Soccer Football - Premier League - AFC Bournemouth v Brighton & Hove Albion - Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, Britain - April 28, 2024 AFC Bournemouth's Marcos Senesi scores their first goal Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs
BOURNEMOUTH, England (Reuters) -Goals from Marco Senesi, Enes Unal and Justin Kluivert gave Bournemouth a comfortable 3-0 home win over Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday to ensure the club's highest points total in the Premier League era with three games left to play.
The 10th-placed Cherries have amassed 48 points, two more than their previous best total of 46 achieved in the 2016-17 season. South-coast rivals Brighton, who finished sixth last year, are 12th on 44 points.
Brighton dominated possession in the first half but went behind when Senesi reacted quickest to head home from a corner in the 13th minute, and despite having the lion's share of the ball, the visitors only managed a single shot on target in the opening 45 minutes.
Making his first Premier League start this season after 12 substitute appearances, Turkish striker Unal fluffed a couple of good chances before netting the second for Bournemouth seven minutes after the break, sending a powerful looping header from Dango Outtara's cross over the keeper and into the net.
Sent on to chase the game, Brighton substitute Julio Enciso wasted no time getting involved after coming on in the 66th minute, blazing a great opportunity wide before curling a brilliant effort just past the top corner.
That was as close as Brighton came to pulling a goal back, and it was Kluivert who rounded off the scoring with a superb run down the right flank before cutting inside Lewis Dunk and firing home.
The only dark cloud on an otherwise joyful afternoon for Bournemouth came in stoppage-time when winger Antoine Semenyo left the field on a stretcher before the home side extended Brighton's winless league run to six games.
Bournemouth defender Adam Smith, who started his second spell at the club in 2014, credited the current crop of players for their strong showing this season.
"It is the most talented group we've had here in years. It is a great result and amazing to beat our points total, that was our aim," he told Sky Sports.
Smith also praised coach Andoni Iraola, who took the reins at Bournemouth in June 2023 after the club finished 15th last season.
"He's been amazing. It was a transition when he first came in and we struggled in first 10 games to get a grip on how he wanted to play. As soon as we got to grips with it we went on a run and haven't looked back since," Smith said.
(Reporting by Philip O'Connor, editing by Ed Osmond)
