AFC Bournemouth reached the lofty heights of second in the Premier League with a thoroughly professional 2-0 win against Nottingham Forest yesterday. Here are five things we learned from another excellent display:

1. The Sean Dyche curse is over

Before last season, Sean Dyche had won six games in a row against AFCB. Last season, Andoni Iraola managed to claim three wins against Dyche, seemingly bringing an end to that ‘curse’. Yet even still, most Cherries fans were quite nervous going into this one, given the record against Dyche’s teams. Pragmatic, low blocks have been very tough for AFCB to break down, but from minute one, it was an outstanding performance from the side. Six shots in the first ten minutes told the story in itself, and thankfully, the goals followed. A truly electric first half display, reaping the rewards it absolutely deserved. Forest were lucky it wasn’t an even bigger deficit going into the break.

2. Lessons were learned from last weekend

Come the end of the season, that point at Selhurst Park might be looked back on with a sense of fondness. But it was quite disappointing to be 2-0 up at halftime and then have that lead erased quite easily in the second half. It was clear that words were had within the group to make sure that there was no repeat of last weekend. It was very much a professional display for the second 45, with Djordje Petrovic only having to make one save, a very good one at that from Morgan Gibbs-White. Veljko Milosavljevic was a big help in this regard, not letting the physically imposing Taiwo Awoniyi get the better of him. Tyler Adams was sensational in ensuring we kept our lead, making six recoveries and winning three tackles, as well as claiming an assist.

3. Marcus Tavernier is incredibly over-hated

Every club has a scapegoat. Some have come and gone over the years – I would suggest that Marcus Tavernier is the new scapegoat. Not that he should be of course, such is his importance to the team. Andoni Iraola entrusted him with the captains armband again this week, not too surprising given how much Iraola loves Tavernier. His work-rate is always second to none, he’s capable of playing multiple positions and is therefore a perfect player for this squad. His goal was lucky, but away from that, Tavernier created three chances and won 100% of his aerial duels in a tireless display, getting a well deserved standing ovation when replaced in injury time. Give this man the respect he deserves.

4. Alex Jimenez gets better every week

For me, that was Alex Jimenez’s best performance in an AFC Bournemouth shirt. A small sample size, of course, but he showed a much greater discipline – showed by the fact he didn’t get dribbled past once. He made three recoveries, two interceptions and on the other side of his game made four passes into the final third, attempting nine long balls. When Adam Smith is fully fit again, it’s interesting to see who will get the permanent starting berth. Very promising signs from Jimenez, who needs to make 19 PL starts for his move to be made permanent (he has now made four).

5. Our midfield continues to excel

Tyler Adams and Alex Scott has to have been one of the best midfield partnerships in the Premier League so far this season. That Scott has continued to displace last season’s POTS Ryan Christie speaks volumes, and Scott was excellent yet again yesterday. The pair made a combined 23 defensive contributions (12 from Scott, 11 from Adams) as they created an impenetrable anchor in front of the defence. Nottingham Forest had a very strong midfield in the form of Elliot Anderson, Douglas Luiz and Morgan Gibbs-White, but Adams and Scott were able to keep them very quiet, whilst ticking the game over with quality on the ball.

Again, it is brilliant to be able to write five points without writing about so many other positives, such as Junior Kroupi, Adrien Truffert and Veljko Milosavjlevic – but that’s the state we are lucky enough to be in. Enjoy the ride whilst we can everyone, because this team have given us a start far beyond what anyone could have expected. Who knows how far we can go, but these are moments to remember. Sitting second in the league after nine games might not happen again. UTCIAD.