Too Little, Too Late for Bournemouth After Promising Final Day Display

After referee Chris Kavanagh blew the full-time whistle at Goodison Park, Bournemouth's players and staff were left to wait - hoping and praying for a late West Ham winner at the London Stadium.

There was no supporter reaction to gather hints from - as there so normally is on the final day - and, instead, it was deathly quiet as the players twiddled their thumbs and waited to hear what fate had in store for them.

As the bad news filtered down from east London, the Cherries' players and staff started to trudge off the pitch in silence - unable to comprehend they had just been relegated after five years in the Premier League.

What made the news particularly hard to take was that this disappointment came after one of their best performances of the season, as Everton were despatched 3-1.

On the day, Eddie Howe got things pretty much spot on - and his side's intensity was rewarded early on with an early Josh King penalty. The Cherries were energetic and pressed Everton ferociously, with King and Callum Wilson in particularly forcing the Toffees' backline into sideways passes, pinning them in their own half.

As a result, the Cherries seized control of the midfield battle and failed to relinquish it in the first-half. Dan Gosling provided energy and a constant desire to get the ball forward, which was complemented well by the defensively industrious Jefferson Lerma.

It meant Everton duo Tom Davies and Andre Gomes struggled to influence the game, and were often forced to turn the ball over as the visitors put the squeeze on for a second goal.

Bournemouth fully deserved to retake the lead through Dominic Solanke's header before the break, and while they fought on for dear life for much of the second-half, they also still possessed an attacking threat - evidenced by substitute Junior Stanislas' late third goal.

Ultimately though, it will be of little consolation for the south-coast side - who now have little time to recover from the shock of relegation before they next find themselves playing Championship football in September.

When it comes to evaluating the key factors that led to their demise, Bournemouth's lapses in concentration at the back will surely top the list of lessons not learned - and again, even in victory, they showed the fragility that has been taken advantage of time and time again this season.

Nathan Aké was missing, yes, but the Cherries' nerves were evident from the first whistle. Being a goal up didn't seem to help matters either, and Diego Rico's inability to adequately close down Seamus Coleman allowed Theo Walcott to set up Moise Kean's equaliser.

It wasn't a huge mistake, but it was a moment of tardiness that allowed Everton to get the ball into Bournemouth's box. To make matters worse, Adam Smith allowed Kean to get away from him - giving the misfiring Italian the easiest of tasks to tap home.

So what next? Well, there will certainly be questions over the future of Eddie Howe - a man who has done a magnificent job to take the club from the bottom of League Two all the way up the football pyramid to the Premier League,

Howe's fluid passing football has its supporters, but at the highest level, questions must be asked about Bournemouth's shocking defensive record since they reached the top flight. Far too often they are cut open at the back, and the manager would be the first to admit that things have not improved in the manner that he would like.

Conversely, Howe can also point to bad luck with injuries - with the absence of David Brooks in particular really hurting his side in attack. The dramatic drop-off in form of Ryan Fraser and Wilson hasn't helped either, while the inconsistency of key signings such as Arnaut Danjuma and Solanke has also done little to hep the club's cause.

Ultimately, Bournemouth know they only have themselves to blame. They showed at Goodison Park the good side of their game, but also offered a glimpse into why they've been in trouble all season. A win today was essential and the players did deliver, but as they make the long journey home, they'll know it was far too little and far too late.