Bournemouth secured their return to Premier League winning ways with a comfortable 2-0 home victory over Aston Villa on Saturday, thanks to Jefferson Lerma’s opening goal and Kieffer Moores towering second-half header. AFC Bournemouth kicked off their 2022/23 campaign with a clean sheet at home, seeing off Aston Villa in a Premier League return. Promoted Fulham marked their return to the top division with a hard-fought 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage against title-hopeful Liverpool on the opening Saturday of the new Premier League season.
AFC Bournemouth took a commanding lead against Aston Villa in the opening exchanges, with Jefferson Lerma curling a shot into the corner for the big opening chance of the match after just three minutes. Then Kieffer Moore sealed victory for Scott Parker’s men late on. Bournemouth flew off the blocks, with Jefferson Lerma sliding in on three minutes after feasting on some shoddy defending from Aston Villa, and doubled their lead 10 minutes from time as Bournemouth Kieffer Moore headed home from an uncontested spot. AFC Bournemouth was still safe in defence, and they packed the box, sealing off Aston Villa and keeping firm control over the match.
Bournemouth’s Kieffer Moore showed a few sweet touches all the way, while Ben Pearson was an ever-present presence in the middle of the park, where Villa seemed to lose nearly every battle. Bournemouth crosses were never good enough, nor were they showing enough invention. Scott Parkers did not mince words in his lead-up to Bournemouth’s first Premier League match in two years, saying that his side was short on resources and was weaker than those promoted from the Championship. Scott Parker won a battle with former England midfielder, with his marked returning to England’s Premier League on Saturday, beating Steven Gerrards Aston Villa 2-0.
Danny Ings struggled to make an impression against his old team, while playmaker Philippe Coutinho was underwhelming. Despite controlling most of the possessions, Villa failed to generate enough opportunities. When Villa’s newest recruit fired a long-range attempt that missed the crossbar in the 65th minute, Marseille free agent, Boubacar Kamara came the closest to tying the score. With better execution from their players, Bournemouth may have increased their advantage. They remained a threat on the break. They were not to be stopped, as Kieffer Moore put the outcome beyond question in the 80th minute with a powerful header that gave Emiliano Martinez no chance. Villa was taking their chances but could not find a way through as they took 15 shots on goal but from which only two were on target
