be a success in the long term? The bookies make him third favourite to face the axe first, so they clearly do not have faith in the rookie boss.
Questions remain over the new signings, too, with the likes of Amavi, Gueye, Ayew and Veretout unknown quantities on these shores. Factor in that Villa have also lost Fabian Delph and Christian Benteke, and it is little wonder that many expect the Midlanders to find themselves at the bottom end of things once again.
Yet this fresh new outlook also brings with it a wave of optimism. Villa have been battling at the wrong end of the table for too long now, so it's now a case of nothing to lose. Each of the new signings have shown that they can make an impact, particularly Ayew who joins a decent-looking frontline alongside Sinclair and Agbonlahor.
Kickoff at the Vitality Stadium is now less than 20 minutes away, as Villa step-up their pre-match preparations:
DID YOU KNOW? This is Villa's fifth-successive opening-day away match in the Premier League. The Villans have won the last two, including a famous triumph at Arsenal a couple of years back. Bournemouth have won each of their last two curtain-raisers, meanwhile, but before that it was one win in 13.
Sticking with the theme of interesting stats, Bournemouth head into this game unbeaten in 10 games at home. In fact, the Cherries have won five of their last six outings on the South Coast, which stands them in good stead for the step up. It goes without saying that victories here will prove vital come the end of the season.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Due to Bournemouth's longevity in the Football League, combined with Villa's fine top-flight record, these two sides unsurprisingly have not met in the league since the 1987-88 season. They did face off in the FA Cup earlier this year, however, with the Villans prevailing on their way to Wembley.
Okay, with a little over 10 minutes to go before kickoff, let's take a look at what both camps have had to say in the build-up to this one.
Tim Sherwood: "If you had to pick a time not to play Bournemouth it would be the first game of the season. It's going to be a carnival atmosphere but we have to go there at some stage and we're going down confident that we can do the job."
Eddie Howe: "The build-up has been intense. It's been hard work in terms of training and off the pitch. I've signed some good players and made our squad stronger and I'm really excited to see this Bournemouth team play."
PREDICTION! Sherwood himself said that this is the worst possible time to face newly-promoted Bournemouth. There is no question that the supporters will make this small ground feel like the size of Old Trafford, which is underlined by their impressive recent record here. Villa may need time to settle, especially against a side boasting 10 players from last time out, but I'm going to go with a tight-and-tense 1-1 draw.
This is not the only fixture taking place this afternoon, of course, with Manchester United kicking the campaign off with a 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the day's early kickoff. Six other sides will lock horns in the 3pm matches across the country, so we can expect plenty of opening-day drama elsewhere.
The Sports Mole Sofa team have also had their say on how they see this one panning out:
Both sets of players are now out on the field of play, with history beckoning for Bournemouth. Can they get their Premier League campaign off to a positive start? Villa will certainly look to prevent that from happening.
KICKOFF! History is made in the Premier League, as Bournemouth get their maiden campaign at this level underway. Great atmosphere being generated by the home supporters.
Pugh earns a talking to from referee Mark Clattenburg after hauling down Veretout. The Cherries, perhaps unsurprisingly, having to do a bit of defending in these early stages.
Bournemouth seeing more of the ball now, which is allowing them to settle into their rhythm a little more. The more Matt Ritchie gets on the ball the better as far as the hosts are concerned.
King bursts into the box and earns his side a corner. So much pace in this Cherries side, which is underlined by the 16 penalties won in the Championship last term.
A couple of times in these opening 10 minutes Bournemouth has looked to go long down the flanks to get Wilson on the ball. It hasn't paid off yet, but that is one to keep an eye on.
Gosling, a man who has experience at this level, plays a very sloppy pass in midfield and then gets caught pondering seconds later. Bournemouth cannot afford to repeat errors like that. Still yet to see any chances in the opening 11 minutes or so.
King charges forward once again, only to see his attempted pass into the path of strike-partner Wilson cut out in a congested Villa box.
A dangerous ball in from the left by Amavi is not fully dealt with by the Bournemouth defence, leading to a Villa corner. The Villans failed to make the most of the set-piece opening, however, in what has been a slow start to things.
A superbly-timed tackle by Francis earns possession back for Bournemouth inside their own area. The Cherries have yet to find their free-flowing best, but it has been the same case for Villa.
