Jack Grealish's deflected strike was enough to secure a narrow 1-0 victory for Everton against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Tuesday, December 2nd, 2025. The win marked Everton's first ever Premier League victory at Bournemouth, ending the Cherries' seven-game unbeaten league run at home. The game itself was a hard-fought contest, with both sides struggling to find a cutting edge in the final third.
The decisive moment arrived in the 78th minute when Grealish, after receiving the ball from Carlos Alcaraz, drove towards goal and unleashed a shot from 20 yards out. The shot took a deflection off Bournemouth defender Bafode Diakite, wrong-footing goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic and nestling into the bottom corner. Despite Bournemouth's late push for an equaliser, Everton held on to secure all three points.
The first half was largely uneventful, with both teams struggling to create clear-cut chances. Everton came closest when James Garner's corner was inadvertently steered onto his own crossbar by Bournemouth's Alex Scott. Bournemouth had a goal disallowed for offside, further highlighting their frustrations in attack. Everton's Thierno Barry was also presented with a one-on-one opportunity early in the second half, but his effort was thwarted by a fine save from Petrovic. Antoine Semenyo had Bournemouth's best chance, firing straight at Jordan Pickford in the Everton goal.
Everton's manager, David Moyes, was forced into one change from the side that beat Newcastle, with Jake O'Brien replacing the injured Michael Keane in central defense and James Garner filling in at right-back. The makeshift defense, however, proved resilient, limiting Bournemouth to few clear opportunities.
The victory lifts Everton into ninth place in the Premier League table, level on points with Merseyside rivals Liverpool. Bournemouth, meanwhile, have now gone five league games without a win and could drop as low as 14th. Andoni Iraola, Bournemouth's manager, will be concerned about his team's lack of cutting edge in recent weeks.
Looking ahead, Everton welcome Nottingham Forest to their home stadium on Saturday, while Bournemouth host Chelsea.
