Match ends, West Bromwich Albion 1, Bournemouth 0.
Ahmed Hegazi described scoring on his Premier League debut as "a fantastic feeling" as he helped West Brom beat Bournemouth in a tepid encounter at The Hawthorns.
Bournemouth had the majority of possession but failed to capitalise, and there was a sense of inevitability as a Baggies free-kick was safely nodded in by the Egyptian defender.
The Cherries had only one effort on target and that came in the final moments of the game as Nathan Ake headed a corner tamely into Ben Foster's arms.
Tony Pulis' summer signings performed well, with another debutant Jay Rodriguez twice coming close, and it was a tidy opening day performance for the Baggies.
"It is a very important thing that the team is winning," added Hegazi. "I know before, we had fantastic defenders in our team and we tried to do more."
Baggies' new boys perform well on debut
West Brom rounded off their home campaign last season with four 1-0 defeats - but Pulis' summer acquisitions gave his side the edge over Bournemouth, where he began his managerial career 25 years ago.
Striker Rodriguez, who joined from Southampton for £12m, set the tempo from the off and was well supported by Hegazi, who nearly added a second goal with an attempt from the edge of the box.
Prior to arriving at West Brom, the centre-back had struggled with injury, but he put that behind him with a strong showing, twice beating Joshua King for pace as the Cherries attempted to defend set-pieces.
The main concern for Pulis will be his side's finishing. Rodriguez frequently found himself in good positions but curled consecutive attempts wide, and Chris Brunt sliced an effort across goal, despite being handed plenty of space by Bournemouth.
"How we never scored more than one, I just don't know. We had the most shots on goal and the most corners," Pulis reflected.
"But we need to get some players in, and quickly. They have to be players that will improve us and we have to work hard over the next two weeks."
When Bournemouth did attack, West Brom did what they have done best over the past few seasons - defending stoutly to frustrate their opponents and keep themselves in front.
Deja vu for Bournemouth
There was a sense of inevitability about West Brom's strike - having scored 49% of their goals last season from set-pieces, they continued that run with the aid of some poor Bournemouth defending.
The Cherries looked unsure from the opening moments, struggling to deal with two early Albion throws, and five Cherries shirts were rooted to the spot as Hegazi rounded them and nodded the ball beyond Asmir Begovic.
Bournemouth have now conceded goals from set-pieces on three successive visits to The Hawthorns, and only West Brom's poor finishing prevented a heavier defeat, with Rodriguez twice curling the ball beyond the near post.
The visitors' defensive frailties could have been worse had it not been for keeper Begovic - making his second Cherries debut after a loan spell in 2007 - who moved sharply throughout the match, getting down low to block a close-range Rodriguez shot and parrying Salomon Rondon's attempt from distance in stoppage time.
Bournemouth ended the match with two-thirds of the possession but only that one shot on target - a hint of the work that manager Eddie Howe has in front of him this season.
"It is unlike us to have so much possession and to not create chances is the most disappointing thing," Howe said. "We controlled the game but we have to be a lot more efficient with the possession."
Man of the match - Jay Rodriguez (West Brom)
Cherries' opening day struggles continue - the stats you need to know
- West Brom have won successive opening league fixtures for the first time since 1992.
- Bournemouth have lost all three of their opening day fixtures in the Premier League, going down 1-0 to Aston Villa in 2015, 3-1 to Manchester United last year and now WBA.
- The Baggies had 28.8% possession - the 15th occasion they have had less than 30% possession in a Premier League game under Pulis. Of those 15, they have won six.
- Albion's Rekeem Harper is only the second player born this century (8 March 2000) to play in the Premier League, after Manchester United's Angel Gomes on the final day of the 2016-17 season.
- Chris Brunt has provided 14 assists direct from dead-ball scenarios in the Premier League since August 2014, more than any other player during this period.
- Ahmed Hegazi is the first West Brom player to score on his Premier League debut since loanee Thievy in February 2014.
- With Hegazi's goal added to Mohamed Salah's strike for Liverpool earlier in the day, it was the first time that two Egyptians have scored on the same day in the Premier League since 1 November 2008 (Mido and Amr Zaki).
'This season is a fresh start' - what they said
West Brom forward Jay Rodriguez: "It is a fresh start and I love football, and to be given the opportunity to play is brilliant. I was dying to score. The main thing is to get the three points for the team.
"We are a tight-knit squad and the lads made me feel welcome as soon as I came in. We want to win games and push up the table."
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe: "The build-up to the goal was very disappointing - we gave away a needless free-kick, and against West Brom that is a dangerous thing.
