Bournemouth hammer 10-man AC Milan in Europa League

Bournemouth produced one of the standout performances of the Europa League matchday, beating 10-man AC Milan 3-0 at home on Thursday to maintain their perfect start to their European campaign.

The Premier League side secured their third consecutive victory in the competition, with first-half penalties from Justin Kluivert and Marcus Tavernier putting them firmly in control before Amine Adli sealed the emphatic result with a stunning free-kick late in the game.

Milan’s task became significantly harder after goalkeeper and captain Mike Maignan was sent off early for a foul on Tyler Adams. The Italian giants struggled to recover from the dismissal as Bournemouth capitalised on their numerical advantage.

Kluivert converted from the penalty spot before Tavernier doubled the hosts’ lead, leaving Milan facing an uphill battle. Adli then delivered the finishing touch in the 84th minute, curling home a superb free-kick to complete a memorable evening for the home supporters.

Bournemouth had already opened their inaugural Europa League campaign with a victory over Real Sociedad before defeating Sturm Graz 3-0 last week. Their latest triumph made them the first English club since Sunderland in the 1973-74 season to win the opening three European matches in their history.

The Cherries will look to extend their impressive run when they face Sparta Prague and Celta Vigo in November.

Elsewhere, Crystal Palace recovered from a heavy 5-0 defeat to Brighton over the weekend to earn a 2-2 draw against Besiktas in Istanbul. Scottish giants Celtic, however, suffered their third consecutive defeat, losing 2-1 to Celta Vigo.

Bayer Leverkusen also maintained their perfect record, defeating OFI Crete 2-0 away from home. Jonas Hofmann scored twice to help the German side collect their third straight victory.

Hungarian club Ferencvaros remained level with Leverkusen on nine points after thrashing Portugal’s Torreense 4-1. Belgium’s Union Saint-Gilloise also impressed, recording a convincing 4-0 victory over Hapoel Be’er Sheva.

Juventus endured a frustrating evening after a dramatic encounter against Rennes ended without the expected comeback victory. The Italian side had a late goal from Jhon Lucumi ruled out for a marginal offside following a VAR review.

After Zeki Celik gave Juventus an early lead, Musa Al-Taamari equalised following a defensive error before Boulaye Dia put Rennes ahead shortly before half-time. Juventus levelled through a Nick Woltemade penalty, but the disallowed late strike denied them victory.

Sunderland also dropped points, drawing 1-1 against Lech Poznan in Poland despite taking the lead through Timur Tutierov in the second half. The English side dominated stretches of the contest but could not secure all three points.

Meanwhile, Marseille lost 1-0 to Sturm Graz, while Lyon suffered a 3-0 defeat against Hoffenheim.

In the Conference League, Mohamed Salah scored from the penalty spot as Trabzonspor defeated Scottish side Hearts 2-0. Brighton were held to a goalless draw by Czech opponents Jablonec, Monaco beat Freiburg 3-0, and Ajax secured a 2-0 victory over Atalanta.

With Bournemouth and Leverkusen setting the pace, the European competitions continue to deliver surprises as clubs fight to strengthen their positions in the league tables.