Yes it’s gutting to concede so late but I won’t have a bad word said about that performance, we just went toe to toe with one of the best sides in the league (on current form) and got the better of them over the course of the game. The first half was possibly one of the most entertaining halves of football I have ever watched at Dean Court.
My ratings:
Neto- 6- could do little about both goals, was solid enough when commanding his box and distributing but didn’t have an awful lot to do.
Smith- 8.5- insanely good performance of defensive concentration and diligence, was so aggressive in his individual duals and gave Ramsey very little in the 2nd half. Last season I thought he was over the hill, I was wrong. Very wrong based on this showing.
Senesi- 8- solid performance of fight and courage, he really will scrap for his life to come out on top. The more aggressive of the two centre backs, always looking to engage his marker. Good showing.
Zabarnyi- 8- has really overcome a very shaky start to the season to look very composed and assured. Where Senesi is the fighter he is the sweeper, reading the game well to sweep up any balls that make it in behind our back line. He has the ingredients to go to the top if he can fine tune his distribution and his concentration levels in the penalty area.
Kerkez- 8.5- like Senesi, a performance full of fight and bravery. Fighting for his life to win every second ball. A lovely bit of quality to provide the cut back for the assist too. Really got to grips with Bailly in the 2nd half.
Cook- 8- he’s starting to look like the Lewis Cook of old, gliding effortlessly with the ball. Was very good in possession today and did his usual unnoticed defensive work.
Christie- 9.5- I can’t give him a ten because not everyone he did was perfect but my God he wasn’t far off. This man completely transforms this team when playing as a central midfielder, I’m not sure some realise quite how important this tactical tweak has been to our upturn in form. One minute he’s popping up in the opponents area as our most advanced player and then in the blink of an eye he’s intercepting a pass on the edge of our own area! The man is an absolute monster, it feels as though he covers the ground of two players. His passing and vision was a joy to watch today too, one ball he plucked out of the air was sublime. Possibly the best performance I’ve ever seen from a Bournemouth midfielder.
Kluivert- 7.5- led the press well and near and tidy on the ball, always proving to create an opening. Drifting intelligently across the line to knit together the midfield and attack, doing an underrated job right now.
Semenyo- 9- I’m yet to see a full back who really knows how to handle him, he’s one of these very rare players who you know if you get him the ball in dangerous areas that something will almost always happen. Strength, pace, skill and composure for his goal. Can’t remember too many players for us who could strike a ball so cleanly either, he’s a Wilf Zaha level player already imo. And by that I mean your heart will sink when you see him on your opponents team sheet.
Tavernier- 8.5- stunning display of ball carrying and incredibly unfortunate not to register an assist. Like Semenyo, you always feel like things can happen when he is ion the ball. He never stops working either.
Solanke-7.5- not the most all action game from him, but battled well and produced a wonderfully composed turn and finish. Should he have scored a second? For me it was a good save and he was unlucky.
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