Callum Wilson's constant running forces Guzan into making an error, with the American stopper kicking the ball straight out of play. From that attack, a cross came into the box from Francis, which Pugh headed over. A rare half-chance for the hosts.
Almost a quarter of the way into this contest, we are still waiting for the game's first real chance. Bournemouth will not be too concerned, but they will probably look to attack a little more in the second half.
YELLOW CARD! There is a superb attitude among this Bournemouth side, but the tracking back costs King after his shirt pull earns him a yellow. Moments later, Ritchie sent a long-range strike well wide of goal.
Both teams are continuing to see a fair bit of the ball, but they can't keep hold of it long enough to muster an attacking move of note. Gueye looks to make something happen, only for his strike to end closer to Row Z than the back of the net.
Can the Villans rectify that stat this afternoon?
A good spell of Bournemouth pressure ends when Guzan plucks a Francis cross out of the air. King saw his ferocious drive well blocked by Clark prior to that, but still no sign of a breakthrough from either side.
I've mentioned it numerous times already, but Wilson and King really do offer an awful lot to this Bournemouth side. The latter once more tracks back, but again a pull on an opponent's shirt sees a free kick awarded against him.
SHOT! The Cherries appear to be just about on top of things now, as Surman drives a shot wide of goal. That's the third shot in the last five or six minutes from the hosts, yet Guzan has not yet had to do much between the sticks.
CHANCE! By the best chance of the contest so far falls the way of Gosling. Wilson just couldn't get the ball out of his feet, but it fell kindly to his teammate five yards from goal, only for his attempt to end high over the bar. Glorious opening for the hosts.
A slow burner of a contest, then, but we have finally had a chance of note. Bournemouth have enjoyed more of possession in the last 10 minutes, which almost paid off just a few moments ago.
SAVE! Wilson finally finds himself in behind the Villa defence, getting the better of Clark for pace, but his shot is well kept out by Guzan down low. The Cherries really knocking on the door now.
YELLOW CARD! Villa relieve the pressure thanks to Agbonlahor, who has earned his side a free kick on the edge of the opposition box. Cook brought him down to enter the referee's book.
Bacuna takes the free kick, which deflects behind for a corner. That was a decent chance for the Villans, as we enter the final minute of the first half.
Well we have seen more action in these last five minutes or some than in the opening 40 minutes combined. King cuts inside from the left, but he couldn't keep his curled effort down. Well over in the end.
YELLOW CARD! The caution count continues to rise, with Clark becoming the latest to enter the referee's book.
SAVE! Superb stop from Guzan to deny Pugh opening his side's Premier League account. The Cherries midfielder managed to get a shot away at goal from a central position, which would have found the net if not for the American who remained strong between the sticks.
HALF TIME: BOURNEMOUTH 0-0 ASTON VILLA
A goalless opening 45 minutes at the Vitality Stadium, then, but it is Bournemouth who will be the happier of the two sides. Eddie Howe's men grew into the contest more and more, and saw the two best chances fall their way late on.
It was a slow start to things on the South Coast, with neither side able to get a grip on things inside the opening 30 minutes or so. A succession of shots then flew in from the Cherries, neither of which tested Guzan, before Gosling squandered a glorious opening.
The Cherries midfielder failed to find the target from five yards out, while only two decent stops from Guzan denied Wilson and Pugh in the final five minutes of the half, as the hosts ended things well on top.
Both sides certainly have options to call upon in attack - Gradel and Kermorgant for the hosts; Cole and Gestede for the visitors.
BOURNEMOUTH SUBS: Federici, Distin, Smith, Mings, O'Kane, Gradel, Kermorgant
VILLA SUBS: Bunn, Baker, Cole, Hutton, Gestede, Sanchez, Richardson
Agbonlahor cut a frustrated figure up top for Villa in the first half:
RESTART! Wilson and King get things back underway on the South Coast. Will this second half bring us a breakthrough goal?
CHANCE! Villa get in behind for the first time through Agbonlahor, but the Villa forward opts to pick out Gueye in a central position instead of taking on the chance himself. Gueye was unable to get the better of Boruc down low, with the Cherries keeper making his first save of the contest.
It was a decent stop from Boruc, but Villa really should have been scoring when in such a strong position. It seems as though the visitors are finally awake, however, following an underwhelming opening 45 minutes.
Bournemouth, in contrast to the first half, are struggling to get into the contest now. Eddie Howe appears to be readying a change of personnel.
