Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola is sweating on Dominic Solanke’s fitness after the striker limped off with an ankle injury late on in the 2-0 win over Stoke at the Vitality Stadium.
Striker Solanke was brought on at half-time to reinvigorate Bournemouth and put his side ahead six minutes after coming on.
Joe Rothwell smashed in a free-kick to confirm the Cherries’ spot in the fourth round – where they will host Liverpool – but Solanke was replaced with five minutes to go to sour the evening.
“Dom has played well,” said Iraola, of his top scorer. “We needed a change of energy and the whole of the team had a different attitude in the second half.
“Unfortunately, he couldn’t finish the game, that was probably the worst part of the evening.
“We will see tomorrow if the ankle is swollen or not but we have a very tight schedule so it will be tough for him to play at the weekend.”
Former Liverpool forward Solanke controlled a low cross from Adam Smith before finishing with a neat swivel for his fourth goal of the season.
Three minutes later, the Cherries were in complete control when Rothwell’s free-kick from the left side of the box escaped everyone’s touch and bounced into the bottom corner.
It was the midfielder’s first goal since arriving from Blackburn before last season.
Iraola was happy to progress but not to be up against Jurgen Klopp’s Reds in the next round.
The Spaniard said: “We wouldn’t have chosen Liverpool, for sure, but I think we have to make them play a good game and come here and beat us. It isn’t an easy draw.”
Stoke manager Alex Neil was angered by some naivety before Solanke’s goal.
The Scot said: “I thought we competed really well for the majority of the match.
“First half there wasn’t a lot in the game which is summed up by them bringing two strong attacking players on at half-time.
“You could see at the start of the second half that they visibly upped the tempo and the lads that came on are naturally good players and got the fans behind them.
“I think the biggest disappointment is that when you are playing Premier League players you can semi-accept that you can get undone by quality play but the first goal for us is so frustrating.
“We gave the free-kick away and then after that we kicked the ball back to them, we weren’t set and the ball ends up in the back of the net.
“All the hard work we’d done in the first half was wasted because of the lapse of concentration and naivety.
“If you take the game in its entirety in terms of just playing I thought we competed and was good in spells.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Jackson , Delap & Joao Pedro next season 34-year-old Aaron Ramsey is signing for Pumas in Liga MX, per @davidornstein Five years ago Leo Messi joined Cristiano Ronaldo as the only active players to reach 700 goals. They're still going:Ronaldo: 938 goals Messi: 866 goals Just CR7 THINGS! Lamine Yamal will start the 2025-26 season as an Adult! Champions Lea...
Man Utd are reportedly targeting a recently relegated Premier League player to strengthen Ruben Amorim's midfield.Manchester United have held discussions over a shock swoop for Leicester City midfielder Wilfried Ndidi, according to reports. Ruben Amorim may view the recently-relegated star as a cut-price solution in his pursuit of midfield reinforcements this summer.United have focused their early...
Chelsea could reportedly hijack Tottenham's pursuit of a Premier League forward.Chelsea are reportedly looking to hijack Tottenham's pursuit of Mohammed Kudus Chelsea could reportedly hijack Tottenham's pursuit of Mohammed Kudus by negotiating a swap deal for the West Ham winger. The west Londoners have been among the Premier League's busiest clubs in the summer window, having already made a numbe...
Lionel Messi could consider leaving Inter Miami to play in a more competitive league ahead of the 2026 World Cup in North America. Messi and Co. faced humiliation in the Club World Cup round of 16 stage after suffering a 4-0 loss to Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain. The Argentine's current deal expires at the end of 2025 and he has reportedly put fresh contract talks on hold.Messi coul...
Chelsea not ruling out swoop for West Ham star KudusAccording to the Daily Mail, Chelsea are set to compete with their Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur to secure a transfer for West Ham star Mohammed Kudus. The Blues have already signed Liam Delap from Ipswich Town and are now closing in on signing Joao Pedro from Brighton and Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund. Earlier this month, the Ha...
Charly Musonda Chelsea Premier LeagueFormer Chelsea rising star Charly Musonda Jr has retired aged 28 after an injury-hit career for one of Belgium's former brightest prospects.Musonda retires aged 28WHAT HAPPENED?Musonda has now decided to put an end to a difficult career, announcing his decision himself on the Rising Ballers podcast as reported by Belgian outlet La DH Les Sports. Musonda had bee...
FBL-EUR-C1-REAL MADRID-PRESSERDani Carvajal is ready to play in any position under new Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso as the veteran Spanish full-back eyes a return to the Los Blancos squad after remaining sidelined with an ACL injury since last October. Carvajal rejoined Madrid training earlier this month and is now hopeful of getting game time under Alonso in the upcoming 2025-26 campaign.WHAT HAP...
Bryan MbeumoIt is still possible that Bryan Mbeumo remains at Brentford this summer, claims the club's director amidst strong Manchester United links.WHAT HAPPENED?Bees director of football Phil Giles has insisted the club are waiting for the right offer for their talisman and could keep him next season if this does not come in from United or Tottenham Hotspur - despite the fact that Mbeumo only h...
FBL-ESP-LIGA-REAL MADRID-ALONSOComplete guide to Los Blancos' pre-season preparations, including friendlies and training camps, ahead of the 2025-26 season.Elimination from the 2024-25 Champions League must have hit Real Madrid hard, but Los Blancos already have big events to look forward to ahead of the 2025-26 season.Under Carlo Ancelotti's most recent managerial spell at the club, Real suffered...
Luis-DiazBayern Munich are ready compete with Barcelona to secure a transfer for Liverpool winger Luis Diaz this summer. The Bundesliga giants are looking for a quality left-wing option and have put the Colombian in their shortlist. The German champions, though, are yet to initiate formal transfer talks with the Reds as they are still evaluating their options. WHAT HAPPENED?According to Sky Sports...
- 1 Liverpool willing to make swap proposal to Palace for Guehi
- 2 Raphinha happy to see Barcelona miss out on FIFA Club World Cup
- 3 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 4 Mystery blonde who had night out with Kieran Trippier
- 5 Chelsea transfer at 'final stages'
- 6 Club World Cup 2025: Benfica v Chelsea predictions, best bets and odds
- 7 Man Utd close in on Bryan Mbeumo! Red Devils agree £60m+ fee with Brentford as Premier League rivals iron out final transfer details
- 8 Man United close in on Bryan Mbeumo
- 9 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 10 Sporting CP president Varandas: Gyokeres knows price he can leave for