Dango Ouattara starred with a sensational hat-trick as Bournemouth overwhelmed third-placed Nottingham Forest 5-0 in Saturday’s Premier League clash, handing the visitors their first defeat in nine league outings.
Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo also found the net as Bournemouth extended their unbeaten streak in the league to 11 games, climbing provisionally to sixth in the standings.
“It was a great result. We knew we were facing a very good team on a very good run. To score first was key,” Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola told the BBC.
The home side struck early when Dutch forward Kluivert, fresh off a hat-trick at Newcastle United last week, stormed out of his own half in the ninth minute and blasted a powerful shot past Forest keeper Matz Sels.
Forest nearly responded immediately, but Bournemouth’s on-loan Chelsea goalkeeper, Kepa Arrizabalaga, produced a spectacular diving save to deny Ryan Yates’ dipping volley.
Sels was kept busy at the other end, pulling off consecutive saves to deny Ryan Christie and Antoine Semenyo as Bournemouth pressed for a second.
Forest looked dangerous again after the restart, with Nikola Milenkovic’s header forcing another excellent reaction save from Arrizabalaga, who kept Bournemouth’s slim advantage intact.
Bournemouth doubled their lead in the 55th minute when Ouattara rose above Forest defender Murillo to nod in a lofted cross from Kluivert.
Just three minutes later, Kluivert thought he had scored again, but his goal was ruled out for offside after a VAR review, drawing loud jeers from the Dean Court crowd.
The frustration was short-lived, however, as Ouattara struck again just past the hour mark, firing a low shot into the bottom corner to make it 3-0.
The Burkina Faso international completed his hat-trick in the 87th minute, pouncing on a rebound after substitute Marcus Tavernier’s effort was parried by Sels.
Semenyo rounded off the scoring in stoppage time, calmly finishing from Tavernier’s pass to cap off a dominant display.
“Nobody expected a game like this. Bournemouth were better than us. We did a lot of things wrong,” said Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo, whose 51st birthday ended on a sour note. “Football is our life. Today is not a happy day, of course.”
Bournemouth are set to host league leaders Liverpool next Saturday, while Nottingham Forest will aim to bounce back when they welcome Brighton & Hove Albion the same day.
