Evanilson scored in a fifth straight Premier League game and a Leif Davis own goal gave Bournemouth a 2-1 win at Ipswich — a fourth straight league victory for the Cherries.
The Brazil international opened the scoring in the fifth minute after a shocking mistake from Ipswich goalkeeper Christian Walton, and Bournemouth doubled their lead a minute after the restart when Davis turned the ball into his own net. Jack Clarke's 73rd-minute penalty gave Ipswich hope, but the visitors held on for a win that keeps their remarkable run going. Sky Sports recorded Evanilson's fifth-minute opener and Clarke's penalty, with Davis's own goal completing the scoring.
Evanilson makes history
The opener was a gift, but Evanilson still had to take it. Walton's error left the striker with the goal at his mercy, and he evaded the goalkeeper's desperate sprawling grasp before slotting the ball into an empty net.
By scoring at Portman Road, Evanilson became the first Bournemouth player in history to score in five straight Premier League games, having netted in four top-flight games in succession before today. The goal also moved him above Junior Stanislas into outright seventh place in Bournemouth's all-time Premier League scoring charts. For a striker signed to score goals, that is the kind of record that confirms he belongs in the conversation with the club's best. Sports Mole called it a historic afternoon for the Brazilian, and the numbers back that up.
Davis own goal doubles the lead
If the first goal was about Ipswich's error, the second was about Bournemouth's pressure. A minute after the restart, Davis turned the ball into his own net to make it 2-0, and suddenly the game looked done. It was cruel on the Ipswich full-back, but it was the reward for a Bournemouth side that had come out of the break determined to kill the contest early.
The two-goal cushion changed the feel of the afternoon completely. Ipswich, who had gone into the game 14th in the table on 11 points from nine games, were chasing a side in full flow, and Bournemouth — ninth on 12 points from nine before kick-off — looked every inch a team on a winning run. The Cherries had won their previous three league games, and a fourth was suddenly in sight.
Clarke gives Ipswich hope
Ipswich refused to fold. Clarke pulled one back from the penalty spot in the 73rd minute, and Portman Road found its voice again, sensing that a game which had looked gone might yet be rescued. The home side pushed for an equaliser in the closing stages, and the match ran deep into stoppage time before the final whistle confirmed Bournemouth's win.
It was not quite enough, and that will sting for Ipswich. They had their moments, they had the crowd behind them, and they had a penalty to drag themselves back into it — but Bournemouth's defence held firm when it mattered, and the Cherries left Suffolk with all three points. Evanilson, who had also scored in the Europa League win at Sparta Praha in midweek, is becoming the man for every occasion.
So what: Cherries flying, Tractor Boys stuck
For Bournemouth, this is a fourth straight Premier League victory, and the manner of it matters as much as the result. They won away from home without being at their best, they got a goal from their in-form striker, and they survived a late scare — the three ingredients of a side that believes in itself. With 15 points from ten games, the Cherries are climbing the table and building the kind of momentum that can carry a season.
For Ipswich, the defeat leaves them on 11 points from ten games, and the questions are starting to stack up. A goalkeeper error, an own goal and a penalty that came too late to change anything — the Tractor Boys contributed plenty to their own downfall, and they will need the international break to steady themselves. The talent is there, but the results are not following, and patience in the Premier League is never unlimited.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Evanilson is writing himself into Bournemouth history one goal at a time, and five straight scoring games is the kind of run that defines a striker's season. Ipswich will point to the errors and the misfortune, and they have a case — but Bournemouth keep finding ways to win, and that is what good teams do. The Cherries are the form side of the league right now, and nobody will want to face them after the break. Can Evanilson keep this scoring run going, or is a sixth straight game a step too far? Have your say in the comments.
