We look over some of last season’s most important matches and why they proved to be so defining in a successful season for the Cherries.
Bournemouth’s 2023/24 campaign was one of the more turbulent seasons the club has had in recent years with plenty of highs and lows on the pitch.
From winning 3-0 at Old Trafford to losing 4-0 against Liverpool, it was certainly an eclectic mix of results and performances that eventually led to a record-breaking points haul of 48 and a mid-table finish to the delight of fans.
Coming into the new season, we wanted to take a look over last year and discuss some of the most defining games of the campaign and why they were so key to Bournemouth’s success.
Brighton 3-1 Bournemouth
This may seem like a strange inclusion but hear me out, there is some sense to it.
Bournemouth travelled to Brighton without a win but on the back of two positive draws against Brentford and Chelsea, so coming into the game there was hope.
Unfortunately, it did not quite pan out as hoped and the Cherries succumbed to, what seemed to the untrained eye, a rather humbling defeat.
But the result did not do them justice and the performance was a little better than what the result suggested.
It was the first time that Bournemouth fans truly saw ‘Iraolaball’ and, whilst it was only for one half, it was a sign of things to come.
The team pressed together with discipline, the attacking play was fluid and the tactics stopped Brighton from being comfortable in possession – it was everything fans were told about before appointing Iraola.
And the stats backed this up with Bournemouth getting the better over Brighton in touches in the box (17-25) and equalling overall shots and shots on target, so when Dominic Solanke pounced on a Brighton error to give his side the lead in the first half, it was looking as if it had all finally come together.
But like I say, it was not meant to be and Bournemouth were defeated with the help of some dodgy defending, which would not be the last time such a thing happened but at least fans saw a glimpse of things to come.
Bournemouth 2-1 Burnley
As important matches go, this was arguably Bournemouth’s most important match of the season and one that also saved Andoni Iraola from getting the sack.
The match was made even more significant given the Cherries had conceded another lead a game earlier against Wolves, leaving them winless in their first nine games.
It was not the most glamorous of games Bournemouth had played that season and the weather certainly added to the tension, with winds howling around the stands and the rain occasionally smacking your face.
But what made this game so defining was simply the result.
Phil Billing scored a fantastic long-range effort late-on to seal the comeback win, doubling their points tally at the time to six.
It showed fans that there was some grit in the team and that they were willing to fight for each other, as well as for the manager.
The players engaged in some crunching tackles and shoulder-barged their way to success, which completely paid off and kick-started their campaign after a difficult start.
Bournemouth 2-0 Newcastle
Ask any Bournemouth fan what their favourite performance of the season was and they will probably mention the 3-0 win against Manchester United or perhaps the 2-0 victory away to Crystal Palace – and that would be two perfectly fine answers.
But the 2-0 home win versus Newcastle in early November is undoubtedly up there with one of their finest displays of the season.
It was a game where everything just clicked and that is what was so defining about it.
The defence was solid against the likes of Joelinton and Anthony Gordon, Lewis Cook and Ryan Christie never stopped running to close down Newcastle’s midfield and the attackers danced between the lines carving out chance after chance.
If anything, Newcastle came off lightly with just a 2-0 defeat.
But unlike the Brighton game, Bournemouth gave fans 90 minutes of ‘Iraolaball’ in a display full of endless direct attacking.
The result and performance kicked-off an unbeaten run of six games, five of which were wins and helped lift Bournemouth from relegation trouble for the rest of the season.
Burnley 0-2 Bournemouth
The away fixture at Turf Moor had surprisingly similar circumstances to the game earlier in the season in that it came after a bad run of form.
Bournemouth had gone seven games without a win and started to slip down the table a little, so getting a win against a struggling Burnley side was key.
And just like the return fixture, it was not a game to remember.
In fact, it was a pretty dire display of football and arguably Burnley deserved to win the game given they had the better chances.
But you do not get points for being better than the opposition, it is all down to goals and Bournemouth managed to take their chances.
An early goal from Justin Kluivert and a late strike by Antoine Semenyo sealed victory for the Cherries, which was followed by two more wins and a draw in the same month, leaving Bournemouth unbeaten in March and winning Andoni Iraola March’s Manager of the Month award.
The subsequent good run of form secured Bournemouth’s Premier League status for another year and may not have been as easy without this victory putting a stop to the bad results the team had begun the year with.
Bournemouth 4-3 Luton Town
Lastly, we should mention this fixture, which has gone down in Bournemouth‘s and the League’s history being only the fifth time in the Premier League’s existence that a team has come back from three goals down to win.
Trailing Luton Town 3-0 at half time, the whole stadium were stunned at such a lacklustre performance.
But coming out to the second half, Bournemouth were a changed team and battered the Hatters’ defence, scoring four and winning the game.
The performance once again showed fans that the team had fight in them and that they did not want to limp out the rest of the season just taking the wage and getting turned over by teams.
And it helped the Cherries finish 12th in the league with a record points total of 48, despite a very tough start.
It was a roller coaster season with plenty of highs and lows and fans should expect nothing less ahead of the new season.
