Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola is dreaming of a European future after a resounding 4-1 win over Newcastle United, highlighted by an impressive hat-trick from Justin Kluivert. This success allowed Bournemouth to move up to sixth place, just one point from the Champions League places.
Paraguayan striker Miguel Almirón was included on the bench for Newcastle, but did not come on as a substitute in this match.
Kluivert’s remarkable performance was reminiscent of that of his father, Patrick, who also scored at St. James’ Park 21 years ago. The Dutchman dismantled the ‘Magpies’, who were in exceptional form with nine consecutive victories in all competitions before this weekend clash.
At 24, Kluivert was the star player on the pitch, scoring his second hat-trick of the season, the first coming against Wolverhampton Wanderers in November. He opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a precise finish from a low cross from Antoine Semenyo. He then restored Bournemouth’s lead after Bruno Guimaraes’ equalizer, skillfully finishing off an assist from Dango Ouattara. Kluivert sealed the fate of the match with a superb long-range strike in injury time.
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Despite this dominant performance, Bournemouth could have settled the match earlier, but a goal from Ouattara was ruled out by VAR for an offside in the action.
Nearing the end, Milos Kerkez added a fourth goal to the tally, curling a clever back kick past Kieran Trippier before finishing with a well-placed cross shot.
The win takes Bournemouth’s points total to 37, level with Chelsea who have a game in hand, and one point behind Newcastle, who currently hold precious fourth place. If the Premier League ended like this, Bournemouth would qualify for the Conference League, marking their first foray into a European competition in the club’s history.
