Bournemouth Beat Ten-Man Sunderland 2-0 for First Premier League Win of Season

Bournemouth beat ten-man Sunderland 2-0 at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday, October 18, to claim their first Premier League win of the season. Marcus Tavernier scored early, and Evanilson added a second just after half-time. Sunderland had defender Kevin Danso sent off in the first half.

Bournemouth, coached by Marco Rose, made a fast start. Tavernier gave them the lead in the sixth minute. Then came the decisive moment of the first half, in the 17th minute. Evanilson picked Danso's pocket and raced clear one-on-one with Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs, and Danso, who is on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, brought him down as the last man. Referee Craig Pawson showed a straight red card for denying a goalscoring opportunity, and VAR checked and confirmed the decision. It was Danso's fifth straight Premier League start for Sunderland.

Sunderland were forced to defend for long spells, and Bournemouth dominated the rest of the match. The hosts led 1-0 at half-time, with Sunderland picking up bookings for Omar Alderete (40th minute) and, later, Chris Rigg (65th), while Bournemouth's Alex Scott was booked in the 25th.

Bournemouth made it 2-0 in the 48th minute. Evanilson finished clinically to put the match out of Sunderland's reach. Nordi Mukiele made a timely tackle to stop Evanilson adding a second goal later on, and Sunderland did well to limit the damage, though their attack never troubled Bournemouth. They had no shot on target in the entire match. Justin Kluivert missed a chance to extend the lead in stoppage time, but there was no need for a third goal.

Bournemouth had 22 shots, with five of them on target. The win moves them up to 15th in the Premier League table, while Sunderland drop to 19th after the defeat.

It was an important win for Bournemouth after a difficult start to the league campaign. They now turn their attention to Europe, where they face Lech Poznań in the Europa League on Thursday.