Pep Guardiola hailed his Manchester City “supermen” after they closed the gap to Premier League leaders Liverpool to one point with an unconvincing 1-0 win at Bournemouth.

The champions had to contend with local fireworks, a misfiring Erling Haaland and a second-half onslaught from the hosts before they left the south coast with a 15th victory from their last 17 matches.

Phil Foden’s first-half tap-in proved enough for City, who took advantage of Liverpool being in Carabao Cup final action this weekend, but were again not at their fluent best after a narrow 1-0 win over Brentford in midweek.

“They are supermen,” Guardiola insisted.

“What can I say? The demands for the calendar, for everything, for the expectations, they are so high. What they have done many, many years with a lot of games, many things and always you believe they will fall down, not continue to do it and they surprise me every time.

“I tell them so that is not normal. For many, many years every three days and Bournemouth have seven days to prepare for one game.

“Seven days dreaming every second of their one week to beat the best team in the world and we have three days to prepare for that.

“It is a lot of competitions, but still we are there and I love it, I love it, I like it. Still we are there.

“I don’t know how much longer we arrive in all competitions but still, we are there. Knowing where we come from, it’s unbelievable.”

City started brightly at Vitality Stadium and Haaland fired wide in the ninth minute, the first of a succession of squandered opportunities from the division’s current leading marksmen.

Haaland’s next opportunity was saved by Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto after Mateo Kovacic’s lofted pass, but Foden was on hand to stroke home from close range for his 16th goal of the season.

The visitors failed to kick on afterwards and it was the Cherries who finished the half strongly with Ryan Christie’s stinging effort parried by Ederson.

Andoni Iraola’s men remained in the ascendancy and should have levelled with 55 minutes played when Antoine Semenyo’s cross picked out Marcus Tavernier, but he scuffed his effort into the ground and Ruben Dias headed the ball away for good measure.

Taverner screwed another shot off target minutes later before Ederson clawed away Dominic Solanke’s close-range header with 23 minutes left.

Bournemouth continued to push for a leveller and – after Dango Ouattara arrowed a shot wide – their final opportunity went to January recruit Enes Unal in stoppage-time, but he headed Semenyo’s cross past the post to extend their winless league run to seven matches.

Iraola praised his own players and also doffed his hat to champions City, who remain firmly in the hunt to clinch a sixth Premier League title in seven seasons.

“I am happy because we showed today we are able to compete with one of the best teams in the world, if not the best,” Iraola admitted.

“Obviously you cannot ask much more of the players, effort wise.

“I think it is really difficult what they (City) do. It is really difficult. It is really demanding for the players to play every three games, very competitive games but they are used (to it) and have the experience.

“They can use different players and the level is more or less the same. They also, I think, have learned when to peak during the season.

“You know they know when they have some level and then when they need the top level, they will be there. They will be at the top level because they have learned during the seasons, learned when winning.”

Phil Foden’s 16th goal of the season helped Manchester City close the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool to one point with an unconvincing 1-0 win at Bournemouth.

Pep Guardiola’s side had to contend with local fireworks, a misfiring Erling Haaland and a second-half onslaught from the hosts before they left the south coast with a 15th victory from their last 17 matches.

This latest triumph was thanks to Foden’s 24th-minute tap-in, but it was the Cherries who did most of the running from there afterwards and were unlucky to lose with Marcus Tavernier squandering two fine chances.

Nevertheless, this win for the champions keeps them firmly in the hunt for another title ahead of a bumper month of March with league clashes to come with Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal.

City had edged past Brentford on Tuesday night thanks to a goal from Haaland, but his shooting boots deserted him after nine minutes at Vitality Stadium.

Sent through after Foden had flicked on Bernardo Silva’s lofted pass, current Premier League top goalscorer Haaland curled the ball wide from 20 yards to spark big cheers from the home faithful.

The Bournemouth fans were almost on their feet celebrating 60 seconds later when Andoni Iraola watched his team create an opening for left-back Milos Kerkez, who tested Ederson with a dipping effort.

Chances remained at a premium with the main first-half flashpoint Adam Smith’s forceful tackle on Matheus Nunes until Foden continued his outstanding month with a 24th-minute opener.

It was more akin to route one than excellent football with Kovacic able to chip the ball into the path of Haaland, who brilliantly rolled Marcos Senesi before Neto saved his effort but Foden stroked home from close range for his sixth goal involvement of February.

Guardiola was on his haunches moments later when Silva failed to play through Haaland as City started to get into their stride with a Rodri effort also bravely blocked by Ryan Christie.

