Brilliant Bournemouth Smash Nottingham Forest After Ouattara Hattrick
25th January 2025 | By Euan Thomas
AFC Bournemouth produced a stunning display to beat Nottingham Forest 5-0 at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
MATCH REPORT:
A superb Dango Ouattara second-half hattrick helped the Cherries to another fantastic win this season. Justin Kluivert scored early in the match, whilst Antoine Semenyo made it five on 91 minutes. Midfielder Tyler Adams also picked up two assists in the game as Forest struggled to repel the AFC Bournemouth onslaught.
The Cherries’ unbeaten run extends to 11 matches, with Forest’s own unbeaten streak of nine games coming to an end as a result. The game also saw the return of Marcus Tavernier after a spell out through injury.
Nottingham Forest started the game on the front foot, winning an early corner, though it was cleared away. AFC Bournemouth also won a corner two minutes later, but this too was cleared.
The deadlock was broken early after a shot outside the box from Justin Kluivert found the back of the net, giving the Cherries the lead. This was his 11th league goal, the most by a Dutch player in a Premier League season since Georginio Wijnaldum in the 2015/16 season. The goal seemed to fire up the home side as they continued to press the Forest defense.
Twenty-six minutes in, Semenyo’s shot was saved by Sels, who palmed the ball back into the danger area. Forest defender Nikola Milenkovic was there to deal with the threat. The subsequent corner was cleared, and Anthony Elanga looked to break, but he was brought down by Dean Huijsen, who was lucky to avoid a booking.
AFC Bournemouth dominated possession and put pressure on the Forest defense but were unable to double their lead before halftime.
At the break, it was clear that Nuno Espirito Santo would have wanted to see more from his side. Ryan Yates was replaced by Nicolas Dominguez in an effort to change the game.
The visitors started the second half well. An Anthony Elanga free kick from the right-hand side found the head of Milenkovic, who powered a header at goal, forcing Kepa into a great save.
Despite their efforts, Nuno’s men were unable to prevent a second goal from the home side. Justin Kluivert’s cross from the left found Ouattara, whose header looped into the net to make it 2-0 on 55 minutes. Two minutes later, Bournemouth thought they had a third through a Kluivert double; however, it was ruled out for offside.
In the 61st minute, the third goal did arrive as Ouattara slotted the ball past Sels after a great ball from Adams.
Twenty-six minutes later, Ouattara completed his hattrick, making it 4-0. A shot from Tavernier was saved and bounced back to give him an easy finish and the match ball.
Semenyo sealed the 5-0 thrashing with a cool finish slotted into the bottom corner in stoppage time.
The full-time whistle brought a roar from the crowd and marked a statement victory on the south coast. The win is AFC Bournemouth’s biggest top-flight victory since 2019 (also a 5-0 win, over Brighton).
Looking Ahead:
The Cherries find themselves in 7th place, level on points with Chelsea after their defeat to Manchester City. Next up, they host league-leaders Liverpool in what is set to be a thrilling game.
