AFC Bournemouth made it three wins on the bounce in the Premier League yesterday to continue what has been a very impressive start to the league campaign. Brighton & Hove Albion were the latest to suffer defeat against Andoni Iraola’s men – here are five things we learned from the entertaining game:

1. Veljko is a BEAST

Personally, I had never seen Veljko Milosavljević kick a ball before yesterday. All I knew was he is an 18 year old, 6’3 giant of a centre-back from Serbia, and no one expected to see him in the starting XI so soon. But Bafode Diakite’s absence meant that despite just a few days training with new teammates in a foreign country, ‘Milo’ was thrown straight into the lineup. And his debut could not have gone much better. He made nine clearances (six of which were headed, also winning 2/4 aerial duels), one tackle, one interception and three recoveries. It felt like he didn’t lose a header all afternoon, such was his imperious nature in the air. As well as that, he was very comfortable on the ball, making all the right, simple decisions. He completed 33/40 passes, and even created a chance. It was nice to see his teammates trust him with the ball, and he gave them no reason not to. Of course, given his age, he is likely to make a mistake or two at some point, but that was a monumental showing, maturity far beyond his years. The recruitment team seem to have unearthed another gem.

2. Alex Scott is not being dropped anytime soon

Alex Scott scored a fantastic goal yesterday, a really nice finish from outside the area on his left foot. It was a great moment for him, netting just his second Premier League goal – his first since New Years Eve 2023 (a 3-1 defeat at Spurs). But his all round game oozed class, radiating confidence, especially after his goal. This is looking more like the man Richard Hughes splashed £25M on two years ago. He has always shown it in flashes, but never showed it consistently, and therefore never had a proper run in the team because of it. He has the chance now to make that position his, and if he puts in more performances like he did yesterday, then it really is his to lose. Away from his goal, he completed 92% of his passes, won 7/10 ground duels and made 10 defensive contributions – not bad for 67 minutes work. Of course, he has a real battle on with Ryan Christie to keep the shirt, but as much as I adore Christie, it is nice to see Scott get a run in the team, and look all the better for it.

3. Antoine Semenyo is in the form of his life

Five PL games, three goals, two assists – the first player in the league to reach five goal contributions for the season, which is funny to think about when you know it should be at least a couple more already. Semenyo ran Brighton ragged yesterday, completing the most dribbles (three) in the match, creating two chances, winning 4/4 aerial duels – and he wasn’t dispossessed the entire game. It was a lovely touch to bring down the ball in the area before laying it off to Alex Scott to grab an assist, and he oozed calmness to slot home the winning penalty, sending Verbruggen the wrong way when most inside the ground thought he would blast it. Andoni Iraola would have been happy with his eight defensive contributions in the game, too, in what was a tireless effort having started two games in the international break. What a start to the season, and he shows no signs of letting up.

4. Evanilson offers so much more than goals to this side

I must say, I think it is absolutely baffling that Evanilson does not register an official assist for winning the penalty yesterday. Last season, he only officially registered one assist – but also won five penalties across the campaign, which don’t get registered as assists. He has also in his time here got three players sent off for hauling him down as the last man. He is an absolute handful who offers us so much in our build up play, and yesterday was no different. Jan Paul van Hecke hacked him down in the area after he chopped inside, Evanilson cutting a seemingly dejected figure on the floor knowing he was denied of another goal this season. But he put in an absolutely tireless display – he had nine touches in the opposition area, was fouled three times, won 4/6 ground duels, 2/3 aerial duels and even as a striker, made seven defensive contributions. I am confident the goals will come for the Brazilian, he hasn’t missed many major chances this season, and is certainly not lacking quality in other aspects of his game.

5. Peter Bankes is a truly terrible referee

This is technically cheating, as this is not something we learned yesterday, but it’s hard to put into words just how bad Bankes was yesterday, despite not making any wrong ‘major’ decisions. Although it probably helped Bournemouth, his display was best summed up in the last few seconds when he stopped the game for a ‘head injury’ to Van Hecke, and made the Dutchman exit the field of play – despite the fact he was not injured. It felt like there were so many inconsistencies in his display, sometimes letting the game go on despite contact, and at other times blowing for fouls if someone so much as breathed on the opposition. James Milner somehow escaped a booking for clattering Alex Scott, but was then booked minutes later, which should have then been a second yellow. He booked Tyler Adams for complaining about a decision on the half time whistle, despite the fact that Adams was clearly upended just seconds earlier, with no foul given. In truth, there are so many moments in the game which I could flag Bankes up on, especially if I were to rewatch, but I won’t do that now. We can just consider ourselves lucky that he did not cost us the game. The sad reality is that Bankes won’t get any punishment for that inept display, as most of us would be if we did our jobs that badly, and will be back in the middle in the best league in the world next weekend. I do not want to see that man officiate a game again anytime soon.

There was a lot more to take away from the game, such as the character shown to fight back after Brighton equalised, Tyler Adams (again), and the same old problem of not putting games to bed – I fear it will come back to bite us sooner rather than later. But for now, enjoy the incredible start we have made, and hope to continue building on it. Thanks as always for reading if you have made it this far! UTCIAD.