A brace from Marcus Tavernier either side of a first-half stoppage-time goal from Justin Kluivert saw Bournemouth extend their recent record to three league wins in a row as they outclassed Sheffield United at Bramall Lane this afternoon.
Heading into the match, Sheffield United had earned four of their five points in their last two matches, securing a victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers and drawing with Brighton & Hove Albion.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth had collected six of their nine points in their last two fixtures, with wins over Burnley and Newcastle United.
It was a cautious start to the match, though the visitors were well ahead in the possession stats over the first 10 minutes without creating any real chances.
However, with their first real attack of the match, The Cherries caught the home defence napping as Antoine Semenyo peeled off the right wing to pick out Tavernier's run in the box, and the 24-year-old made no mistake slotting it past Wes Foderingham.
It was one-way traffic after the opener, with the visitors creating chances with relative ease, and they almost extended their lead moments after going ahead with attempts from Kluivert and Dominic Solanke going narrowly wide in quick succession.
Sheffield United had not lost a league game to Bournemouth at Bramall Lane since 1987 but looked destined to see that record ended based on their performance in the first half when they recorded a paltry 0.05 xG.
The first half went from bad to worse for the hosts when Foderingham got himself in a tangle with the ball at his feet outside the box and was robbed of possession by Kluivert, who finished with aplomb from a tight angle.
The home crowd were visibly frustrated and made their feelings clear as The Blades headed down the tunnel for the interval, with boos echoing around Bramall Lane.
Unsurprisingly, Paul Heckingbottom tried to change things during the break, bringing on Anel Ahmedhodzic and Oli McBurnie for Jayden Bogle and Vini Souza respectively.
Sheffield United have conceded the most goals in the league this season, and they got the second half started in the worst way possible as Ahmedhodzic, who had only been on the pitch for five minutes, got caught on the blindside from a cross, and Tavernier snuck in at the back post to tap home.
With the visitors continuing to dictate play, frustrations of the Blades' players began boiling over, with several players getting into unnecessary scuffles and heated exchanges of words as they headed into the final 20 minutes of regulation time.
Bournemouth managed the game well from then on and while McBurnie did manage to score a consolation goal in stoppage time, significant improvement is needed if Sheffield United are to avoid an immediate return to the Championship.
The Cherries will now prepare to take on an in-form Aston Villa next weekend, while The Blades will head to Turf Moor for a crucial bottom-three clash against Burnley. body check tags ::