Bournemouth had spent most of the first half allowing their frustration with referee Jarred Gillett to get the better of them, but eventually posed City problems with Ederson called upon to parry Christie’s low effort in stoppage-time.

Whether Iraola’s team could keep it up was another question, but they fashioned a decent opening which was wasted by Kerkez early into the second period.

Justin Kluivert tried his luck soon after and, while Ederson saved his 25-yard strike – not for the first time – the City goalkeeper looked unconvincing.

The champions nearly highlighted their overwhelming power minutes later when Haaland bundled his way into the area, but Illia Zabarnyi got back well to block with his backside.

It failed to halt Bournemouth’s momentum and they should have levelled in the 55th minute.

Antoine Semenyo again got the better of Nathan Ake and his cross found Marcus Tavernier, but the Cherries attacker fired his effort into the ground and Ruben Dias headed the wayward shot clear for good measure.

Bournemouth were in the ascendancy now and another guilt-edged chance was squandered when in-form Dominic Solanke twisted away from Dias and set up Taverner, who dragged his 14-yard shot wide.

Guardiola had seen enough and Jeremy Doku was the first to get the call from a star-studded bench but it did not have the desired effect.

The latest chance for the hosts came and went with 67 minutes played when Taverner’s inswinging corner found Solanke, but his header was clawed away on the goaline by Ederson and Kerkez’s follow-up shot was blocked by Rodri.

Fireworks were let off close by to the stadium moments later before Haaland was substituted by an increasingly-agitated Guardiola, with 15 minutes left straight after Neto had denied the Norway international from close range.

Iraola’s team carried on taking the fight to the visitors and after Dango Ouattara arrowed an effort wide, the final opportunity of the night went to Bournemouth’s January recruit Enes Unal, but he headed Semenyo’s cross off target to ensure City claimed the points.

Eddie Howe has challenged his players to ride out the wave of chaos which has engulfed the club as Newcastle attempt to rediscover their best form.

The Magpies sailed serenely through last season as they gatecrashed the Premier League’s top four to secure a first Champions League adventure for two decades.

This time around, Howe’s expensively-assembled squad is riven by injury and suspension and the control they exerted for much of the last campaign has deserted them.

Speaking after Saturday’s 2-2 Premier League draw with Bournemouth, in which they trailed twice, Howe said: “I’m well aware and I think people who watch us regularly are aware, that we’re not at full power at the moment, we’re not at our fluent best but I think the reasons for that are obvious.

“We are a bit disjointed. We had players playing today who maybe wouldn’t be in their best positions given a free hand. But everyone is giving as much as they can to get consistent results.

“We have to look at the positives: it’s another game unbeaten for us; we’re getting points where we went through a spell when we weren’t.

“That was a big late goal for us. It just keeps that momentum. Of course we’re looking for three points in every home game, so we’re disappointed with certain aspects as well.”

Newcastle went into the game without a recognised striker after Callum Wilson joined Alexander Isak on the sidelines alongside key midfielders Joelinton and Sandro Tonali and first-choice goalkeeper Nick Pope.

The balance of the team has been affected significantly by those and other absences – they have scored 17 goals in their last seven league games but conceded 19, four of them against Luton in their last game at St James’ Park a fortnight ago when they had to come back from 4-2 down to claim a point.

This time around, they trailed to Dominic Solanke’s opener after he pounced upon a slip by keeper Martin Dubravka and then Antoine Semenyo’s sweet strike.

Anthony Gordon had cancelled out Solanke’s 16th goal of the season from the spot and substitute Matt Ritchie levelled at the death.

Howe said: “We never know when we’re beaten. At 2-1 today, it would have been easy to not respond – just as it would have been at 4-2 down against Luton. That’s down to the character of the players.”

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola left Tyneside proud of a creditable performance, but fuming at the outcome.

He said: “Today for me, it’s difficult to feel happy. I’m really happy with the performance. I think we deserved the three points.

“We came to a very difficult stadium with tough opposition and I think we did really well. We played very brave with high energy, we had the better chances, we were in front twice and to end with just one point, it’s not what we deserved today.”

Relieved Newcastle boss Eddie Howe hailed “inspirational” Matt Ritchie after seeing him come off the bench to snatch a Premier League draw with former club Bournemouth.

The 34-year-old midfielder struck seconds after his stoppage-time introduction – his first goal since July 2022 – to hand the Magpies a 2-2 draw as they twice came from behind to deny the Cherries.

