Aston Villa kicked off their Premier League campaign by taking maximum points against new-boys Bournemouth, courtesy of a 1-0 victory at the Vitality Stadium.
Rudy Gestede's debut goal 18 minutes from time proved the difference for the visitors, who had come close through Idrissa Gueye's attempt earlier in the half.
Bournemouth edged the first-half chances, but after failing to make the most of their openings they were made to pay when Gestede's powerful header found a way through.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at how the action unfolded on the South Coast.
Match statistics
BOURNEMOUTH
Shots: 11
On target: 2
Possession: 58%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 13
ASTON VILLA
Shots: 7
On target: 3
Possession: 42%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 13
Was the result fair?
This game was ultimately decided by one team being able to take their big chance when it finally arrived, which the home side failed to do so. It was a contest of very few clear-cut openings, in truth, so when Gestede planted his free header into the back of the net in the second half it would have been a bitter pill to swallow for the Cherries.
Bournemouth ended the opening 45 minutes the better side, twice testing Brad Guzan through Callum Wilson and Mark Pugh, but they just lacked that additional quality required in front of goal. Dan Gosling also wasted a decent chance in the first half, with Gestede's eventual winner going to highlight just how important it is to capitalise on these opportunities when they come along.
Bournemouth's performance
Only four times across the duration of last season did Bournemouth fail to find the back of the net in a Championship match. At their free-flowing best, nobody in England's top-four tiers could rival Eddie Howe's men, underlined by their 98 goals overall. Interestingly, Howe opted to stick largely with the group of players who earned promotion last season, meaning no place in the starting lineup for Max Gradel, Sylvain Distin or club-record signing Tyrone Mings.
In fact, when Josh King departed on the hour, Bournemouth were fielding a side entirely made up of players from their promotion-winning squad. It would have been a successful start to the South Coast outfit's maiden Premier League voyage had they taken their chances in the first half, but having failed to do so they struggled to cause Villa any real concern when chasing a way back into things.
Aston Villa's performance
Following an underwhelming opening 45 minutes, in which Gabriel Agbonlahor found a teammate just once, Tim Sherwood clearly had a few words to say to his group of players at half time. Villa came out a better side, creating their first real opening of the afternoon when an improved Agbonlahor picked out Gueye, but the summer recruit - one of five in the Villa starting lineup - failed to convert.
It was then left to Gestede to win it for the Villans, providing his side with a different option entirely in attack when replacing Jordan Ayew. From their first corner of the afternoon, the established top-flight side were ahead when some slack defending gifted the Benin international a dream debut goal. There is certainly more to come from Sherwood's men, but this is a good starting point considering he had to integrate plenty of new faces into the fold.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Matt Ritchie: The Cherries midfielder, who reached double figures for both goals and assists in the Championship, made a promising start to life in the top tier. It was a disappointing result on the whole, yet Bournemouth showed that they have it in them to make chances.
Biggest gaffe
Guzan was given the nod by Sherwood between the sticks, but his distribution was severely lacking. On three occasions the American stopper kicked the ball straight out of play, which only helped to break up the momentum his side were trying to find for large parts.
Referee performance
Mark Clattenburg had to wave away one weak penalty appeal while, apart form that, there was very little else for the man in the middle to call. Six players did enter the book - three in each half - but even still it was not a particularly feisty affair at the newly-named Vitality Stadium.
What next?
Bournemouth: The Cherries face a daunting trip to Anfield in their next outing, aiming to get off the mark in the Premier League, before then taking on West Ham United at Upton Park.
Aston Villa: Louis van Gaal's Manchester United side visit Villa Park next week in a rare Friday night meeting under the floodlights.
Daniel Lewis
