Bournemouth secured a convincing victory against Newcastle on Saturday, largely thanks to the outstanding performance of Justin Kluivert. The Dutch forward is having an exceptional season with Andoni Iraola’s team, netting a hat-trick at St James’ Park and bringing his Premier League goal tally to 10.
Kluivert made history by becoming the first player from Bournemouth to contribute to four goals in a single match this season, joining the ranks of Brentford’s Kevin Schade, Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah as the only players to achieve this in the league. Additionally, Kluivert managed to outshine his father, Patrick, on his old turf before halftime, proving that talent runs in the family.
Iraola Andoni expressed great pride after his AFC Bournemouth team achieved a remarkable 4-1 victory over Newcastle, despite facing a tough injury situation.
The Cherries started strong with Justin Kluivert scoring the first goal, but Newcastle’s captain Bruno Guimaraes quickly leveled the score. Just before halftime, Kluivert struck again, putting Bournemouth back in the lead, and he completed an impressive hat-trick during stoppage time. Milos Kerkez also contributed with a goal, further cementing the team’s success.
In his post-match comments, Iraola conveyed his pride: “I’m extremely proud of my players. Their performance today was exceptional, and we thoroughly deserved the win. I would say we played consistently well throughout the match.
“I had some concerns in the closing minutes because, in high-stakes games like this, the outcome is uncertain. However, we finished strongly, and it was a comprehensive performance overall.”
Bournemouth’s players demonstrated remarkable energy at St James’ Park, effectively implementing Iraola’s pressing tactics and showing great resolve in pursuing every loose ball.
When discussing the team effort, Iraola noted: “We needed contributions from every single starter. The substitutes, particularly Jebbo, who came on late in the game, also played a crucial role by winning duels against top-level players.
“We’ve performed well against Newcastle in recent seasons, and we talked at halftime about securing our victory by scoring one or two more goals. A 2-1 lead can be precarious; we’ve faced situations before where we lost control. It was essential to keep our offensive pressure, and I believe we accomplished that.”
Although Kluivert was the star of the match with his hat-trick, Iraola was eager to highlight the entire squad’s contributions during their Premier League clash in the north east. He commented on Kluivert’s performance: “With Justin and everyone else, it’s true that he scored three stunning goals. However, his defensive work against Tonali and his pressing efforts were incredibly important for us. Scoring goals certainly adds to the sweetness of the victory.”
