Solanke double fires Bournemouth to upset win over Newcastle

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Are cracks starting to show at Newcastle?

Former Newcastle goalkeeper Shaka Hislop gives his thoughts on their poor run of form.

Updated: Nov 11, 2023, 09:54 pm

Two second-half strikes by forward Dominic Solanke gave Bournemouth a 2-0 home win over a depleted Newcastle United on Saturday which lifted the Cherries to 17th place in the Premier League table, three points clear of the relegation zone.

Newcastle were missing a slew of players through injury and suspension, forcing manager Eddie Howe, a former player and manager at Bournemouth, to deploy Anthony Gordon as a makeshift centre forward.

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The reshuffle seemed to have given the desired effect as midfielder Sean Longstaff almost scored with an early drive, but after weathering the storm in a goalless first half, Newcastle's weaknesses were exposed.

Solanke struck his first goal on the hour mark as the ball was inadvertently played into his path by Newcastle's Joe Willock and the 26-year-old slotted home.

The visitors has goalkeeper Nick Pope to thank as he pulled off several saves to keep them in the game, including a superb effort to deny Marcus Tavernier.

Pope's efforts were undone at the resulting corner as his defence failed to clear and Solanke was on hand with an improvised close-range finish to double the lead.

The second goal took the wind out of Newcastle's sails and Bournemouth wasted chances to add to their lead through Solanke and substitutes Luis Sinisterra and Dango Outtara.

Bournemouth, who dropped into the bottom three after a 6-1 thrashing by Manchester City a week ago, climbed to 17th place on nine points, three clear of Luton Town. Newcastle slipped to seventh on 20 points after 12 games.

"Obviously, we haven't had the best start to the season, but I think we're in a place now to kick on. We've got to back-to-back wins at home in the league now, so we're looking to push forward and hopefully I can keep on scoring," Solanke told Sky Sports.

Newcastle defender Kieran Trippier declined to blame his side's hectic schedule and the injuries and suspensions that caused key players to miss the game.

"We wanted to play Champions League football, we want to play in every competition, so I say no excuses, because this is the reality, we're playing every three days," he said.

"But, this is what we want, and we're just gonna keep going. We lost a lot of players, but this is where we have to stand up, we all have to give even more," he added.