Bournemouth have returned to the top half of the Premier League table with a 2-1 victory over Burnley at the Vitality Stadium.

After Sam Vokes had cancelled out Junior Stanislas's opener, it appeared that the two clubs would share the spoils but Joshua King struck five minutes from time to earn the Cherries their third success in four matches.

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With both teams already assured of their place in the top flight for another 12 months, there was little tension in the air on the south coast but clear-cut chances were few and far between during the opening stages.

Burnley's George Boyd prodded wide in the opening 60 seconds, while Vokes had a tame header comfortably saved by Cherries stopper Artur Boruc.

However, Bournemouth had looked lively in attack and they opened the scoring in the 26th minute when Stanislas received Lewis Cook's pass before producing a stunning finish to beat Tom Heaton in the Clarets goal.

The visitors attempted to hit back through Vokes and Scott Arfield, while Bournemouth responded with Marc Pugh having a rising shot saved by Heaton.

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Just before half time, Burnley should have equalised when Arfield received the ball around eight yards from goal, but Boruc got out well to smother the midfielder's shot.

Sean Dyche introduced Andre Gray at the break but after the restart, it was Burnley who made the early running with Lys Mousset flicking wide from a cross and Steve Cook getting a well-struck shot from distance on target.

However, Burnley showed no signs of lying down as they target another positive result on the road and after Ashley Westwood had blasted wide from 25 yards, Arfield sent a similar effort whistling past Boruc's post.

Back came Bournemouth, who saw Mousset head straight at Heaton at the back post before Joshua King sprung to life with a turn on the edge of the penalty area before curling the ball off target.

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King had another opportunity as the game entered the final quarter but after advancing from the corner into a shooting position, his eventual shot was well blocked.

With time ticking away, Burnley started to throw more players forward and they eventually got their reward with seven minutes left when Vokes was able to glance a header into the net after meeting Johann Berg Gudmundsson's inswinging delivery.

The goal came against the run of play but it took just two minutes for Bournemouth to regain the lead through King, who was in the right place at the right time to convert from close range as he met Ryan Fraser's cross.

A late push for a second Burnley equaliser did not really arrive, and Bournemouth were able to see out the remainder of the match to seal another excellent victory in their quest to finish in the top 10.