With a 3-0 win over 10-man Cardiff, Bournemouth stretched their advantage at the top of the Championship to four points.
After 25 minutes, the Cherries took the lead thanks to a deflected strike from Ryan Christie.
Cardiff was given a mountain to climb when Leandro Bacuna was sent off in first-half stoppage time for a dangerous two-footed challenge.
Before Jefferson Lerma’s shot hit the bar and was deflected in by Alex Smithies, Dominic Solanke scored a second.
Bournemouth now sits four points ahead of Fulham, who have two games in hand. While Cardiff remains 20th in the Championship and just three points clear of the relegation zone.
Before Bacuna’s hazardous foul made the game relatively simple for the hosts after the break. The Welsh team were at least competitive in the first half.
Bournemouth manager Scott Parker made two changes to the team that defeated Queens Park Rangers on Monday. To take the Cherries to the head of the Championship table, with captain Lloyd Kelly and Jaidon Anthony both returning.
Cardiff created 3 changes to the team that drew with Birmingham City, recalling Will Vaulks, Bacuna, and Mark Harris. Who had not played since a visit to St Andrew’s on 11 December due to Covid-19.
The Bluebirds had a strong start and could have taken the lead after Bournemouth failed to deal with a long throw. But striker Kieffer Moore’s diving header flew straight at goalkeeper Mark Travers after just five minutes.
In 13 minutes, the hosts attacked the Cardiff goal, but Lewis Cook’s shot was stopped by Aden Flint. Who was trying to achieve a league double against Cardiff for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.
How did Bournemouth keep the lead throughout the entire game?
In 25 minutes, Bournemouth took the lead when Christie’s shot ricocheted off Mark McGuinness as he attempted to stop the ball. To beat goalie Smithies, who was misled by the rebound.
Before the break, both sides had decent chances, with Anthony’s deflected shot being saved by Smithies. And the Bluebirds were denied again from close range when Travers stopped Moore’s effort as he slipped to connect with Ryan Giles’ dangerous cross.
However, Cardiff’s challenge against the top of the league got seismic on the stroke of half-time, when Bacuna was awarded a straight red card for a two-footed tackle from behind on Philip Billing, which caused a scuffle between the players.
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