Aston Villa have retained their Premier League status for another week despite suffering a 2-1 defeat at home to Bournemouth.
The West Midlands outfit would have been relegated had Norwich earned a point at Crystal Palace, but the Canaries' defeat leaves Villa clinging on to life in the top flight for another week.
© Getty Images
It was Villa who started the brighter of the two sides with Idrissa Gueye volleying over from the edge of the penalty area, but it did not take long for Bournemouth to respond, with Lewis Grabban forcing Brad Guzan into a decent save down to his right.
Villa sent a couple of speculative efforts off target, but it was Bournemouth who dominated the majority of the first half with Dan Gosling dragging the best of their chances wide.
© Getty Images
It appeared as though the two teams would go into the break on level terms but in added-on time, a neat move ended with Simon Francis cutting the ball back for Steve Cook to flick it past Guzan from eight yards out.
After the restart, Villa showed greater urgency in their attacking third but their final ball was poor, with both Scott Sinclair and Jordan Ayew guilty of failing to find a teammate in the penalty area.
However, after failing to make the most of their extra possession, Villa were the cause of their own downfall and a mistake at the back allowed Joshua King time in the penalty area before he clipped the ball over the advancing Guzan.
© Getty Images
It was a goal that further deflated a low-key Villa crowd but they were given hope with five minutes remaining when Gueye found Ayew with a through-ball and after biding his time, the attacker curled a low strike past Artur Boruc and into the bottom corner.
Villa pushed for a late equaliser but they could not create another clear-cut opportunity and Bournemouth held on to effectively seal their own place in the Premier League for next season.
Darren Plant
