Bournemouth

Mark Mitchener
BBC Sport senior journalist

Image source, Getty Images

"We're AFC Bournemouth, we're top of the league."

Not one of the most common chants in football. Perhaps only heard before when they won the old Third Division (now League One) title in 1987, and when they pipped Watford to the Championship summit in the dying seconds of the 2014-15 season.

But for about an hour at Selhurst Park on Saturday, Cherries fans in the away section were proudly singing about being top of the Premier League pile, while hastily grabbing a screenshot of the "as it stands" table to remind themselves that it really did happen.

It didn't last. A hotly disputed penalty in stoppage time drew Crystal Palace level at 3-3, while even if they had held on, Arsenal's victory in the later kick-off would have propelled the Gunners back to the top.

With the early-season table gradually taking shape with eight games played, the 'old order' has largely reasserted itself, with five of the 'big six' clubs (those who attempted to join a European Super League) occupying positions in the top six.

But Bournemouth currently stand as the outlier among them - the 'best of the rest' if you prefer - with the longest current unbeaten streak in the league, having not lost since the opening day at Liverpool.

The bunched nature of the top half of the table - only three points separate the Cherries in third from Aston Villa in 11th - means that positions are likely to change thick and fast over the next few rounds of games.

And while they have never been this high in the table, this deep into a season, no-one at Bournemouth will be getting carried away just yet.

On Sunday, Bournemouth host Nottingham Forest, with the visitors already on their third boss of the season and looking for the kind of 'new manager bounce' that has so far completely eluded West Ham, the only other club to sack their manager this season.

Coincidentally, for new Forest manager Sean Dyche, his first league game in charge will be at Vitality Stadium - the venue for his last game before he was fired as Everton boss back in January.

Sam Davis
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Bournemouth continue to impress in the early stages of this season's Premier League, even sitting top of the pack for a spell at the weekend.

There are a whole range of factors that contribute to the club's glorious start to the campaign, but their exciting young talent is certainly one of those.

There will always be a need for experienced players, the types of personnel who fit the 'been there and done that' bracket - but with high pressing and an aggressive approach becoming at large within the Premier League more than ever before, it seems to suggest that, these days, if you are good enough, you are old enough.

Indeed on Saturday, Ryan Christie was the first player aged 30 or above to score in the Premier League for the Cherries since 2023, cementing the point that the squad on the whole are very youthful.

This certainly is not by accident. It is undoubtedly by design, with Andoni Iraola favouring an all-action and energetic approach to games. That means his players have to be full of vigour.

The Cherries players are consistently at the top of any 'ground covered' metric, and the need for that youthful vibrancy is evidently key. Iraola has made the side's organised yet chaotic approach a valuable weapon, with high turnovers and interceptions in the attacking third being order of the day since his arrival.

There have been a number of standout players since the start of the season, but to see Eli Junior Kroupi getting numbers, as well as more minutes for blossoming talents like Alex Scott and Alex Jimenez, the Cherries really are in a good place.

Find more from Sam Davis at Back of the Net, external

Chris Wise
BBC Radio 5 Live commenator

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The 3-3 draw between Crystal Palace and Bournemouth was comfortably the best Premier League game I've seen in the flesh this season. It might seem strange to drag the focus away from the main protagonists of Saturday's show, but hear me out.

Tyler Adams had another very impressive game. He's going under the radar slightly at the moment, as much as a Premier League player can. There aren't too many defensive midfielders that are as crucial to their team right now as the USA international is to Bournemouth.

I think most would agree that the Cherries' hastily assembled new-look backline have settled well. But the impact Adams has had in allowing that to happen needs to be noted. He screens the scene superbly, and offers a bite and intensity to the base of Bournemouth's midfield. There were a couple of times against Crystal Palace where the Bournemouth defence had been stretched, and it was Adams who was there to bail them out.

He became a dad during the most recent international break, so a huge congratulations to him and his partner. And 2026 promises to be a big year too with a home World Cup for Adams on the horizon. He is going to be one of the poster boy for the United States, but given his performances of late, that's something he'll be able to take in his stride.

