Bournemouth make dream Premier League return with win over Aston Villa
The IndependentSign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for free Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Scott Parker won the battle of the former England midfielders as his newly-promoted Bournemouth side enjoyed a dream Premier League return with a 2-0 win over Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa. Villa escaped relegation at Bournemouth’s expense in 2020 and also won on this ground in their opponents’ first Premier League fixture back in 2015. With a top-half finish the pre-season target, Gerrard handed debuts to summer recruits Diego Carlos and Boubacar Kamara in Dorset, while former Cherries defender Tyrone Mings, who was stripped of the Villa captaincy during the summer, had to settle for a place on the bench alongside fellow England international Ollie Watkins and the fit-again Emiliano Buendia. Villa’s new France international Kamara provided a rare anxious moment with a dipping drive from distance which had Travers at full stretch and flew just wide, before Watkins was sent on in place of Ings.