Marcus Tavernier headed Bournemouth in front after six minutes and Evanilson added a second just after the break as the Cherries beat ten-man Sunderland 2-0 at the Vitality Stadium, claiming their first league win of the season and Marco Rose’s first as their manager.
Bournemouth, England: Bournemouth had played seven league games without a win. On Sunday they needed six minutes to start fixing that, and by the final whistle Sunderland had been beaten comfortably at the Vitality Stadium.
A header inside six minutes
Evanilson, the architect throughout, found Marcus Tavernier unmarked in the sixth minute and the midfielder headed in from close range. It gave the home side an early lead and the platform to control the tempo.
Danso sees red
The game tilted decisively in the 17th minute. Evanilson ran through on goal, Kevin Danso brought him down as the last defender, and referee Craig Pawson showed the Sunderland centre-back a straight red card. Regis Le Bris’s side spent the remaining 73 minutes a player short.
Robin Roefs kept the margin respectable for a long spell, making a series of saves, including from Tavernier and Evanilson. Bournemouth still finished with an expected-goals total of 4.46, the highest recorded for a team in a Premier League match.
Evanilson finishes the job
The second goal arrived three minutes after the restart. Omar Alderete’s under-hit back pass left Roefs stranded, Evanilson reached it first, rounded the goalkeeper and rolled the ball into an empty net. Sunderland offered almost nothing in attack in reply.
What the win changes
The result gave Rose his first Premier League victory since taking charge and lifted Bournemouth to 15th. Eight days earlier they had been beaten 5-1 by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge while still chasing a first league win.
For Sunderland the afternoon deepened a slump. They sit 19th and have now lost four league games in a row. Their next outing is a Europa League tie against Lech Poznan on Thursday, a chance to reset before the league resumes.
Result: AFC Bournemouth 2-0 Sunderland (Premier League, Vitality Stadium, Sunday, 18 October 2026)
Goals: Tavernier 6′, Evanilson 48′ (Bournemouth)
Red card: Kevin Danso (Sunderland), 17′
