Cherries pick off 10-man Sunderland with ease to land first Premier League win

Evanilson scored and contributed an assist as Bournemouth comfortably beat 10-man Sunderland 2-0 at the Vitality Stadium.

The Brazilian got himself stuck in early, unselfishly teeing up Marcus Tavernier, who nodded in a sixth-minute opener.

Evanilson was then dragged down by central defender Kevin Danso, who was dismissed in the 17th minute.

The Cherries perhaps would have wanted more from their man advantage, but Evanilson capitalised on an error to double the scoring three minutes after the break and mark a career century of goals.

An eventful opening 20 minutes of the first half began with Tyler Adams’ early attempt through a crowd before Danso blocked an initial Evanilson effort.

Tavernier nodded the Cherries in front after Danso and Omar Alderete bungled their effort to keep the speedy Brazilian from reaching a ball over the top. Evanilson might have taken the chance himself, but picked out the unmarked Tavernier, who planted a header past a visibly frustrated Robin Roefs.

It went from bad to worse for the visitors from another long ball, again tracked by Evanilson, who was the last man when he was tugged down, and referee Craig Pawson’s decision to dismiss Danso was almost immediate.

Tavernier curled the subsequent free-kick over, and there was a lengthy pause to treat Nordi Mukiele, who looked to have a leg issue, but carried on.

Roefs saved from Rayan after the half hour, and Adam Smith could not redirect the follow-up from an awkward angle to the right of the Sunderland goal.

Mukiele’s presence was felt when he made a timely tackle to deny Evanilson what would have been an excellent scoring opportunity, and Roefs saved a sharp Rayan effort.

Sunderland were able to limit the first-half damage to just the opener after Evanilson could not take advantage of the Sunderland keeper coming off his line late on and curled over the empty net.

The Cherries doubled their lead three minutes into the second half, the result of another Alderete error from a poor backpass.

Evanilson pounced and patiently rounded Roefs before applying the straightforward low finish into the corner to score for a third successive game in all competitions.

The Brazilian continued to pose the biggest threat, and Tavernier drew another save just after the hour as the hosts looked to add a cushion.

Sunderland enjoyed a brief spell deep in the hosts’ half late in the period, but did not manage to register a first shot on target.

Justin Kluivert missed a chance to make it three in stoppage time before the Cherries comfortably closed out the contest, ensuring a first win of the Premier League campaign.