Head coach Howe said: “He’s an inspirational character behind the scenes. He’s someone who in training every day, he drives standards.

“He’s very vocal, very enthusiastic. Even in the changing room before the game, he’s the one driving the group – and that’s someone who hasn’t played as much as he’d like, but he’s put the team ahead of his own needs.

“When you see someone like that, you just hope they will get their reward. I’ve tried to reward him with my value being as high as it could be and desperately wanting to keep him here last year because of those standards he drives, and because he’s a role model.

“He gives his experience to players in ways that even I don’t know. For him to get that moment and score that goal, it’s huge for us and I’m delighted for him.”

Ritchie’s intervention could hardly have been better-timed on an eventful afternoon at St James’ Park.

After a first half during which goalkeeper Martin Dubravka had keep the hosts in the game, he inadvertently handed Bournemouth a 51st-minute lead when he slipped after controlling Sven Botman’s back-pass and Dominic Solanke took full advantage.

Anthony Gordon levelled from the penalty spot after a lengthy VAR check for Adam Smith’s tug on Fabian Schar’s shirt, a decision which infuriated Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola.

Iraola said: “For me it’s very difficult to accept the result. I cannot accept the first goal they scored, the penalty decision. He’s in an offside position.

“I’ve been talking to the referees after the game. I’m not smart enough to understand their explanations. If only we are talking about the foul – it’s a very soft foul for a set-piece because on set-pieces and corners, everyone grabs, goes to the floor and they are not calling anything all season, but they called a foul.

“We have to accept it. We will complain, but we have to accept it. But he was in an offside position, the ball goes exactly where he is, my player grabs the shirt because otherwise he is going to head the ball, obviously affects the play, and they spend 10 minutes (with) five, six referees watching the play.

“Also the VAR doesn’t show the referee the wide camera so he can take the decision of the offside position. For me, it’s very difficult to accept, very, very, very difficult to accept, because I think we deserve a little bit of respect.

“I know we are Bournemouth, we are a small club, but we deserve much more respect than this.”

Antoine Semenyo looked to have won it with a sweet 69th-minute strike, but Ritchie had different ideas.

Howe said: “The way the game had gone and the goals we conceded were tough blows for us. Real credit to the group for raising themselves. It’s not the three (points) we wanted, but I’m glad we didn’t lose.”

Substitute Matt Ritchie came to Newcastle’s rescue as they fought back twice to snatch a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth in an incident-packed Premier League game at St James’ Park.

Ritchie had only been on the pitch for seconds when he scored in stoppage time, cancelling out Antoine Semenyo’s stunning strike just as it looked like the visitors would emerge with all three points.

Dominic Solanke’s 16th goal – and third against Eddie Howe’s men – of the season had given the Cherries the lead, but Anthony Gordon levelled with a contentiously-awarded penalty in front of a crowd of 52,224 which included sporting director Dan Ashworth, whose pursuit by Manchester United had thrust him into the headlines this week.

Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto enjoyed a stroke of good fortune when Gordon charged down his attempted clearance and saw the ball ricochet across his goal and wide of the far post, and his side might have gone ahead twice within seconds in the 16th minute.

First Martin Dubravka saved from from Marcus Tavernier’s long-range effort and then denied Solanke after Justin Kluivert, playing against one of his father Patrick’s former clubs, had carved his way into the Magpies penalty area.

The Slovakia international spared Newcastle once again with an instinctive 24th-minute block from Solanke after he had met Tavernier’s cross.

Miguel Almiron whistled a curling left-foot shot just wide after exchanging passes with Sean Longstaff and Fabian Schar warmed Neto’s hands from distance five minutes before the break, but there was to be no breakthrough before the half-time whistle.

In a scrappy start to the second half, Almiron drilled a 49th-minute attempt just over the bar after running on to Longstaff’s pass and side-stepping defender Illya Zabarnyi, but it was the visitors who took a 51st-minute lead thanks to a gift from Dubravka.

The keeper slipped after controlling Sven Botman’s back-pass and in the process served up a tap-in for Solanke.

Bournemouth’s lead lasted just seven minutes as the Magpies got themselves back on terms in controversial fashion.

Referee Michael Salisbury, who until that point had done little to endear himself to the home fans, was advised to review Adam Smith’s challenge on Schar inside the area and after a lengthy spell at the pitchside monitor pointed to the spot, much to Cherries boss Andoni Iraola’s disbelief.

In the absence of the injured Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson, Gordon took charge and dispatched his spot-kick firmly past Neto to level.

