HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 4, AFC BOURNEMOUTH 1
A first Huddersfield Town goal for Alex Pritchard, a double by Steve Mounie, and a Rajiv van La Parra penalty meant that the Terriers could celebrate a first Premier League win in nine matches as they kickstarted their survival mission with a huge morale boosting victory over Bournemouth.
The bad news, though, is Town may have to do without Aaron Mooy for a period after he went off on a stretcher after jarring his left knee towards the end of the game.
The Terriers got back on the scoresheet for the first time in the Premier League since mid January in their home defeat to West Ham having failed to score in a total of 14 of 26 previous league games this season.
A poor run since December had led to the Terriers slipping into the bottom three with relegation a serious threat but victory temporarily moved them back up to 16th.
David Wagner made five changes from the defeat at against United. He switched the team back to a 4-2-3-1 and handed Alex Pritchard a full home debut against Bournemouth (only his second top flight start?). Bournemouth were unchanged from their win against Stoke.
Missing out were Tommy Smith, Terence Kongolo, Philip Billing, Laurent Depoitre, and Collin Quaner while joining Pritchard in the starting lineup were Scott Malone, Aaron Mooy, Steve Mounie, and Tom Ince.
Town were back to their Terrier selves following a Year of the Dog themed pre-match build-up and made a perfect start after just seven minutes through Alex Pritchard who scored his first ever Premier League goal in his seventh top flight appearance for his third top flight club.
Pritchard, who proved a nuisance to the visitors throughout, was making his full home debut for the Terriers and gave the crowd an instant lift after a long ball from Scott Malone had released Steve Mounie down the left flank.
Mounie crossed and Pritchard had to adjust himself to catch the ball before stabbing it past Asmir Begovic in the Bournemouth goal.
The lead last just seven minutes though, and Ryan Fraser beat the offside trap and produced a great first time cross for Junior Stanislas who had time to control the ball before firing in from 20 yards into the bottom of the Town net.
Aaron Mooy sent a cross in which Begovic was happy to collect low down after Zanka headed it goalwards but the Cherries had failed to learn from Town’s harrying and aerial prowess and Mooy repeated the cross from a free kick in the 27th minute and Mounie punished them from eight yards out to restore the Terriers’ lead.
Steve Cook had a chance to level again but his shot from Charlie Daniels’ corner came off Town’s back post after 32 minutes.
The visitors were always dangerous on the break with the pace of Ibe and Stanislas but Town were back to their dogged best, their tireless high press keeping the Cherries away from sustained possession to reduce their build-up.
Unable to impose themselves on the game, the Cherries could only watch as the Terriers buzzed around them early in the second period with Pritchard chasing down lost causes and dragging his team back to the kind of form which had deserted them recently.
Simon Francis was booked for hauling down Rajiv van La Parra in full flight while Mooy delivered telling efforts from the left flank, once missing the back post, finding Tom Ince who headed over from eight yards out, but always causing mayhem in the Bournemouth area every time he put the ball in.
So rattled were the Cherries that they gave away Town’s third goal after a poor pass out of their defence by Steve Cook fell to Van La Parra who immediately found Mooy on the left.
The Australian inevitably found Mounie who bundled the ball home past Begovic from 15 yards out for his eighth strike of the season.
Lewis Cook put an end of Mooy’s afternoon after accidentally jarring his left knee during a rough challenge. There was applause for the playmaker as Philip Billing replaced him after 76 minutes.
Bournemouth couldn’t find a way through the Terriers to even test Jonas Lossl despite getting six minutes of frenetic hailstone-filled added time at the end of the game.
There was additional disappointment for travelling fans, though, when Dan Gosling pushed the tireless Pritchard over after he had bustled into the area – a clear penalty after four minutes of stoppage time – which was despatched in style from the spot by Van La Parra for his third goal of the season.
Huddersfield Town 4, Bournemouth 1 – MATCH STATS
Huddersfield Town: Lossl, Hadergjonaj, Zanka, Schindler, Malone (Kongolo 52), Hogg, Pritchard, Ince (Quaner 65), Mooy (Billing 76), Van La Parra, Mounie
Huddersfield Town Subs not used: Coleman, Sabiri, Williams, Hefele
Goals: Pritchard 7; Mounie 27, 67; Van La Parra 90+5
Bournemouth: Begovic, Francis, S Cook (A Smith 70), Ake, Fraser, L Cook, Gosling, Daniels, Ibe (King 58), Stanislas (Mousset 65), Wilson
Bournemouth Subs not used: Boruc, Surman, Arter, Simpson
Goal: Stanislas 14
Bookings: Gosling 18, Francis 57, Mousset
Attendance: 23,823