Bournemouth 0 - 1 Newcastle

Newcastle United leapfrog Bournemouth thanks to Ayoze Pérez

Bournemouth 0 - 1 Newcastle

Away team scorers
Ayoze Perez 27


Ayoze Perez and Aleksandar Mitrovic of Newcastle United

Bournemouth really did do everything but score. Eddie Howe’s men had 19 shots at goal, 16 corners and six minutes of added time but they could not find a way to beat the Newcastle United goalkeeper, Rob Elliot. The Republic of Ireland keeper was the only good performer in a desperately poor Steve McClaren side. The visitors were second best throughout and failed to conjure up any more than just the one, decisive shot on target. That was enough, though, to lift them out of the bottom three and drop Bournemouth into the relegation zone.

The occasion was immediately uninviting for a Newcastle side without a win away from home all season. The home fans generated a raucous atmosphere from the first whistle and the swirling wind and relentless rain created anything but the stereotypical sunny seaside Bournemouth backdrop.

It was Newcastle’s first and only meaningful attack of the entire game that handed McClaren only his second win as the club’s manager. In the 27th minute the defender Paul Dummett picked out Aleksandar Mitrovic, who superbly back-heeled for Georginio Wijnaldum, who drove forward, before feeding Ayoze Pérez. The Spanish striker was left unchallenged, before firing his third goal of the season underneath the palms of Adam Federici, who really should have done better.

The Bournemouth goalkeeper punched the ground in frustration but the damage was done, and the Cherries were on the back foot despite their dominance.

The striker Joshua King brought out the best in Elliot, who denied him four times in the opening 45 minutes alone. The keeper was nursed through training in the week, after limping off against Stoke last weekend, and McClaren once again included the 18-year-old academy rookie Freddie Woodman in the travelling party.

After 14 minutes, Howe was left seething on the touchline, after the Newcastle captain, Fabricio Coloccini, obstructed King inside the box, after neatly turning the Argentinian, but the referee Lee Mason shook his head and moved play on.

Immediately after the break, McClaren’s men, who somehow remained unchanged, appeared worryingly vulnerable once more. Adam Smith rampaged down the right flank, crossing for the on-running Matt Ritchie, whose header was tipped over by Elliot.

The 1300 travelling Newcastle supporters had little to cheer about. A total mess defensively, they were carved open time and again. The Scotland international Ritchie again crossed, this time for Gosling, who swung a leg but missed the ball entirely before Junior Stanislas shot harmlessly over, but at least it brought a wry, disbelieving smile to the face of the Bournemouth assistant, Jason Tindall.

McClaren eventually summoned Florian Thauvin and Papiss Cissé to inject some energy into a lethargic Newcastle display, but to no real avail, although their poor display may just go unnoticed.

Guardian