Kluivert fired wastefully over after Solanke had made a nuisance of himself and Marcos Senesi sent the ball inches wide of his own goal as he attempted to cut out Bruno Guimaraes’ cross with both sides going for victory.

The visitors regained the advantage with 21 minutes remaining when Semenyo picked up possession in space down the right and drew full-back Dan Burn before thumping a low shot past the helpless Dubravka.

Dubravka had to be at his best to claw away Lewis Cook’s deflected shot, setting the stage for Ritchie to level in the second of 10 minutes of added time, stabbing home from close range against his former club after his header from Guimaraes’ cross had been blocked by Cook.

Marco Silva believes Rodrigo Muniz played his “best performance in a Fulham shirt” after he scored a brace during their 3-1 Premier League victory over Bournemouth.

Muniz, who scored his first-ever English top-flight goal in Fulham’s 2-2 draw with Burnley last week, netted his third strike in as many games alongside goals from Bobby De Cordova-Reid and Bournemouth’s Marcos Senesi.

Silva lauded the performance of the 22-year-old forward as Fulham claimed their first league win since New Year’s Eve.

“I’m really pleased for him and he really deserves it,” Silva said.

“When you have the chance, you have to step in and pop up and show your quality and it was the moment for Rodrigo to do it.

“This afternoon was probably his best performance in a Fulham shirt and he deserves it because he’s worked really hard.

“He had a good pre-season followed by a bad injury, but now he’s coming back and he’s fighting for what he wants and he’s showing the desire to play as the Fulham striker.

“The way he linked our game and played behind the pressure of the midfielders was really good.”

January loan signing Armando Broja came off the bench but failed to match Muniz’s performance up front.

Silva insisted that – much like the rest of the squad – the Albania international would have to wait his turn to claim a starting XI spot.

When asked if Broja would have to be patient, Silva added: “Not just him, but everyone.

“He’s a player who is here to help us and I believe he will help us. It’s competition between strikers and I will decide what is best for us in each game.

“We believe Armando will help us in the next few months because he is a player with a profile which I think will help.”

Fulham did not look back after De Cordova-Reid’s strike gave them the lead after five minutes. The potent winger capitalised on Lewis Cook’s slip before he drilled the ball home from six yards out.

Muniz poached Fulham’s second of the match, nine minutes before the break. Willian lofted a cross to De Cordova-Reid at the back post, who turned creator by nodding his effort into the danger zone and Muniz scored from inside the six-yard box with a roofed finish.

Bournemouth needed a response and they got just that five minutes into the second half when Senesi pulled one back for the visitors but – just two minutes later – Fulham responded in fashion when Muniz grabbed his second of the match.

Cherries manager Andoni Iraola believes the early goal hampered his side’s performance.

He said: “We conceded too much in the beginning of the game and we didn’t get nothing from today.

“Especially the first goal. It can’t happen, it’s a slip in a dangerous position.”

Rodrigo Muniz scored a brace as Fulham claimed their first Premier League win of the year with a 3-1 victory over Bournemouth at Craven Cottage.

Muniz was given the nod over January loan signing Armando Broja and scored twice, while Bobby De Cordova-Reid and Cherries defender Marcos Senesi also got in on the act.

Muniz, who scored his first-ever Premier League goal in last week’s 2-2 draw with Burnley, looked bright from the start during the victory for the west Londoners.

The Brazilian jinked past three defenders – showing exceptional ball control – before being brought down on the edge of Bournemouth’s area.

Marco Silva’s decision to start Muniz continued to pay off into the fifth minute when he was heavily involved with Fulham’s opening goal.

The tenacious striker evaded his marker down the right channel before his driven cross, which seemed routine for Lewis Cook to clear, caused the midfielder to slip, allowing De Cordova-Reid to power home from close range.

Tom Cairney recovered after taking a ball to the face and seemed unfazed when he performed a neat turn on halfway, unleashing Antonee Robinson, who was denied by goalkeeper Neto after an impressive reaction save at his left-hand post.

Muniz’s electric start reached another level when he poached Fulham’s second of the match, nine minutes before the break.

Willian lofted a cross to De Cordova-Reid at the back post, who turned creator by nodding his effort into the danger zone. The potent Muniz started behind the defender but reacted quickest and scored from inside the six-yard area with a roofed finish.

Bournemouth needed a response and they got just that – five minutes into the second half – when Senesi pulled one back for the visitors.

Marcus Tavernier’s corner was knocked down by Dominic Solanke before centre-back Senesi showed fantastic composure to control the ball and score on the half-volley to reduce the deficit.

