April 02, (THEWILL) – Andoni Iraola’s in-form Bournemouth side earned a third successive English Premier League win by edging out Crystal Palace 1-0 at a blustery Vitality Stadium. The solitary goal came from substitute Kluivert in the 68th minute, smashing home from 12 yards after fine work by Antoine Semenyo. Despite Palace’s promising first-half display, the Eagles struggled to impose themselves, with Bournemouth looking hungrier throughout.
The home side started brightly, soaking up early pressure before creating several chances of their own. Philip Billing forced a superb save from Dean Henderson, while Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eberechi Eze squandered opportunities for the visitors. Eze had the ball in the net just before half-time, but his close-range finish was correctly ruled out for offside.
After the interval, Bournemouth came out with renewed intent, fizzing numerous crosses into the Palace area. The Eagles defended resolutely, but were eventually undone by Kluivert’s cool finish. From there, the hosts never looked like relinquishing their lead, with Henderson forced into further saves to deny Semenyo and Kluivert.
The result marks another impressive night for Bournemouth, who are now targeting a top-half EPL finish. In contrast, Palace will need to improve with daunting fixtures against title contenders Manchester City and Liverpool looming if they are to ease growing relegation fears.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
