Bournemouth strengthened their push for a historic first European qualification with a convincing victory over a lacklustre Crystal Palace at the Vitality Stadium.
The result extended the Cherries’ unbeaten Premier League run to a club-record 15 matches and lifted them to sixth place on 52 points - just ahead of Brentford and Brighton with three games remaining.
Palace, who made several changes following their midweek Conference League semi-final win, struggled to find any rhythm and now look set to prioritise their European campaign as they sit 15th in the table.
Bournemouth made a fast start and took the lead through an own goal from former player Jefferson Lerma.
Evanilson’s header from Alex Scott’s corner was drifting wide before Lerma inadvertently turned it into his own net.
Things worsened for Palace when goalkeeper Dean Henderson spilled a long throw-in and then fouled Marcos Senesi, conceding a penalty.
Eli Junior Kroupi stepped up and calmly converted to double the lead.
Despite a triple substitution at half-time from Oliver Glasner, Bournemouth remained on top.
Brazilian youngster Rayan, after missing earlier chances, wrapped up the win with a composed finish from David Brooks’ through ball.
With manager Andoni Iraola set to depart in the summer, Bournemouth are building momentum at the perfect time.
Their impressive unbeaten run has put them firmly in contention for European football - and potentially even the Champions League, depending on other results.
With challenging fixtures still to come, maintaining this form will be key to securing a memorable finish.
Palace’s performance reflected a side with one eye elsewhere.
Heavily rotated, they lacked cohesion and failed to register a single shot in the first half.
While they improved slightly after key substitutions, their attention is clearly on their Conference League semi-final.
Despite defeat, their fans remained upbeat, dreaming of a potential final in Leipzig later this month.
