Bournemouth loses again in Premier League to damage Champions League hopes as Palace beats Villa

By Canadian Press on February 25, 2025.

Bournemouth’s unlikely bid for Champions League qualification took another hit with a 2-1 loss at Brighton in the Premier League on Tuesday.

An 11-match unbeaten run in the league from late November to the end of January established Bournemouth as an out-of-the-blue contender to get into Europe’s top competition, especially with the Premier League likely having five places next season.

However, the unheralded south-coast club has now lost three of its last four league matches, the latest coming at Amex Stadium where Danny Welbeck scored the 75th-minute winner for Brighton — three minutes after coming off the bench.

Justin Kluivert had equalized for Bournemouth in the 61st, canceling out Joao Pedro’s 12th-minute opener from the penalty spot after he was fouled by goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Bournemouth started the match in sixth place — one point behind fifth — and has now been joined on 43 points by Brighton, another improbable candidate for Champions League qualification.

Crystal Palace beat Aston Villa 4-1 at home, with Ismaila Sarr scoring twice for the hosts in a match watched by England men’s coach Thomas Tuchel.

Fulham won 2-1 at Wolverhampton.

Chelsea was playing Southampton in the late match.

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Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Steve Douglas, The Associated Press