Bournemouth edge Cardiff in eight-goal thriller to move to the summit

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/dec/13/bournemouth-cardiff-championship-match-report

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Jason Tindall, Bournemouth’s assistant manager, wants the Cherries to build on the 5-3 victory against Cardiff that sent them to the top of the Championship.

Goals from Matt Ritchie, Harry Arter, Marc Pugh, Yann Kermorgant and Callum Wilson extended their unbeaten run to 12 games.

Liverpool are the next visitors for Bournemouth, on Wednesday in the Capital One Cup quarter-final, and Brendan Rodgers is bound to have been impressed by their attacking prowess.

Tindall said: “For us to be top of the Championship before Christmas is a great achievement and our aim now is to build on that and extend our lead at the top. I’m not sure we really anticipated winning it 5-3, but we will take it because top is the position we want to be in.

“Cardiff threw everything at us and there were goals flying in everywhere. We pride ourselves on attacking football but maybe that was the reason we conceded some poor goals today. But the fact that we are top and all five goals were scored by different players shows just how good this squad can be.”

Bournemouth led inside 40 secondss at Dean Court as Ritchie tapped home a cross from Wilson after he embarrassed Kim Bo-kyung.

Arter made it 2-0 with a curling shot from the edge of the penalty area after 43 minutes.

Cardiff were given a route back into the game when Kenwyne Jones netted moments later, but a delightful effort from Marc Pugh silenced the cheers of the visiting fans. Cardiff cut the deficit early in the second half thanks to a header from Sean Morrison.

Kermorgant hit a superb free-kick past David Marshall, the Cardiff goalkeeper, to set Bournemouth on their way to top spot.

Weak defending allowed Morrison to yet again give the away side a glimmer of hope with just over 10 minutes to play with another superb header.

However, Bournemouth were able to capitalise on Cardiff’s all-out attack when Wilson broke the offside trap before sealing the points.

Cardiff’s manager, Russell Slade, said: “What I was most disappointed with was the start because we were losing within a minute away from home which is a disaster. But what is worse is that we do it at the home of the league leaders. It feels like we kept shooting ourselves in the foot throughout the game. Every time we threatened to make a game of it we shot ourselves in the foot again.

“I am bitterly disappointed with the goals we’ve conceded and we need to work harder to reach Bournemouth’s level.

“I will be using them as a yardstick because they should be going up this season whereas we were off the pace and behind them for much of it.”