Sheffield United 1-3 Bournemouth: Paul Heckingbottom's fears worsen as Marcus Tavernier heaps misery on Blades

Report and highlights as Marcus Tavernier scores either side of the break in a comfortable Bournemouth victory; Justin Kluivert also on target after some calamitous Sheffield United defending; the Blades have already slumped to 10 league losses this term

By Laura Hunter

Saturday 25 November 2023 21:45, UK

Bournemouth cantered to a 3-1 victory over lifeless Sheffield United thanks to a Marcus Tavernier double, which sandwiched Justin Kluivert's first ever Premier League strike.

Andoni Iraola's side were without an away win this season and had shipped 17 goals in the process - the most of any side on the road - until they arrived at Bramall Lane in a particularly boisterous mood.

The Cherries carried plenty of momentum into the contest following a statement win over Newcastle before the international break, and Tavernier got them off to the perfect start after only 12 minutes, latching onto an incisive Antoine Semenyo pass and drilling beyond Wes Foderingham.

The goalkeeper was then at fault for Bournemouth's second just before half-time, as Kluivert picked Foderingham's pocket and curled the ball into an empty net from a difficult angle.

Things went from bad to worse after the break as the Blades' frail backline was again exposed by a pinpoint delivery from Adam Smith, who found Tavernier lurking at the back post and he made no mistake with a simple first-time finish. Game over.

Substitute Oli McBurnie beat Neto with a smart header deep into stoppage time, converting George Baldock's cross, but it was nothing more than a consolation as Sheffield United slumped to their 10th defeat of the season.

Bournemouth, conversely, have begun pulling away from the danger zone after back-to-back wins and sit 16th, seven points clear of the teams below the relegation line.

How sluggish Sheff Utd suffered against Bournemouth

This will be a wake-up call. The Blades were outplayed and outclassed by the energetic Cherries, who up until now, had been point-less from games on the road.

Their lively start was rewarded 12 minutes in when Semenyo drifted in from the right and played in Tavernier, who was helped by the decoy run of Dominic Solanke before side-footing into the bottom corner.

The visitors grew in confidence after the opener, with Kluivert, Solanke and Tavernier all going close, while Semenyo was finding pockets of space all over the pitch, forcing turnovers and sparking quick counter-attacks.

United couldn't cope and looked devoid of any real plan as they tried and failed to gain a foothold, not helped by a goalkeeping howler from Foderingham in first-half injury time, allowing Kluivert a gift to make it 2-0.

The Blades were booed off at the interval and the home fans vented their frustration again six minutes after the restart when Tavernier ghosted in at the far post to turn Smith's deft cross home.

With some more precise finishing, the impressive Cherries could have won by a bigger margin, but Foderingham regained his composure in time to keep out further efforts from Semenyo, Kluivert, Ryan Christie and substitute Luis Sinisterra.

McBurnie's late header will serve as scant consolation for Heckingbottom - his side a distant second best throughout - and has got a huge job on his hands if the Blades want to avoid an immediate return to the Championship.

Player ratings

Sheffield United: Forderingham (5), Baldock (6), Robinson (6), Trusty (4), Bogle (4), Souza (4), Norwood (5), Thomas (5), Hamer (5), McAtee (4), Archer (5).

Subs: Ahmedhodzic (3), McBurnie (6), Osborn (5), Osula (5), Fleck (5).

Bournemouth: Neto (7), Kelly (6), Senesi (6), Zabarnyi, Smith (7), Christie (6), Cook (6), Tavernier (8), Kluivert (7), Semenyo (8), Solanke (7).

Subs: Kerkez (6), Sinisterra (6), Billing (5), Brooks (n/a).

Man of the match: Marcus Tavernier.

Heckingbottom concerned with poor home showing

Sheffield Utd manager Paul Heckingbottom:

"We started poorly and never really recovered. The second and third goals take the game away from us and they're really poor. We can't hide from that.

"What we have to be more concerned about is the overall performance. We have to get this out of our heads. We didn't play with the quality we need to win the game.

"You see Bournemouth's goals, they come on the counter, they've got great athleticism up front. I'm concerned about how we performed and why that quality wasn't there. We've got a huge game next week and we know we can be better."

Iraola: We came for three points

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola:

"Performance and result were impressive. It's good that we give continuity between performance and result.

"We wanted to make it clear we were coming for the three points - we tried to stay front foot and play in their half.

"It was the kind of game we prefer. For us, scoring early helped because it makes them push a bit higher and leave space. We could find spaces in between and more importantly in behind.

"It's difficult to win a Premier League game away but this is really important. Three wins from the last four - we're in a good moment."

FPL stats: Sheffield United 1-3 Bournemouth


Goals	Tavernier (2), Kluivert, McBurnie
Assists	Semenyo, Smith, Baldock
Bonus points	Tavernier (3), Kluivert (2), Baldock (1)

Player of the Match: Marcus Tavernier

Six of Marcus Tavernier's seven Premier League goals for Bournemouth have either drawn the Cherries level (two) or put them one goal in the lead (four). Not many strikes will be considered more important than the two he notched against relegation rivals Sheffield United in a perfectly complete all-round display, where his direct running and clever movement caused untold problems.

Opta: Leaky defences not helping Blades' cause

Having failed to win any of their first nine league games of 2023-24 (D3 L6), Bournemouth have since won three of their last four.
Bournemouth forward Justin Kluivert became just the second player to score in each of the big five European leagues in the 21st century, after Stevan Jovetic.
Sheffield United have conceded 34 league goals this season, the most by a side after 13 games in a top-flight campaign since Barnsley (36) and Sheffield Wednesday (35).