BOURNEMOUTH, England (AP) — Scott Parker won the battle of the former England midfielders as his newly promoted Bournemouth marked its return to the English Premier League with a 2-0 win over Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa on Saturday. Jefferson Lerma and Kieffer Moore scored either side of halftime at Vitality Stadium as Gerrard — who played alongside Parker at Euro 2012 — cut a frustrated figure for much of the afternoon. Lerma emphatically lashed home a deflected, left-footed drive from close range after the visitors made a mess of clearing Tavernier’s right-wing corner. Things will get a lot tougher for Bournemouth, though, with Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool to come in the next three weeks. ___More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsBournemouth's Philip Billing, centre, and Aston Villa's Leon Bailey battle for the ball, during the English Premier League soccer match between Bournemouth and Aston Villa, at the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, England, Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022.

Source: The Star August 06, 2022 19:01 UTC