But just two minutes later, Fulham responded in fashion when Muniz grabbed his second of the match.

Experienced technician Willian floated a similar cross to that of the second goal. But this time the unmarked Muniz drifted to the back post before his first-time strike smashed into the net and past the helpless Neto.

Broja came off the bench and looked to stamp his authority on the game. The Chelsea youth prospect hustled the back four and won a corner after the visitors were forced to cut out his dangerous pass into the box.

Bournemouth searched for a late fightback but the Cottagers held on through seven added minutes to leapfrog their opponents into 12th.

Nuno Espirito Santo delivered a stern message to Philip Billing after the Bournemouth substitute was dismissed for what the Nottingham Forest boss felt was a “compromising” challenge on Callum Hudson-Odoi.

The incident happened late in Sunday’s 1-1 Premier League draw at the Vitality Stadium, where Hudson-Odoi had cancelled out Justin Kluivert’s fifth-minute opener before the break.

Referee Rebecca Welch, who was booed off the pitch, issued Billing a straight red card in the 84th minute of the stop-and-start contest when he clipped the Forest goal-scorer’s Achilles in a midfield challenge. The sight of Hudson-Odoi limping off dampening an afternoon in which relegation-threatened Forest picked up a valuable point.

Nuno, who agreed with Welch’s decision, said: “It’s obvious that it’s a red card and it’s not fair because I think, with all my respect to Billing, I hope he understands when he listens to these words.

“There’s other ways to stop the game. There’s other ways, without compromising the player, you know what I mean? There’s other ways.”

There were few clear-cut chances in the second half a contest that was characterised by its stop-and-start rhythm, with 31 fouls and 17 corners collectively conceded.

The hosts quickly established a lead from Lewis Cook’s corner, flicked on by Luis Sinisterra to Kluivert, who tapped the fifth-minute opener past January signing Matz Sels on his Forest debut, before Hudson-Odoi drew the sides level.

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola disagreed with Welch’s decision to send off Billing and – when asked if he agreed with his counterpart’s assessment that the game had been “not easy at all for the referee” – said: “I think there haven’t been any difficult decisions to take.

“Probably the level of fouls called was much higher than other games, normally in the Premier League you don’t arrive to 20 or something like this, so everything was much stopped and this can affect the result.”

Iraola also felt his side should have been given a final corner before Welch, who in December became the first woman to referee a Premier League contest, blew the whistle on seven minutes of second-half stoppage-time.

He did not, however, feel the official, whose performance in the Cherries’ FA Cup tie with QPR he praised, was treated any differently because of her gender after chants of “you’re not fit to referee” rang out around the stadium.

If another referee had made the same decisions, Iraola said: “I think it would be the same reception. I think against QPR she dealt with the game really, really well.

“Today probably there were a lot of stops and probably it wasn’t an easy game for her, but I don’t think (the reception) would be different.”

Callum Hudson-Odoi struck late in the first half of Nottingham Forest’s 1-1 Premier League draw at 10-man Bournemouth to secure a vital point for his relegation-threatened side.

Justin Kluivert gave the hosts an early lead, but the sides were back on level terms after Hudson-Odoi curled in the equaliser on the stroke of half-time.

His afternoon came to a premature end, however, when substitute Philip Billing clipped the back of his Achilles and was dismissed by referee Rebecca Welch, who was booed off the pitch by the home support.

Dominic Solanke needed just a goal to draw level with Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah in the Golden Boot chase, but barely touched the ball in the stop-and-start contest.

The hosts quickly established a lead from Lewis Cook’s corner, flicked on by Luis Sinisterra to Kluivert, who tapped the fifth-minute opener past January signing Matz Sels on his Forest debut.

Taiwo Awoniyi – looking for his 12th goal of the campaign – had forced Neto into two simple stops by the 15-minute mark and perhaps should have done better on his second attempt after a threatening run.

Antoine Semenyo tried to extend the Cherries’ advantage with a sharp effort from the right, while a scramble from a Forest corner was finally shut down when Neto denied Ryan Yates from close range.

Save another soft Yates effort, neither side looked like scoring as the contest approached the halfway point of the staccato, set-piece-heavy period until Hudson-Odoi squared things up on the stroke of half-time.

Morgan Gibbs-White floated in a free-kick from the right and the awaiting Hudson-Odoi took his time, weaving his way through a sea of red before curling the equaliser past Neto and into the bottom-right corner.

