Sports
Source: BBC Sport
PREMIER League Bournemouth became the first team to confirm their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup as they hammered Championship side Swansea 5-0.
Bournemouth needed just 14 minutes to race 3-0 ahead through goals from Lloyd Kelly, Alex Scott and Luis Sinisterra.
Kelly and Scott’s goals were both created by David Brooks, who produced a superb individual display.
Brooks capped his performance to make it 4-0 on 34 minutes and Dominic Solanke added a fifth before half-time.
Swansea improved after the interval and managed to limit the damage, with Bournemouth able to cruise into the fifth round.
Brooks and Scott inspire Bournemouth
This was a second meeting between the sides this season with Bournemouth winning 3-2 at the Swansea.com Stadium in the Carabao Cup back in August.
That was Andoni Iraola’s first victory as Cherries boss, coming courtesy of a Ryan Christie stoppage-time goal.
The game was also notable because Brooks scored his first competitive goal since his return from cancer treatment.
Brooks captained Bournemouth – as he did in August – in a side that showed five changes from Sunday’s 4-0 Premier League defeat against Liverpool and the Wales international made an immediate impact.
His deep free-kick allowed Kelly to fire the Cherries ahead as the defender managed to half-volley the ball on the slide into the roof of the net.
The Welshman was the orchestrator of Swansea’s destruction as his intelligent running pulled the Swans’ defence apart with regularity.
The hosts continued to relentlessly push at the visitors in the early exchanges and the Championship side wilted, with Brooks skipping through their defence on 10 minutes and cutting the ball back to Scott, who swept home.
Swansea then gifted Bournemouth a third goal as goalkeeper Andy Fisher’s wayward pass was intercepted by Scott who provided Sinisterra the chance to cut inside and roll a right-footed finish into the bottom corner of the net.
Brooks and Scott were tormenting Swansea and it was no surprise that the former got on the scoresheet as he took advantage of another Swans mistake and exchanged passes with Solanke, allowing him space to race clear and apply the finish.
Swansea looked like conceding every time the hosts attacked and Solanke compounded their misery by steering home from Sinisterra’s pinpoint cross on the stroke of half-time.
This was a chastening night for Swansea and their newly-installed manager Luke Williams.
Williams also made five changes to his starting XI from Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at home to Southampton, with the Swans’ defensive frailties clearly on display.
Swansea did produce some chances in the first-half, with Mark Travers forced to save from Nathan Wood after Kyle Naughton’s long-range effort struck the post, while the Cherries goalkeeper also produced a flying stop to deny Liam Cullen’s powerful effort.
However, for the most part this game became a damage-limitation exercise for the visitors, while Bournemouth were able to rotate their injury-ravaged squad in the second-half.
There will be concern for the hosts that defender James Hill was forced to limp off with an ankle issue, but the likes of Solanke, Brooks, Scott and Kelly were all given a rest.
The hosts did threaten to add to their already massive advantage, but a series of blocks and last-gasp defensive efforts from the visitors meant they kept the scoreline 5-0, as Bournemouth’s intensity dropped with the game well won.
Bournemouth goalscorer David Brooks on S4C:
“I’m trying to do the best I can when I get the minutes and the opportunities.
“We’ve got a great group of players and today was one of the chances I get to show what I’m capable of and hopefully I’ve done that.”
Swansea head coach Luke Williams on S4C:
“It was a horrible night for us.
“I apologised to the players as I tried to set up the team to cause a problem for the opposition. Because it’s a cup game we have to find a way to win the game.
“I got the balance wrong, too many players in advanced positions and in the turnover too few players to stem the attack and the opposition were very good.
“It was very difficult to get near their goal and in the second half we tried to limit the damage because the scoreline was too heavy. We were playing against an outstanding team.”
T.S
-January 26, 2024 @ 6:13 GMT|
Tags: Alex Scott Lloyd Kelly Luis Sinisterra
