BOURNEMOUTH DELIGHTED home fans with a winning return to the top-flight claiming an industrious 2-0 victory over Aston Villa, reports the Voice of Sport from Vitality Stadium.

Manager Scott Parker will take heart from the manner of the win as much as the three points – which may prove invaluable for survival.

Parker has been at this rodeo before. He will not be flattered by the result and is under no illusion of the task that lies ahead.

But judging how The Cherries harried, disrupted and out-muscled a lacklustre Villa side, the signs are hopeful.

Set pieces will be crucial and the home side wasted no time at all demonstrating why.

The Cherries’ very first attack resulted in a corner and Jefferson Lerma latched on to the loose ball after debutante Marcus Tavernier’s corner was headed down by Lloyd Kelly.

Villa barely roused themselves for the next 80 minutes and a headed goal by Wales international Kieffer Moore put the result beyond doubt.

The defeat may prompt Steven Gerrard to dip back into the transfer market. Much of the talk over the summer for Villa was of strengthening the spine of his side. In have come Brazilian centre half Diego Carlos and much vaunted French holding midfielder Boubacar Kamara.

Tyrone Mings has been the greatest victim of change in personnel – stripped of both captaincy and also a place in the starting line-up. But he remains a dignified figure – despite being an unused substitute, he was the first among the Villa players to applaud the visiting support as well as Bournemouth fans, for whom he formerly played.

Villa are awash with players carrying big reputations but offering little by way of cohesion. What Gerrard has in his managerial armoury to galvanise them will determine the narrative of his side’s season – and perhaps the future trajectory of his managerial career.