Justin Kluivert scored a hat-trick as Bournemouth brought Newcastle United’s nine-match winning streak in all competitions to a halt with a 4-1 victory at St James’ Park.
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The Cherries' midfielder made a matchwinning contribution against the club where his father Patrick played during the 2004/05 season.
Kluivert opened the scoring early on and, although Bruno Guimaraes equalised, Kluivert restored the vistors' lead in the 44th minute.
Bournemouth put the ball in the back of the net again after an hour but the ball was ruled out in the build-up.
Kluivert hammered in a third with a brilliant long-range strike in stoppage time, while Milos Kerkez added a fourth before the end to extend their unbeaten streak to 10 league games.
The Cherries climb to sixth place and within a point of Eddie Howe’s side, who remain fourth after missing the chance to leapfrog third-place Nottingham Forest.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
25 | +12 | 47 |
| 4 |
Man City
MCI
|
25 | +17 | 44 |
| 5 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
25 | +15 | 43 |
| 6 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
25 | +13 | 43 |
| 7 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
25 | +9 | 41 |
| 8 |
Fulham
FUL
|
25 | +5 | 39 |
How the match unfolded
Bournemouth made a bright start and were ahead after just six minutes when Antoine Semenyo cut the ball back for Kluivert to sweep past Martin Dubravka.
Newcastle responded well and levelled the contest in the 25th minute when Guimaraes headed home Lewis Hall’s corner.
However, the Magpies skipper was robbed of possession by Ryan Christie and Dango Ouattara just before half-time, with the latter feeding Kluivert, who neatly slotted in.
The Cherries thought they had increased their advantage after 61 minutes when Ouattara volleyed in David Brooks’ cross. However, the goal was ruled out by the referee following a VAR review, with the ball having gone out of play in the build-up.
#NEWBOU - 61’ VAR OVERTURN
— Premier League Match Centre (@PLMatchCentre) January 18, 2025
The referee’s call of goal for Bournemouth was checked by the VAR. As there was factual evidence that the ball was out of play in the build-up to the goal, the VAR recommended that the goal was disallowed. pic.twitter.com/fLaV9VtzlI
Nevertheless, Bournemouth did get their third goal in stoppage time as Kluivert flashed a magnificent strike beyond a flat-footed Dubravka.
There was still time for Kerkez to add further gloss to the scoreline, with the left-back capping a swift counter with a fine finish across the Newcastle goalkeeper.
High-flying Magpies brought down to earth
History beckoned for Newcastle as they looked to record 10 successive victories in all competitions for the first time ever.
Although, they knew they faced a tough task in breaking down a Bournemouth side that had gone nine league games without defeat.
Not only that, but ex-Cherries boss Howe had never beaten his former employers in the Premier League, so this was always going to be a difficult one for the Magpies.
That proved to be the case as they were always playing catch-up after struggling to deal with Bournemouth’s confident start.
Even the Premier League’s most in-form striker had no answer, with the Cherries’ stubborn defence keeping Alexander Isak quiet for most of the contest.
At 2-1 down, Newcastle went close to an equaliser with Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon both seeing fierce volleys blocked.
However, the home side were stunned when Kluivert flashed in his third goal, while Kerkez made it a rout afterwards.
Nevertheless, Howe will hope his players can bounce straight back next weekend, when they travel to St Mary’s to face bottom side Southampton.
Kluivert shines at father’s old patch
Unbeaten in 10 matches across all competitions, Bournemouth will not have been daunted by the prospect of facing the high-flying Magpies.
Iraola’s side quickly settled into their rhythm and sounded a warning in the fourth minute when Ouattara’s volley was kept out by Dubravka, before Kluivert broke the deadlock two minutes later.
The visitors did not go into their shell after Guimaraes’ equaliser, punishing the Brazilian’s sloppiness in possession to regain the lead.
Remaining stubborn defensively, the Cherries always looked dangerous on the counter and with their high pressing at the other end.
The latter led to Kluivert completing his hat-trick in emphatic fashion, while taking his league goal tally to 10 for the season.
As well as establishing his best return in a Premier League campaign, he also trebled the number of goals his father scored in the division at St James’ Park 20 years ago (one).
Next up for Bournemouth is a home double-header against Nottingham Forest and Liverpool, and they will approach it with their confidence absolutely surging.
Club reports
Newcastle report | Bournemouth report
What the managers said
Eddie Howe: "They played very well. They pressed us very well and upset our rhythm and we didn't adjust to that. We had our moments but we never felt like we had control like we have in this recent run. There is things for us to reflect on and learn on. I have to give them a lot of credit for how they played and the pressure they put us on and their athleticism and that was the standout feature, particularly in the second half. We just looked a bit fatigued. That yard of pace we usually have in our usual game we didn't have. It was bitty and then second half the game got away from us."
Andoni Iraola: "It is difficult to find a better win, it is very difficult. We came into this game very thin and everybody has played their part and a little bit more. As a manager you feel very proud. We have very young players - centre-backs and a left-back and Lewis Cook playing out of position - and having to deal with top players. They were fantastic."
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Key facts
Bournemouth have won four of their last six Premier League away games (D2), taking more points (14) away from home than any other team since the first victory in this run on November 30th (4-2 against Wolves).
Newcastle United lost by three or more goals at home for just the second time in the Premier League under Eddie Howe, last doing so in December 2021 against Man City (0-4).
With three goals and an assist today, Justin Kluivert became the first Bournemouth player to be involved in as many as four goals in a single Premier League match.
Bournemouth have scored two or more goals in seven consecutive away league games in a single season for the first time in their history.