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Crystal Palace and Bournemouth.

Here are some of your comments:

Palace fans

Bob: A great comeback from being 2-0 down, and thanks to Daniel Munoz. We could have lost the game but he defended superbly denying Bournemouth late in the game. If only Jean-Philippe Mateta could have scored from point-blank range at the end of the game. Still a valuable point!

Al: Sometimes a game just goes crazy and this was one of them. On another day, Mateta could have had five goals. This Palace team just fight for each other. A manager's nightmare to watch but a great spectacle for football fans.

Trevor: PHEW.

Glen: It was a great comeback from Palace but honestly we should have not been in that position in the first place if we had taken our chances. Bournemouth were well drilled and took their chances but we were wasteful. We need to be more ruthless in front of goal. Saying all that, as a supporter of 40 years I have never seen Palace so impressive on and off the pitch.

Bournemouth fans

Ray: Fabulous first half and a great performance. Sadly Palace looked like they were going to score from every attack in the second. Take the point and move on.

Oliver: We played very well. Many VAR checks that were not all correct from my perspective like the penalty - Marc Guehi pulled Bafode Diakite's shirt and goes diving and from the ref's perspective it looks like he was fouled. I thought that Eli Kroupi had a great game. As long as we can keep the momentum going, we can get into Europe.

Jim: What a fantastic game to watch. Mateta was the difference between a Cherries win and a draw. Thankfully he skied the ball at the end. It would have been so unfair if it had gone in. Ignoring VAR, a fair result in the end.

David: Tremendous character to regain the lead at 2-2. If that's a penalty, why don't we see 10 more like that every weekend?

Image source, Getty Images

Bournemouth winger Amine Adli says team-mate Eli Junior Kroupi "is a crazy talent" after scoring twice against Crystal Palace on his full club debut.

Stepping in to replace Evanilson, who was sidelined with a calf problem, he started up front and proved that age is just a number at 19 years old.

"He is amazing," Adli, who signed from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, told BBC Radio Solent. "From what I have seen since joining, when he is on the pitch he is going to score.

"He has flare and is a crazy talent at 19. Everyone saw the way the he can play [against Palace] and the club is making good progress with him.

"I am happy for him because he deserves it a lot. He's a striker with a unique style and he can be a playmaker too.

"The future is bright for him."

Listen to Adli's full interview on BBC Sounds

Bournemouth are prepared for more bids for forward Antoine Semenyo in future transfer windows. (Football Insider), external

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Pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Manchester City 2-0 Everton

• Crystal Palace 3-3 Bournemouth

• Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Andoni Iraola spoke to the media after Bournemouth's draw against Crystal Palace: "I think it has been an entertaining game, if we talk about football we were better in the first-half and they were better in the second-half. They punished us with their physicality.

"I cannot be happy, I am not please, I am upset and I am angry because of their goal in the 96th-minute, I cannot accept it.

"Not to win it because someone called a penalty and I think the VAR was influenced by the previous decision. That is the only explanation I can find.

"They were punishing us and it was a difficult moment when they scored to make it 2-2 but then we got it back and showed some character. To conceded like this id difficult.

On Eli Junior Kroupi scoring two goals: "For his confidence he is a very important player for us. Being so young and a starting option he is very composed. I am happy for him."

Did you know?

At 19 years and 117 days old, Eli Kroupi is the youngest player to score 2+ goals in a Premier League game since Evan Ferguson for Brighton against Newcastle on September 2nd 2023 (18y 318d) while he is the second youngest Frenchman to do so after Nicolas Anleka in April 1998 against Newcastle (19y 28d).

• Listen to Iraola's interview with BBC Radio Solent on BBC Sounds

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Boss Andoni Iraola is in his third season in charge of Bournemouth - and what a job he is doing.

The Cherries finished 15th, only five points above the relegation zone under Gary O'Neil in 2022-23, but since Iraola's arrival they have come 12th and ninth - their joint-highest finish in league football.

However, despite losing four key players in the summer - centre-halves Dean Huijsen and Illia Zabarnyi, left-back Milos Kerkez and winger Dango Ouattara, who moved in big-money transfers to Real Madrid, Paris St-Germain, Liverpool and Brentford respectively - Iraola has his side's fans dreaming of glory.