The second half began with a familiar rhythm to the first, Forest unable to do anything with the contest’s 10th corner, while Bournemouth’s sixth of the afternoon – and 11th of the match – was also cleared.

Andoni Iraola made three changes early in the half, bringing in Marcus Tavernier for Semenyo immediately after the restart before replacing Kluivert – who had previously been booked by Welch – with Biling, and bringing on Alex Scott for Ryan Christie.

It remained anyone’s game with 20 minutes remaining, Tavernier having tried his luck but firing over, while Selz managed to get his hand to another Bournemouth corner.

Welch showed Billing a straight red in the 84th minute, when the Denmark international clipped the back of Hudson-Odoi’s ankle in midfield.

The Forest goal scorer limped to the touchline and briefly looked like carrying on before the contest entered seven minutes of stoppage time, where neither side was able to make a difference.

David Moyes admitted Kalvin Phillips was not up to speed after he endured a nightmare West Ham debut by gifting Bournemouth a goal with almost his first touch in claret and blue.

The England midfielder, whose loan switch from Manchester City was arguably the most high-profile deal in this transfer window, inadvertently set up Dominic Solanke to score with less than three minutes gone.

Fortunately for West Ham, a James Ward-Prowse penalty in the second-half was enough to secure a 1-1 draw.

“It’s not a goal we concede too often and it gave them a leg up,” said Moyes.

“Then we had to perform and we weren’t at a level to do that. It wasn’t as good as it should have been.

“Kalvin’s fine, he got best part of 70 minutes in. I said before we might have to go a bit gently with him.

“I thought as the game went on he was starting to get better, but he was a bit slow at the start and in getting into the way we play.

“I’m happy with a point but not happy with the performance. We got back in the game and I didn’t think we performed well after that either.

“It looked as if we had had 10 days off tonight, like we’d had a holiday, the players looked leggy.”

Moyes was annoyed that West Ham, for the second time this season, had to play on transfer deadline day.

The Hammers boss had planned to name midfielder Pablo Fornals on the bench, only to have to change his plans after the club agreed a fee with Real Betis.

Fornals was still in the tunnel at the final whistle with Moyes in the dark over his future less than an hour before the deadline.

“It’s strange day to have a game and also the deadline,” he added: “We were planning to have Pablo involved tonight. He might still be here, who knows?

“I think it could have been wrapped up last night. It’s our own fault in this country we do so many deals in the last day. This window has been a really slow burner and we’ve had it on a game night.”

West Ham equalised on the hour when Mohammed Kudus was fouled by Lloyd Kelly and Ward-Prowse slammed home the spot-kick.

Cherries boss Andoni Iraola said: “There is a part when you have to value the point, but I think if any team deserved to win today it was Bournemouth.

“We were 1-0 up and had very good chances but if you don’t punish these teams it can happen.”

Kalvin Phillips endured a nightmare West Ham debut after gifting Bournemouth a goal with almost his first touch in claret and blue.

The England midfielder, whose loan switch from Manchester City was arguably the most high-profile deal in this transfer window, inadvertently set up Dominic Solanke to score with less than three minutes gone.

Fortunately for West Ham, a James Ward-Prowse penalty in the second-half was enough to secure a 1-1 draw.

But Phillips, making a first Premier League start of the season having been reduced to less than a bit-part player at City, will not remember the opening moments of his debut fondly.

Kurt Zouma’s pass to him on the edge of the area was not great, admittedly, and Phillips was quickly closed down by Ryan Christie.

The Cherries midfielder appeared to have got a touch as the ball rolled to Solanke, who was clearly offside as he completed the simplest of finishes.

However, a VAR check showed it was Phillips who had actually played the ball to Solanke, and the offside decision was duly overturned.

It was Solanke’s second goal against the Hammers this season following a late equaliser on the south coast in August – soon before West Ham failed in a big-money bid to sign the striker.

The arrival of Phillips left boss David Moyes with a selection dilemma of which three of his four central midfielders should start.

His answer was all of them, with Phillips alongside Edson Alvarez in the middle, Ward-Prowse stationed out on the left and, most curiously of all, Tomas Soucek lumbering around alongside Jarrod Bowen in attack.

For 40 minutes it plainly did not work, with an understandably off-the-pace Phillips conceding cheap free-kicks and Bournemouth attacking whenever they pleased.

Their best chance came when Alvarez gave the ball away to Christie, who found Solanke on the edge of the box.

Solanke could have shot but instead squared the ball to Antoine Semenya, who was free on the right but drove too close to Alphonse Areola.

