Joao brings the magic as Albion go fifth

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Joao Pedro scores before assisting Kaoru Mitoma as Albion beat Bournemouth 2-0 at the Vitality Stadium.

Bruce Talbot

2024-11-23T17:05+00:00

Joao Pedro made it two goals in two matches with the opener at the Vitality Stadium. 📷 by James Boardman.

Joao Pedro brought a bit of Brazilian sunshine to rain-lashed Bournemouth, scoring and assisting as Albion moved up to fifth with a narrow but deserved victory at the Vitality Stadium.

Joao scored for the second successive game – pouncing in the fourth minute for his fourth goal of the season – before going forth to provide the pinpoint pass that enabled Kaoru Mitoma to score for the first time since the opening day early in the second half. Joao now has eight goal involvements in his last nine games.

Albion went down to ten men with half an hour to go when Carlos Baleba picked up his second yellow card and there was no clean sheet after David Brooks scored a consolation in stoppage time. There was nearly an equaliser with the last kick of the game too, but to Albion’s relief Antoine Semenyo’s volley came back off the crossbar. Any other result than an away win would have been hard to take.

Georginio Rutter saw his shot saved, but Joao Pedro was ready to follow up. 📷 by James Boardman.

Bournemouth had threatened first when Semenyo dragged a shot wide but in the fourth minute they were carved open by a brilliant Albion move.

It started when Pervis Estupinan hooked the ball forward which Kaoru Mitoma flicked on. The front three then took over. Georginio Rutter and Danny Welbeck exchanged passes and Rutter fizzed one in from 20 yards. Kepa Arrizabalaga couldn’t hold on and Joao reacted quickest to score from close range.

The conditions didn’t inhibit the teams, who relished popping the ball about on the rain-soaked surface. At times Albion’s link-up play was excellent, but Bournemouth started to threaten and Bart Verbruggen instinctively blocked Evanilson’s close-range volley. Albion’s keeper was then relieved to see Justin Kluivert’s shot from 12 yards flash wide of his right-hand post.

Jan Paul van Hecke met Yasin Ayari’s deep free kick with a looping header but Kepa was equal to it and Kluivert’s celebrations when he scored were cut short by the offside flag. The game had become scrappy after an entertaining first 25 minutes, epitomised when Baleba hauled down Evanilson to stop a counter-attack at the expense of a yellow card.

Kaoru Mitoma's goal was his first in the Premier League since the opening day win at Everton. 📷 by James Boardman.

But whatever Hurzeler said at the break fired Albion and they doubled their lead four minutes into the second half. This time it was all about the assist for Joao, who – after slick build-up work by Ayari and Welbeck - threaded a pass unerringly into the path of Mitoma, who was just onside as he bent it right-footed past Kepa inside the far post.

Bournemouth ought to have scored within a minute but Semenyo’s cut-back was diverted wide by the unmarked Evanilson and Albion had to regroup on the hour when Baleba challenged Milos Kerkez. The contact was minimal, but referee Attwell deemed it worthy of a second yellow card. Mats Wieffer, Simon Adingra and Matt O’Riley came on as the rain returned and Albion battened down the hatches.

Verbruggen saved a header from Evanilson directed straight at him and Bournemouth seemed to have run out of ideas as the game entered stoppage time. But in the third of six added minutes Brooks lashed the ball into the roof of the net from close range. Memories of those two points surrendered on to Wolves came flooding back but Semenyo's volley smacked off the bar and the points were safe.

Albion: Verbruggen, Veltman, van Hecke, Igor, Estupinan, Ayari (O’Riley 76), Baleba, Mitoma, Rutter (Adingra 63), Welbeck (Ferguson 85), Joao (Wieffer 63).