Mitoma strikes but it's the Cherries on top

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Bournemouth 2 Albion 1: Mitoma heads equaliser but penalty wins it for the home side

Bruce Talbot

2025-09-13T16:58+01:00

James Milner's reaction summed up a frustrating afternoon for Albion. 📷 James Boardman.

Kaoru Mitoma’s first goal of the season wasn’t enough to earn Albion anything from their trip along the south coast.

The Japanese winger headed Albion level three minutes into the second half at the Vitality Stadium after Alex Scott had given the Cherries an interval lead.

Kaoru Mitoma heads Albion's equaliser early in the second half. 📷 James Boardman

Albion had control at that stage only to concede again on the hour when Antoine Semenyo scored a penalty after a foul by Jan Paul van Hecke. It proved enough and, to compound Albion’s disappointment, Jack Hinshelwood and Maxin De Cuyper went off injured in the first 25 minutes.

Albion’s afternoon got off the worst possible start with Hinshelwood helped off with an ankle injury after challenging Evanilson after 25 seconds.

Joel Veltman leaps to cut out a Bournemouth counter-attack. 📷 James Boardman

And they were forced into a second change midway through the half when De Cuyper had to be replaced. The Dutchman had been shoved into the advertising hoardings by Semenyo and hurt his knee but referee Peter Bankes didn’t see any infringement and within minutes Semenyo had helped give Bournemouth the lead.

He controlled a high ball, shifted it inside to Scott who turned on the edge of the D and hit a right-foot shot past Bart Verbruggen. To heighten their sense of injustice, Albion were down to ten men with De Cuyper receiving treatment to his knee.

Georginio Rutter glides past Tyler Adams. 📷 James Boardman

Apart from a shot by Yankuba Minteh which Dorde Petrovic saved at his near post Albion had offered little threat, but within three minutes of the restart they were level. Minteh crossed from the right to the far post where Mitoma leapt above his marker to head powerfully past Petrovic.

Albion seemed to have the momentum. Minteh hit the side netting and Danny Welbeck volleyed narrowly wide before they went behind again on the hour. It was a self-inflicted wound. Lewis Dunk gave the ball away just inside his half, Bournemouth broke and Evanilson went over Jan Paul van Hecke’s outstretched leg. There was minimal contact, but the VAR didn’t overrule the referee and as Verbruggen dived to his right Semenyo drove the penalty down the middle.

Lewis Dunk holds off the challenge of Antoine Semenyo. 📷 James Boardman

Hurzeler made a triple change with Stefan Tzimas coming on his Premier League debut, but Minteh remained Albion’s main threat and Marcos Senesi’s head got in the way of an effort which was curling inside the far post - the closest Albion came to a second equaliser.

Albion: Verbruggen, Veltman, Dunk, van Hecke, De Cuyper (Kadioglu 24), Hinshelwood (Ayari 3), Milner (Baleba 66), Minteh, Rutter (Gruda 66), Mitoma, Welbeck (Tzimas 66).