Bournemouth scored twice in the final 20 minutes to extend their lead at the top of the Championship, beating Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 at the Amex Stadium this evening.
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Brighton had the majority of the early possession as they tried to cause an upset against the Championship leaders, but Joao Teixeira saw his attempt from a tight angle turned behind by Steve Cook.
The home side continued to threaten in the first half as Mustapha Carayol charged into the box before looking to get a low strike away, but it was easily claimed by Artur Boruc.
The visitors started to show a bit more intent before the break, with Matt Ritchie getting a couple of efforts away, but the first was dealt with by David Stockdale, before he mishit the latter.
Brighton continued to see more of the ball at the start of the second half though, and came close to breaking the deadlock when Dale Stephens found himself in space on the edge of the box, curling it just over while looking for the top corner.
Leon Best forced Boruc into action as Brighton tried to make the most of their superior possession, but the keeper kept Bournemouth level, stopping the striker from poking the ball home from a long goal kick from Stockdale.
As the match headed into the final half-hour, the hosts still looked to more threatening going forward, with Best continuing to look for a goal against his former club while Carayol had another low effort blocked after a quick run forward.
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Eddie Howe's side made Brighton pay for their missed opportunities with 20 minutes to go as Adam Smith won a free kick 20 yards out, allowing Yann Kermorgant to finally open the scoring, picking out the top-left corner with a vicious strike.
The goal seemed to spark Bournemouth into life as they were soon charging forward on the hunt for a second, and they doubled their lead in the final 10 minutes when Kermorgant picked out Callum Wilson with a through-ball, leaving the winger to calmly slot it past Stockdale.
Craig Mackail-Smith had a chance to get one back for Brighton in the final minutes as the home side tried to rescue something from the match, but his driven effort from the edge of the box did not trouble Boruc.
The victory leaves the Cherries four points clear at the top of the table, while Brighton stay 19th, nine points clear of the relegation zone.
Sian Cowper