BOURNEMOUTH SUB: Indeed, Howe has reacted to his side's slow start by introducing Kermorgant in place of King. That means there are no new signings on the field of play for the hosts.
Amavi swings in a delightful cross for Agbonlahor in a central position, which just about evades the Villa frontman. This is so much better from the visitors, as Bournemouth look to hang on and ride out this wave of opposition pressure.
Guzan, who has been given the nod between the sticks by Sherwood after missing out and the tail end of last season, boots the ball straight out of play. He did likewise in the first half, also, to needlessly put pressure back on his side.
VILLA SUB: It is a Villa debut for £6m striker Rudy Gestede, who replaces Ayew. A different option entirely for the Villans up top now.
A more balanced fell to the contest compared to 10 minutes ago, as Wilson charges in behind once again. The forward was unable to pick out a teammate, though, instead settling for a corner.
Kermorgant is still yet to get up and running since coming on, while the ball has yet to find its way to Gestede up the other end. Around 25 minutes left to play at the Vitality Stadium.
Wilson's pace still looks as though it could cause Villa a problem as the contest wares on. Bournemouth appear to be ready to make another change, which looks to be like-for-like in an attacking position.
CLOSE! Kermorgant almost picks out Wilson with a nice through-ball, but Villa cut it out before it can reach the speedy forward. Villa attack up the other end and, after the initial cross was cleared away, it falls nicely for Gestede at the back post but he drags his angled volley wide of the far post.
BOURNEMOUTH SUB! Gradel is on for his second Bournemouth debut, as he replaces Pugh 20 minutes from time.
CLOSE! Gradel nearly makes an instant impact, crossing for Wilson to head goalwards. It was on target, but it was hacked away by Clark before it could reach the line.
GOAL! BOURNEMOUTH 0-1 ASTON VILLA (GESTEDE)
From their very first corner of the afternoon, Villa take the lead. It is the £6m summer signing who opens the scoring, heading home a powerful header. He had a free run at the ball, but it was a proper centre-forward's finish from the Benin international, who showed real determination to get there first.
YELLOW CARD! Gueye becomes the latest to earn himself a yellow card. Incidentally, Sanchez came on for Veretout just moments before Villa opened the scoring.
MATCH ACTION! Andrew Surman and Jordan Veretout tussle for the ball during the first half at the Vitality Stadium:
VILLA SUB! Sherwood makes his third and final alteration, bringing on Richardson for the ineffective Sinclair. That comes just moments after Surman sliced a well worked Bournemouth free kick high over the bar.
YELLOW CARD! Gosling's blatant pullback on Gueye sees the game's sixth caution dished out. Bournemouth appear to be tiring, having struggled to respond to Gestede's headed goal.
SHOT! Agbonlahor uses his pace and power to create a shooting position on the edge of the box, but the effort was extremely tame down the middle. Up the other end, Ritchie's near-post attempt failed to test Guzan.
BOURNEMOUTH SUB! Another roll of the dice from Howe, who brings on O'Kane for Gosling with around four minutes left to play.
A good attacking move from the Cherries culminates with Ritchie swinging in a cross from the right, which Richards defends well to prevent the game's second goal.
It has all gone very flat from a Bournemouth point of view, as we head into additional time. Can the Cherries find a leveller and make this place erupt? They have five minutes to do so.
Villa are doing well to just run the clock down. Bournemouth unable to get hold of possession at the moment, with three minutes remaining on the South Coast.
YELLOW CARD! Westwood is booked for wasting time. Richards has had a very good second half at the back for Villa, meanwhile, remaining strong right until the very end.
All very easy for Villa at the moment, as they edge within 60 seconds of a third-successive opening-day triumph.
Francis gets in behind the Villa defence for one final chance, but Clark headed away at the near post. Can the Cherries make this sixth corner of the afternoon count?
FULL TIME: BOURNEMOUTH 0-1 ASTON VILLA
There we have it! Referee Mark Clattenburg blows his whistle to bring the contest to a close. It's ultimately a disappointing opening Premier League match for Bournemouth, but joy for the Villans who head back north to the Midlands with maximum points.
Rudy Gestede's goal 18 minutes from time, shortly after being introduced from the bench, proved the difference for Villa in the end. Well that's all from me in terms of live text coverage, but be sure to stick around with analysis, player ratings and plenty of reaction still to come.
