AFC Bournemouth slipped to ninth in the Premier League table after suffering a four-nil defeat to Aston Villa at Villa Park.
The hosts took control of the game before the break, with Emiliano Buendia and Amadou Onana giving Unai Emery’s side a two-goal lead. Buendia converted a free-kick after being fouled by substitute Álex Jiménez, before Onana drove a low strike into the bottom corner from distance.
Andoni Iraola made four changes from the side that lost to Manchester City last weekend, with Adam Smith, Veljko Milosavljevic, Justin Kluivert and Evanilson all returning. However, Smith’s afternoon ended early after a heavy collision with teammate Tyler Adams, forcing the defender off after a long stoppage.
The Cherries improved after the interval, with Alex Scott forcing Emiliano Martinez into an excellent save and Evanilson twice going close from corners. Bournemouth had a chance to halve the deficit when Morgan Rogers handled in the box, but Martinez denied Antoine Semenyo from the spot.
Ross Barkley then headed in Lucas Digne’s corner to make it three, before Donyell Malen diverted in a deflected Youri Tielemans shot to complete the scoring late on.
It marked Bournemouth’s third defeat of the season, despite showing flashes of promise in the second half.
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