A Callum Wilson hat-trick has given Bournemouth a 4-3 win away at West Ham United in their Premier League clash at Upton Park.
The England Under-21 striker scored twice in the first half with first-time finishes, with left-back Aaron Cresswell at fault for both.
Mark Noble then scored a penalty for the Hammers and Cheikhou Kouyate powered home a rebounded effort to pull his side level early in the second half.
The Cherries, however, scored another two goals through Marc Pugh and a Wilson penalty that saw Carl Jenkinson sent off, but Modibo Maiga's strike eight minutes from time ensured a tense finale at the Boleyn Ground.
Sports Mole analyses all the ins and outs of the game to determine whether it was a fair result for Eddie Howe's charges.
Match statistics
WEST HAM
Shots: 9
On target: 4
Possession: 46%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 8
BOURNEMOUTH
Shots: 15
On target: 7
Possession: 54
Corners: 4
Fouls: 11
Was the result fair?
Very much so. West Ham's defence was absolutely ramshackle, with Jenkinson and Aaron Cresswell making mistakes time and time again. The latter was horribly caught out by Simon Francis for Bournemouth's opener and then gifted Wilson his second goal through a poorly hit backpass, while the former was caught out by Pugh for the third and conceded a penalty - complete with red card - which ultimately gave Wilson his hat-trick and Bournemouth the win. The Cherries had defensive frailties of their own, as shown by West Ham's three goals, which is something they will need to sort out before their next game, as other Premier League teams will not be as generous as the Hammers.
West Ham's performance
Put simply, the Hammers backline was atrocious today. Jenkinson and Cresswell were liabilities in defence, while Angelo Ogbonna and Winston Reid were marginally better in that they didn't make many mistakes, but still played poorly. Darren Randolph now has the notorious honour of having conceded 16 goals against Bournemouth in four games, which is hardly warranted because he wasn't bad and pulled off a number of good saves to keep the score down. It was better further upfield as Mark Noble, Diafra Sakho and Dimitri Payet had a good game, while substitutes James Tomkins and Modibo Maiga played well in defence and attack respectively after coming on, but it was too little too late.
Bournemouth's performance
Any team that concedes three goals can't be said to have had a particularly good day at the office, and goalkeeper Artur Boruc was pretty shaky at the back, directly or indirectly contributing to West Ham's three strikes. Steve Cook wasn't very convincing in defence, but he was bailed out by Tommy Elphick, Charlie Daniels and Simon Francis, who all performed admirably enough. The midfield was also well-drilled, but it was up front where the Cherries shined, thanks to Wilson's clinical and riotous performance alongside Max Gradel's display on the wing.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Callum Wilson: The 23-year-old forward was simply devastating up front, running riot in the final third and making the most of the opposition's defensive blunders to etch his name in Bournemouth folklore as the first man to score for the Cherries in the Premier League, though he went further and got a hat-trick which in turn helped his side earn their first ever points and first ever win in the top flight.
Biggest gaffe
A litany of errors and blunders befell the West Ham defence, with plenty to pick from for this award, but in terms of a single flashpoint event, I'm giving it to Carl Jenkinson for his tackle on Gradel in the box, which culminated in a game-changing penalty and a red card for the Arsenal loanee. Could the Hammers have claimed a point had they been just 3-2 down? Quite possibly.
Referee performance
Jonathan Moss will probably not be on any West Ham fan's Christmas cards given his calls for drinks breaks during periods during which the hosts just so happened to be favouring play - such as after conceding their third goal - but that would surely have been coincidental. There were other periods when players had to be tended to by their medical staff after some weighty challenges which went unpunished, but on the whole he didn't affect the game too much.
What next?
West Ham: The Hammers travel to Liverpool on Saturday, August 29.
Bournemouth: The Cherries travel to Hartlepool United for their League Cup clash on Tuesday, August 25.
Giuseppe Labellarte
