A meeting between the league’s leakiest defences offered the promise of goals, and fans at the Vitality Stadium saw plenty of them.
Leeds had often been on the front foot in a hotly-contested opening, with Adam Smith instinctively blocking Jack Harrison’s attempt after great work from Crysencio Summerville, but it was the hosts who took the lead in the 20th minute.
When Dominic Solanke got behind to tee up Philip Billing for a shot that was blocked by Liam Cooper, Jefferson Lerma took full advantage of the time afforded to him by nonchalantly stroking the ball into the top corner.
Just four minutes later, Illan Meslier made a complete mess of dealing with Ryan Christie’s corner delivery and Lerma was on hand to finish again as he rifled the ball into the gaping net, recording the fifth goal of the Colombian’s best-ever goalscoring campaign.
However, Lerma was punished for sloppily conceding possession shortly after the half-hour mark, as Wilfried Gnonto provided a sumptuous cross for Patrick Bamford, who headed home to renew hope for Leeds despite captain Cooper being forced off injured in the aftermath.
Both teams continued to carry a threat after the restart, although Billing and Gnonto both wasted promising opportunities moments apart following impressive build-up play to set them up.
Solanke made no such mistake and continued his promising goalscoring form, capitalising on Robin Koch’s inability to convincingly deal with Dango Ouattara’s pass by sliding the ball past Meslier for the striker’s third goal in seven games - matching his tally from the rest of the PL campaign.
Antoine Semenyo rounded off the scoring with a late strike that squirmed through Meslier’s clutches for his first PL goal, as Bournemouth secured a fourth win in their last five matches, giving Gary O’Neil’s side a 10-point buffer from the relegation zone and plenty of breathing space.
Leeds have no such luxury, with the Whites a solitary point above the PL’s bottom three and Javia Gracia in desperate need of a win after a fifth match without one.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Dominic Solanke (AFC Bournemouth)