It was a huge let-off for West Ham and they twice came close to equalising late in the first half, with Bowen glancing a Ward-Prowse delivery straight at Neto and Soucek heading Mohammed Kudus’ cross wide.

West Ham re-emerged with a slight reshuffle, Ward-Prowse now playing as the second striker, and they were thrown a lifeline when Kudus was clumsily brought down in the area by Lloyd Kelly.

Referee Tim Robinson did not award the spot-kick on the pitch, but he had little choice once he had checked the replay.

Ward-Prowse stepped up to blast the penalty down the middle as Neto dived right to earn a point for the hosts.

Hibernian have been granted permission to proceed with an investment from the consortium that owns Bournemouth.

The Scottish Football Association board has approved the club’s dual interest dispensation request.

Hibs will now progress with an offer from the Black Knight group which owns a majority stake in Bournemouth and a 30 per cent stake in French Ligue 1 side Lorient.

The consortium, led by American Bill Foley, is reported to have offered to invest £6million into the cinch Premiership club, which is largely owned by the American-based family of late chairman Ron Gordon.

The SFA revealed the approval was subject to certain conditions, including that Black Knight’s shareholding does not exceed 29.99 per cent and that the agreement does not preclude Hibs participating in European competition because of dual interests.

A Hibs statement read: “The club now has an agreement in principle with Black Knight Football Club for minority investment into Hibernian FC.

“The investment proposal will now be shared and ratified at the Club’s Annual General Meeting, which will occur in February.”

The SFA’s articles on dual interest state that nobody who is involved in the management or administration of a club, or has any power to manage or influence the management or administration of a club should be able to do so for another club.

The agreement came after several meetings between Hibs and the SFA.

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola admitted man-of-the-match David Brooks came up with the perfect answer to being left out of his team during the 5-0 FA Cup thrashing of Swansea.

Wales international Brooks made the most of a rare start this season by scoring one goal and making two more as the Cherries cruised into round five on Thursday night.

Iraola said: “The wing position is where we have more options and they are all playing really well.

“Sometimes it is difficult to leave players out. David played really well tonight.

“We were really clinical and started very strongly. It was strange to score five goals in the first half.

“We did not want to start slowly as we have in other cup games this season and were really impressive.

“Our number one priority was to be in the next round. We needed a very good performance after Sunday’s game against Liverpool, where we didn’t finish well.

“We have done our job and we are in the last 16 so let’s see what we get in the draw.”

The Cherries took the lead in the seventh minute when defender Lloyd Kelly came up from the back and found himself unmarked to hook Brooks’ free-kick into the roof of the net.

Three minutes later Brooks broke free down the right before pulling the ball back for Alex Scott to make it 2-0.

Kyle Naughton hit the post for the visitors before Luis Sinisterra scored Bournemouth’s third goal with a confident finish into the far corner, after Swansea goalkeeper Andrew Fisher had passed the ball straight to Scott.

Brooks had to wait until 10 minutes before half-time to get the goal he fully deserved after keeping himself onside to latch onto Dominic Solanke’s slide-rule pass before side-footing past the helpless Fisher.

Top scorer Solanke, who had already fired wide from another Brooks free-kick, grabbed the home side’s fifth a minute before half-time after more dreadful defending from the visitors.

Sinisterra played in a teasing low cross from the left wing and Solanke was left with the freedom of the penalty area to side-foot his 14th goal of the season from 10 yards out.

Swansea manager Luke Williams said: “It was a horrible night for us.

“I apologised to the players because I tried to set the team up to give a problem to the opposition. It is a cup game and we have to try to find a way to win.

“But I put the balance wrong, with too many players in advanced positions and then in the turnover there is not enough bodies to stem the flow of the attack, and the opposition were very good.

“In the second half we had more bodies back, but then it was very difficult for us to get near their goal. We tried to limit the damage because the scoreline was too heavy.”

Swansea boss Luke Williams apologised for his team set-up after a “horrible night” saw them thrashed 5-0 by Bournemouth in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Williams had made five changes from Saturday’s 3-1 Sky Bet Championship defeat by Southampton, but soon found their game plan torn apart as the Premier League side raced into a 3-0 lead inside the opening 15 minutes.

Lloyd Kelly gave the hosts an early lead when he volleyed in David Brooks’ free-kick at the far post, with Alex Scott soon adding another in the 10th minute.

Swansea goalkeeper goalkeeper Andy Fisher was punished when his loose pass was latched onto by Scott, who set up Luis Sinisterra to slot in Bournemouth’s third goal with just 14 minutes played.