After Eli Kroupi's first goal, the away fans chanted they were top of the league, and then how they were going to win it.

While, it is far too early for any serious discussions like that, there is a real chance Iraola could guide Bournemouth to their best position and make them serious challengers for a run at securing European football, something they have never achieved.

Such has been their progression, they will be disappointed to leave south London with only a point.

With Evanilson out with a calf injury, Kroupi was handed a first Premier League start following his move from French club Lorient and put the visitors ahead after only seven minutes.

It came after Justin Kluivert's inswinging corner from the left caused problems and the ball bounced off Eagles defender Maxence Lacroix when challenging Antoine Semenyo in the air, dropping perfectly for Kroupi to head in from close range.

Semenyo was heavily involved in Bournemouth's second as he was too fast for Chris Richards down the left flank and his cross was not dealt with by England defender Marc Guehi, with Kroupi blasting home the loose ball.

After Jean-Philippe Mateta made it 2-2 the Cherries thought they had gained their fifth league win of the season when Ryan Christie converted from captain Marcus Tavernier's pass, only for Mateta to deny them the victory late on.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

What did you learn from Crystal Palace's display?

Have your say on Bournemouth's performance

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

It is same again for Crystal Palace with Oliver Glasner sticking with the same 11 that began the 2-1 loss at Everton on 5 October.

Crystal Palace XI: Henderson, Munoz, Lacroix, Guehi, Mitchell, Richards, Wharton, Kamada, Sarr, Pino, Mateta.

Subs: Benitez, Clyne, Devenny, Canvot, Lerma, Sosa, Hughes, Esse, Nketiah.

Bournemouth, who could go top for a few hours if they win at Selhurst Park before Arsenal play in the later game, make three changes from the side that won 3-1 against Fulham.

In come Alex Jimenez, Eli Kroupi and Justin Kluivert and out go David Brooks, Evanilson and James Hill.

Brooks was captain on 3 October and with him missing, Marcus Tavernier gets the armband.

Bournemouth XI: Petrovic, Jimenez, Truffert, Senesi, Kroupi, Scott, Diakite, Adams, Tavernier, Kluivert, Semenyo.

Subs: Dennis, Araujo, Smith, Cook, Adli, Hill, Milosavljevic, Christie, Gannon-Doak.

There are seven games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Nottingham Forest v Chelsea (12:30)

• Brighton v Newcastle

• Burnley v Leeds United

• Crystal Palace v Bournemouth

• Man City v Everton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Sunderland v Wolves - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Fulham v Arsenal (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Fulham v Arsenal", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

What an absolute nightmare of a game this is to predict.

Two brilliantly coached teams, who are so well organised and in great form, and are capable of getting a result against anyone, home or away.

I could make a case for both of them to win this, so the easy way out would be to opt for a draw - but I can't go for another one of those, despite both meetings between the two sides finishing 0-0 last season.

Instead, I am going for someone to nick it. But who?

I might as well toss a coin here... but I am going to go with Antoine Semenyo to win it for Bournemouth, although you can guarantee that Palace will score in the first five minutes now.

Sutton's prediction: 0-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Image source, Getty Images

Bournemouth midfielder Marcus Tavernier says team-mate Antoine Semenyo is "unplayable" right now.

The winger has already scored six goals in seven Premier League games and provided three assists.

Having lost a number of faces in the summer, Semenyo has been a key figure in helping the Cherries to keep up their impressive form of last season and take them to fourth in the league.

"No surprise at all [to see Semenyo's form]," Tavernier told BBC Radio Solent.

"He has come on leaps and bounds from the first time he came here. We saw that quality from the get go, but it just wasn't quite working for him on the pitch at the start.

"What he is producing now is nothing short of what he deserves. He is one of the hardest working people I have played with, always out there doing extras, you can see him doing his shooting videos as well.

"It is great for the team, and for him especially with the success he is getting out there now."

