Leicester City got their first win of the Premier League season, defeating AFC Bournemouth 1-0 at the King Power Stadium.
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Facundo Buonanotte scored the winning goal for Steve Cooper’s side in the 16th minute with a stunning curling effort.
Bournemouth put on a much better display in the second half though, with Lewis Cook having a direct free-kick ruled out for offside 66 minutes in.
Illia Zabarnyi and Dango Ouattara also hit the woodwork as the Cherries continued to dominate, but they fell short of finding an equaliser.
The Foxes move up to 15th, with six points from seven matches, while Bournemouth sit 13th - two points better off their opponents.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
11 | 0 | 15 |
| 13 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
11 | 0 | 15 |
| 14 |
West Ham
WHU
|
11 | -6 | 12 |
| 15 |
Leicester
LEI
|
11 | -7 | 10 |
| 16 |
Everton
EVE
|
11 | -7 | 10 |
How the match unfolded
The hosts wasted no time taking the lead as Buonanotte played a one-two with James Justin, racing into the box before dancing past Marcos Senesi and curling a left-foot strike past Kepa Arrizabalaga to draw first blood.
Stephy Mavididi’s penalty shout for a handball against Zabarnyi was turned down shortly before Jamie Vardy fired a gilt-edged chance wide after getting in behind the Bournemouth backline.
Zabarnyi hit the woodwork from a Cook free-kick four minutes after the restart and Ryan Christie tested Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen from the edge of the box as Bournemouth pushed.
Cook curled a delightful free-kick into the net from the left, but the assistant referee’s flag went up as Evanilson was judged to have affected play from an offside position, with the VAR confirming the onfield decision.
Substitute Ouattara then rattled the woodwork again moments later, leaping high in the box only to thump his header against the crossbar.
In the dying seconds, Enes Unal had the chance to snatch a draw, but he ballooned a shot over from close range as Leicester held on for a precious three points.
Buonanotte proves his worth
It has been a tough return to the top flight for Leicester. The last time they had waited this long for a win in the competition, they were relegated.
But Buonanotte put an end to that run. The Argentinian on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion proved he could be Leicester's biggest weapon as they look to avoid an immediate return to the Championship.
The 19-year-old’s second goal of the season gave the Foxes a crucial win, causing chaos with his surging runs down the right, and was influential in the No 10 role throughout.
His defence-splitting pass sent Vardy through later in the first half, only for the veteran striker to squander it, and he continued to provide the Foxes with an outlet even as Bournemouth upped their pressure in the latter stages.
This win could go a long way to building confidence for Cooper’s side ahead of crucial games against fellow promoted side Southampton and Ipswich Town after the international break.
Bournemouth fail to mount another comeback
The Cherries made a bright start – Senesi went close with a header in the sixth minute – but their weaknesses were laid bare shortly after as Leicester looked dangerous every time they broke forward.
Despite going behind, Bournemouth offered little going forward, with an Antoine Semenyo shot blocked at close range by Wout Faes the closest to an equaliser in the first half.
Andoni Iraola looked to the bench at the break, introducing Ouattara in place of Justin Kluivert and the Cherries responded positively, only for the substitute and Zabarnyi to be denied by the goal frame.
But a comeback was not against the odds, as Bournemouth had come from two goals down to beat Everton in the dying minutes earlier this season, so they kept on probing. A recovery of the same sort failed to materialise in Leicester.
Iraola would have seen this as a good chance for the team to come away with three points, and with games against Arsenal, Aston Villa and champions Manchester City coming up.
Club reports
Leicester report | AFC Bournemouth report
What managers said
Steve Cooper: "I'm feeling great but I'm more pleased that the supporters and the players are feeling great. I never worry about myself first. I'm just happy that the players have been able to get the win and that the supporters are able to leave the stadium with a win as well and can enjoy the international break more than they would have if things had been different."
Andoni Iraola: "Overall I think we were better. We had more chances and missed clear chances. You have to take them at this level.
"We had a mistake with their goal, with the one-two. We pushed them a lot but if you don't score, today can happen."
Next Premier League fixtures
Key facts
Leicester kept a clean sheet at home in the Premier League for the first time since October 2022 vs Leeds United (2-0), ending their longest such run in the competition without recording a single shutout (16 matches).
Bournemouth have failed to score in three of their last four Premier League games, as many blanks as the Cherries managed in their previous 33 matches in the competition. In fact, no side has failed to score on more occasions in the Premier League this term (three).
Buonanotte (19y 287d) became the second youngest South American player to reach 10 goal involvements in the Premier League, behind only Alejandro Garnacho in December 2023 (19y 182d).
Justin has been directly involved in a goal in consecutive Premier League appearances for the very first time, while he has as many goal contributions in his last two matches (three) as in his previous 67 matches in the competition.