After Kyle Naughton’s effort hit the post at the other end, Swansea fell further behind when Wales midfielder Brooks broke away onto Dominic Solanke’s through-ball in the 34th minute.

Solanke made it 5-0 just before half-time when he slotted in a low cross from Sinisterra.

Swansea stemmed the flow during the second half, but Bournemouth still created chances, with substitutes Kieffer Moore and Milos Kerkez both going close late on.

Williams offered no excuses. He said on S4C: “It was a horrible night for us.

“I apologised to the players because I tried to set the team up to give a problem to the opposition. It is a cup game and we have to try to find a way to win.

“But I put the balance wrong, with too many players in advanced positions and then in the turnover there is not enough bodies to stem the flow of the attack, and the opposition were very good.

“In the second half we had more bodies back, but then it was very difficult for us to get near their goal. We tried to limit the damage because the scoreline was too heavy.”

The sides had already met once earlier this season in the Carabao Cup, when Bournemouth edged through 3-2 at the Swansea.com Stadium with a late goal from Ryan Christie.

Williams admitted some of his players had looked “nervous” as they were taken apart during a blistering opening spell from the Cherries.

“I don’t want to single anybody out or talk about individual errors,” he said.

“We are playing against an outstanding team, who we are probably going to lose against because there is a big gap in the quality of the two teams at this moment in time.

“But tactics aside, making very easy openings (for Bournemouth) by making mistakes, that was disappointing – but I needed to help the team quicker and find a way to give them more bodies behind the ball to defend.”

Brooks captained Bournemouth, and was named player of the match having provided two assist as well as his goal.

“I’m trying to do the best I can when I get the minutes and the opportunities,” the Wales midfielder said.

“We have got a great group of players and today was one of the chances I get to show what I am capable of, and hopefully I’ve done that.

“I want to be as fit as possible for the (Euro 2024 play-offs with Wales in March) so am trying to get as much football as possible.

“These are the games where I can show what I can do to bump up the minutes ahead of the qualifiers.”

David Brooks’ classy display was the catalyst for Bournemouth thrashing Swansea 5-0 to become the first team to book their place in the FA Cup fifth round.

Wales international Brooks scored one goal and provided two assists as the Cherries racked up their biggest FA Cup win against a Football League side since beating Bristol Rovers 6-1 in the 1927-28 season.

Both teams made five changes from their weekend line-ups but that did not stop Bournemouth making light work of their Championship visitors to move into the last 16 for only the third time since 1989.

Andoni Iraola’s Premier League side stormed into a 3-0 lead with less than a quarter of an hour gone as Swansea’s defence completely capitulated on the south coast.

The Cherries took the lead in the seventh minute when defender Lloyd Kelly came up from the back to find himself unmarked to hook Brooks’ free-kick into the roof of the net.

Three minutes later Brooks broke free down the right before pulling the ball back for Alex Scott to make it 2-0.

Kyle Naughton hit the post for the visitors before Luis Sinisterra scored Bournemouth’s third goal with a confident finish into the far corner after Swansea goalkeeper Andrew Fisher had passed the ball straight to Scott.

The irrepressible Brooks had to wait until 10 minutes before half-time to get the goal he fully deserved after keeping himself onside to latch onto Dominic Solanke’s slide-rule pass before side-footing past the helpless Fisher.

Top-scorer Solanke, who had already fired wide from another Brooks free-kick, grabbed the home side’s fifth a minute before half-time after more dreadful defending from the visitors.

Sinisterra played in a teasing low cross from the left wing and Solanke was left with the freedom of the penalty area to side-foot his 14th goal of the season from 10 yards out.

Liam Cullen was unlucky not to reduce the deficit in first-half stoppage-time as his shot was acrobatically tipped over the bar by Bournemouth’s stand-in goalkeeper Mark Travers.

It was the first time the Cherries had been 5-0 up at the interval since beating non-league Margate 11-0 in an FA Cup first round tie in 1971.

Iraola rested Solanke for the second half but his replacement Kieffer Moore could have made it 6-0 within seconds of coming on after narrowly failing to get on the end of James Hill’s floated cross.

Moore came close again 15 minutes from time when his effort from midway inside the Swansea penalty area was deflected behind for a corner, while Milos Kerkez also slotted wide as the hosts failed to add to their tally.

The only negative for Bournemouth, already missing several key defenders, was losing defender James Hill to injury after he landed awkwardly midway through the second half.