While the versatile 25-year-old has previously played in the central striker position, he has spent the majority of his time on the pitch this campaign in either the right or left wing roles.

When asked where he think's Semenyo's best position is, Tavernier responded: "He would probably say he could play goalkeeper as well!

"That is just Antoine. The way he is playing right now he is unplayable on the wing. I don't think there is anyone who can really mark him when he is on his game.

"When he is in that form, and the way he plays, he can produce anything from those wide positions."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds

Noel Sliney
BBC Sport senior journalist

The two Premier League meetings between Crystal Palace and Bournemouth last season finished goalless. A repeat is surely unlikely, with both teams providing plenty of entertainment during the current campaign and occupying top-six places before Saturday's encounter.

Crystal Palace have continued to build on last season's historic FA Cup victory and best ever Premier League points tally. Though their club record 19-match unbeaten run was ended by Everton before the international break, Palace's current streak of nine top-flight home games without defeat is their longest since 1990.

It is little wonder that club chairman Steve Parish is keen to keep manager Oliver Glasner, who is out of contract at the end of the season. "Oliver wants to win things, he makes no secret of that," said Parish last weekend. "So if we can align those interests then hopefully we can make something happen."

Palace have actually made the biggest improvement when comparing the current points tallies of Premier League clubs to this time last season. The Eagles have earned nine points more from their opening seven matches than they did during a sluggish start to 2024-25.

Bournemouth, along with Everton, are the next-biggest improvers among the 17 ever-present Premier League sides this season and last. They are six points better off after seven games.

Bournemouth are unbeaten in the league since an opening-weekend defeat at Anfield and went second in the table, albeit just for a day, after beating Fulham in their most recent fixture. It was their highest ever Premier League position after at least two rounds of matches.

The Cherries have spent 42% of their games in the lead, second only to Manchester City. Palace, who have been ahead for 39% of the time, rank fourth.

However, Bournemouth's away form is patchy. Their only two away league wins in the past nine attempts both came in London - against Arsenal in May and Tottenham in August.

Grace Wheeler
BBC Sport

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking to BBC Radio Solent before Saturday's Premier League game against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park (kick-off 15:00).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Midfielder David Brooks is taking a small break after picking up an injury and Iraola said: "It's not the best moment, it's never a good moment to have an injury. I think Brooksy was playing really well and finding himself, he was in a great physical position. We will take his injury like a small break and in a positive way to come back with the same intent and condition."

• Defender Adam Smith is back training and Enes Unal returned to training after injuring his ACL twice in a year. Iraola said: "We will be careful and we don't want to make any mistakes in the recovery. He is feeling well and has been training with us during the international break. It is good because I see him smiling and in a better mood."

• Iraola also said the are "considering" Unal playing with the developmental squad.

• On Antoine Semenyo's excellent start to the season, Iraola said: "I hope we can keep him there because now he is full on confidence."

• Offering more on Semenyo's threat and ability to adapt, he said: "With his last performance everyone trying to limit his options. He has a good thing that he is playing with us on both wings. We have had the chance to play up front. I think he is better wide but he has done it internationally. So, I think it is better for us because the opposition can't plan where to defend against him."

Follow all of Saturday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Hear more from Iraola in his chat with BBC Radio Solent on BBC Sounds

Listen to live commentary of Crystal Palace v Bournemouth on Saturday at 15:00 BST on BBC Sounds

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Image source, Getty Images

The Premier League table is starting to take shape and while results are obviously what matter most, they don't tell the whole story in terms of how teams have been playing so far.

Expected goals (xG) tells us how much teams have been dominating games by creating lots of good chances up front and restricting opponents to few, bad ones at the back.

Penalties are excluded because they distort a team's numbers on how threatening or vulnerable they are in general, especially at this early stage.

Below is a graphic showing how good teams have been in attack and defence, with the most dominant teams in the top-right corner and the least impressive in the bottom-left corner.

Arsenal and Manchester City have been the most dominant sides, with the Gunners having the best defence and fourth-best attack and City the joint-best attack and fourth-best defence.

High-flying Crystal Palace are the only side to rival City's attacking threat, while Newcastle are living up to their name by being almost as impregnable at the back as Arsenal.

