Brilliant Justin Kluivert scores hat-trick as Bournemouth crush Newcastle

By Damian Spellman, PA

Justin Kluivert ended Newcastle’s nine-game winning run with a stunning hat-trick as Bournemouth strengthened their own claims of European football with a fine victory at St James’ Park.

Kluivert, whose father Patrick played for the Magpies during his glittering career, struck twice either side of Bruno Guimaraes equaliser and then again at the death before Milos Kerkez added a fourth as the Cherries extended their unbeaten run to 11 games in all competitions – 10 of them in the league – with a 4-1 success.

What will have pleased head coach Andoni Iraola most is that they were good value for the three points after unsettling and largely outplaying Eddie Howe’s men – who would have gone third for at least 24 hours with a 10th successive win – on an afternoon when striker Alexander Isak’s eight-game scoring run came to an end.

Bournemouth set out their stall from the off with Sandro Tonali having to make a timely second-minute intervention after David Brooks had run in behind full-back Lewis Hall and sent the ball across the six-yard box, but Newcastle simply did not heed the early warning.

Antoine Semenyo should have put the visitors after Martin Dubravka had parried Dango Ouattara’s first-time effort, only to blast wastefully over, but the respite proved temporary.

Ryan Christie sent Semenyo in behind Tino Livramento down the left and pulled the ball back for Kluivert, who took advantage of Jacob Murphy’s lapse in concentration to find the bottom corner.

Joelinton spooned a 21st-minute attempt high over after Anthony Gordon, Isak and Guimaraes had combined, and it was Guimaraes who dragged them back into the game, beating keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga with a firm header from Hall’s 25th-minute corner.

However, Dan Burn had to be at his best to hold up Lewis Cook and then block his attempted cross after Illya Zabarnyi’s raking long ball had allowed him to run into space down the right and cut inside.

Ouattara headed over from a Cook cross as an open contest unfolded a break-neck pace, and the Bournemouth keeper had to be alert to turn away Gordon’s curling effort at his near post five minutes before the break.

But it was the visitors who regained the lead four minutes later when Christie robbed Guimaraes and Semenyo slid in Kluivert to fire beyond Dubravka’s despairing dive for his fourth goal in three games.

Kepa had to parry a stinging stoppage-time drive from Tonali has an eventful first-half drew to a conclusion with the Magpies trailing, and deservedly so.

They might have fallen further behind within three minutes of the restart when half-time substitute Fabian Schar passed the ball straight to Brooks, but a relieved Dubravka claimed the midfielder’s tame shot.

Newcastle enjoyed a major escape seven minutes later when, after Ouattara’s attempt had come back off the post and Dubravka had palmed away Brooks’ follow-up, Ouattara turned home Brooks’ cross only for a VAR check to determine the ball had gone out of play during the build-up.

Dean Huijsen had to block Gordon’s stinging volley, but it was the former Everton man’s error which allowed Kluivert to complete his treble with an emphatic stoppage-time finish before Kerkez finished the job in style.