Fraser double steers Cherries to another impressive win

Fraser double steers Cherries to another impressive win

Ryan Fraser scored twice and made another as Bournemouth continued their impressive start to the Premier League season by blitzing 10-man Leicester 4-2 at the Vitality Stadium.

The Scottish winger produced two composed finishes to put the Cherries in control and, after Joshua King’s penalty secured a three-goal half-time lead, set up a fourth for Adam Smith.

A forgettable afternoon for the Foxes, who had captain Wes Morgan sent off at 3-0, ended on a more positive note as a penalty from James Maddison and Marc Albrighton’s header halved the deficit late on.

Bournemouth have now taken 10 points from their opening five games, while the visitors slipped to a second successive defeat.

Leicester, boosted by the return of Jamie Vardy from a three-match ban, began as the brighter team before a series of errors helped shift the momentum in favour of the hosts.

Harry Maguire was perhaps the most culpable, giving the ball away with a couple of wayward passes, losing possession high up the field and then being booked for a clumsy foul on Callum Wilson.

Bournemouth grew in confidence and they went ahead with their first attempt on goal, Fraser sidestepping Morgan to curl into the bottom right corner.

Fraser had earlier had a penalty appeal turned down after going down under a challenge from Ricardo Pereira, while England defender Maguire was lucky to escape a second yellow card after up-ending King.

Referee Craig Pawson’s leniency was jeered by the home supporters and they almost had further reason to feel aggrieved minutes later when Maddison’s effort was deflected onto the crossbar by Asmir Begovic after the Cherries goalkeeper had denied Vardy’s initial effort.

Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe vented his displeasure on the sideline but he was soon smiling again.

Fraser, presented with the club’s player of the month award for August ahead of kick-off, was slipped in by Wilson and held off Maguire to poke his fourth goal of the season past Foxes keeper Kasper Schmeichel.

Leicester looked lost and fell further behind four minutes before the break.

Pawson penalised Portuguese defender Ricardo for handball inside the 18-yard box and Norway striker King calmly sent Schmeichel the wrong way from the spot.

Leicester have never won a Premier League game against the Dorset club, drawing five and losing one of the six previous meetings.

Slim hopes of a fightback were almost certainly extinguished with 21 minutes remaining when Morgan, booked in first-half stoppage time for fouling King, overran the ball and produced an ugly challenge on Dan Gosling which resulted in a second yellow card.

The visitors continued to push forward but were susceptible on the counter-attack.

King outpaced Ricardo to go through on goal but, with Fraser on hand for a tap-in to complete his hat-trick, he selfishly opted to shoot and was denied by Schmeichel.

Fraser was soon in the thick of the action once again though, cutting the ball back from the left for defender Smith to emphatically slot home.

The visitors pulled one back in the 88th minute when Maddison converted from the spot after Diego Rico was adjudged to have fouled Ricardo, before Albrighton headed home a cross from fellow substitute Kelechi Iheanacho a minute later.

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