Both Manchester United and Chelsea have one of the top five attacks in the league but worryingly also rank in the bottom five defensively.

• Find and follow your Premier League club on BBC Sport

Liverpool's back-to-back defeats following five straight wins gives a more accurate picture of how they have been playing, while Tottenham have needed to be very efficient to make up for their lack of dominance in games.

Aston Villa's early-season struggles are no longer to do with finishing - they have now scored six non-penalty goals from an xG of 6.0 - but simply because they have not been playing well.

While promoted sides Leeds and Sunderland have adapted quite well to the top-flight, Burnley have struggled to make the jump so far with both the worst attack and the worst defence.

Read more on what expected goals tell us about the start to the season

Mark Mitchener
BBC Sport senior journalist

Image source, Getty Images

While most managers' primary hope during international breaks is that their players return unscathed, after intensive competitive games often bookended by long-haul flights, Bournemouth may have been grateful for the game time given to one squad member.

Ben Gannon-Doak has comfortably played more minutes for Scotland this season than he has done for the Cherries, coming off the bench against Denmark before starting twice against Belarus and once against Greece.

By contrast, the winger was substituted at half-time in his only Bournemouth start this season in the Carabao Cup, though he impressed when summoned from the bench against Leeds and Fulham.

He also recorded a first Premier League assist against the Cottagers, sprinting down the right as the Cherries counter-attacked after clearing a Fulham corner in stoppage time, before keeping a cool head to square the ball for the unmarked Antoine Semenyo to score.

There is fierce competition in Andoni Iraola's side for places in the wide positions, with Semenyo - one of the Premier League's players of the season so far - and the rejuvenated David Brooks currently in possession of the starting slots.

But, as has been well documented, Iraola encourages his wingers to run themselves into the ground for an hour or more before summoning their replacements, such as ex-Liverpool teenager Gannon-Doak and fellow summer signing Amine Adli, from the bench.

With a first-round Carabao Cup exit meaning no cup matches until January, some hard-fought battles in the Tartan Army's colours - with another two fixtures next month - may help build Gannon-Doak up to the levels he needs to play in Iraola's high-energy style.

He recently told the club website, external how he needs to work on his defensive attributes too, admitting: "I've realised now that's what is going to get me in the team."

Looking further ahead, Semenyo's early-season form will continue to generate more and more transfer speculation - although much of it will be baseless. However, it does feel increasingly likely this may be his last season in Bournemouth colours, despite penning a new contract.

The Cherries' recruitment team has been rightly praised for their summer transfer business, and in Gannon-Doak, there is a chance they may already have Semenyo's potential long-term replacement in the building.

Tom Jordan
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Bournemouth have been known for bringing in some exciting, young prospects in the past few years, providing the club with impressive squad depth and certainly helping the books with some healthy profits along the way.

As the International break is upon us, it looks as if the Cherries' recruitment team may have found another gem.

Julio Soler is a 20-year-old Argentine full-back who has been used as a back-up left-back to both Milos Kerkez and Adrien Truffert since joining. He is currently away from the club as he participates in the Under-20s World Cup in Chile, but he is getting on more than fine.

Soler has had the honour of captaining the Argentina side to the semi-finals of the competition, catching the eye with some impressive displays and making many a neutral believe they will end up victorious.

To be captaining his nation at such a young age will excite plenty of Cherries fans, added to the fact that the club have discovered many promising youngsters around the globe in recent times.

To come into Bournemouth as Kerkez's understudy was a solid start, particularly when you see the Hungarian's progression from when he joined the club to leaving for Premier League champions Liverpool.

He now sits as competition for Truffert, someone who has been capped by France.

There is clearly a nice pathway in front of Soler and it is definitely one to keep an eye on as Andoni Iraola's youthful squad continues to progress and impress the football world.

Find more from Tom Jordan at Back of the Net, external

Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo does have a release clause in his contract but the Cherries are keeping it under wraps because they want to hang on to the 25-year-old Ghana international who has been linked with Tottenham and Manchester United. (Talksport), external

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