Bournemouth Round-Up, Sunday 18th October: Cherries Finally Land First Premier League Win as Evanilson Shines Against 10-Man Sunderland
Bournemouth finally got their Premier League season up and running with a convincing 2-0 win over Sunderland at the Vitality Stadium, moving the Cherries out of the relegation zone (Bournemouth Echo) (The Sun) (Bournemouth Echo) (BBC Sport). Evanilson was the star of the show, getting on the scoresheet and teeing up Marcus Tavernier for the other goal as Bournemouth made the most of Sunderland being reduced to ten men (The Sun) (Bournemouth Echo). The Guardian noted that Sunderland, who finished sixth and seventh last season, are proving to be this season's cautionary tale about travelling too far too fast (The Guardian).
The game turned when Sunderland's Kevin Danso was sent off, with the Premier League later issuing an explanation of the VAR decision behind the red card (Sports Mole). BBC Sport confirmed the win lifted Bournemouth out of the bottom three and secured their first league victory of the campaign (BBC Sport).
Marco Rose spoke openly about his relief after the result, which also doubled as his first Premier League win as a manager and came on the back of Thursday night's Europa League triumph, making it back-to-back victories for the Cherries (Daily Echo). The German boss thanked supporters for their patience during the winless run, acknowledging the backing he and the team had received (Bournemouth Echo). In his BBC Sport interview, Rose reflected on securing that first league win of the season (BBC Sport). Before kick-off, Rose had stressed it was now down to his players to show they could maintain their momentum from Europe into the Premier League (Bournemouth Echo), with the Echo's build-up and preview pieces also focusing on the Cherries' bid to carry their European form into domestic action (Bournemouth Echo) (Bournemouth Echo).
Elsewhere, Rose revealed a lighter side ahead of the Sunderland clash, admitting he had watched the whole of the "Sunderland 'Till I Die" documentary series in a single day, despite also flagging the tough test posed by the Black Cats amid heavy travel demands following a trip to Portugal (Bournemouth Echo) (Bournemouth Echo).
Looking further back, the Echo also covered Bournemouth's midweek trip to bottom club Plymouth, where the Cherries were looking to rediscover their form (Bournemouth Echo), and later reported that they did exactly that with a thumping win away from home (Bournemouth Echo).
Away from the first team, Bournemouth's local MP praised the town's walking football team for the positive impact it has had on people living with Parkinson's, highlighting some heart-warming community work linked to the club's wider footballing family (Bournemouth Echo).
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