"We have had enough football in pre-season to be ready, and I thought we were ready. The pitch was slow, and that is not an excuse. All our substitutes came on and gave us a bounce effect.
"We had our best spell towards the end of the game. I expected us to have the possession that we did but I thought we would have been more creative with it."
What next?
West Brom travel to Burnley on Saturday, 19 August, while Bournemouth host Watford at Vitality Stadium on the same day.
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Line-ups
West Brom
Formation 4-1-4-1
- 1Foster
- 2Nyom
- 25Dawson
- 26Hegazi
- 11Brunt
- 5YacobBooked at 34mins
- 10PhillipsSubstituted forRobson-Kanuat 72'minutesBooked at 90mins
- 8Livermore
- 28FieldSubstituted forHarperat 70'minutes
- 14McClean
- 19RodriguezBooked at 82minsSubstituted forRondónat 88'minutes
Substitutes
- 4Robson-Kanu
- 9Rondón
- 13Myhill
- 22Chadli
- 34Harper
- 45Leko
- 49Wilson
Bournemouth
Formation 4-4-1-1
- 27Begovic
- 2FrancisSubstituted forA Smithat 80'minutes
- 3S Cook
- 5Aké
- 11Daniels
- 24Fraser
- 6Surman
- 8ArterBooked at 86mins
- 7PughSubstituted forIbeat 45'minutes
- 17King
- 9AfobeSubstituted forDefoeat 64'minutes
Substitutes
- 1Boruc
- 4Gosling
- 15A Smith
- 18Defoe
- 26Mings
- 31Mousset
- 33Ibe
- Referee:
- Robert Madley
- Attendance:
- 25,011
Match Stats
- Possession
- Home29%
- Away71%
- Shots
- Home16
- Away9
- Shots on Target
- Home6
- Away2
- Corners
- Home8
- Away2
- Fouls
- Home15
- Away3
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, West Bromwich Albion 1, Bournemouth 0.
Post update
Attempt saved. Ryan Fraser (Bournemouth) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Steve Cook.
Booking
Hal Robson-Kanu (West Bromwich Albion) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Andrew Surman (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Hal Robson-Kanu (West Bromwich Albion).
Post update
Corner, West Bromwich Albion. Conceded by Asmir Begovic.
Post update
Attempt saved. Salomón Rondón (West Bromwich Albion) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Rekeem Harper.
Post update
Charlie Daniels (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Salomón Rondón (West Bromwich Albion).
Substitution
Substitution, West Bromwich Albion. Salomón Rondón replaces Jay Rodriguez.
Booking
Harry Arter (Bournemouth) is shown the yellow card.
Post update
Hand ball by Jermain Defoe (Bournemouth).
Post update
Attempt missed. James McClean (West Bromwich Albion) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Rekeem Harper.
Post update
Attempt missed. Hal Robson-Kanu (West Bromwich Albion) left footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Jake Livermore with a headed pass.
Post update
Foul by Harry Arter (Bournemouth).
Post update
Jake Livermore (West Bromwich Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Attempt saved. Nathan Aké (Bournemouth) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Ryan Fraser with a cross.
Booking
Jay Rodriguez (West Bromwich Albion) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Ryan Fraser (Bournemouth) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Comments
Join the conversation
Your sub zero intellect matches your personality devoid of anything and pointless.
Mark = troll = loser = bedroom nerd = zero friends.
@baggiesfans - great start to the season. It's early but Hegazi looks like a fantastic loan signing and Rodriguez sparkled! Some more possession would be welcomed but can't complain about the result today.
@mywife- I bought a new guitar today and I don't care what you think. It makes me happy. :)
Experienced, professional, canny, no waffle, does exactly what it says on the tin
Well, went to the game and we (Albion) look good. Good debuts and hopefully get a few more in.
Top half finish hopefully, two tier league now after 6/7th, and here's hoping a good cup run. We should be looking at that now surely!
Boing Boing
COYB!
Any time any place
Might be a good idea for Bournemouth to stop practicing their rolling around looking for fouls & bookings and practice shooting a bit more
If it wasn't for Begovic & Ake who was Bournemouths MOM , we could have easily lost 4-0.
Although WBA are one of the most boring teams to watch,they are also difficult to break down
1 hour ago
"Markthelegandkid how do West Brom have no good strikers when there* striker got man of the match?"
their*
It's a results based game and league and get a result they did. Resolute in defence. Attacked nearly every time they had the ball. Better finishing and WBA will be dominating scorelines and stand a chance against the big 6