Huddersfield Town moved out of the Premier League relegation zone as they beat AFC Bournemouth 4-1 on Sunday afternoon.
The Terriers made a fast start to the game and took the lead after just five minutes through Alex Pritchard. However, the away side responded just minutes later through Junior Stanislas. This was not enough to prevent the Terriers heading into half-time with the lead though as Steve Mounie restored their advantage with a superb header into the bottom corner.
Mounie was at it again midway through the second-half as he slotted home from Mooy's cutback to put his side in a commanding position. Rajiv van La Parra converted an injury time penalty to add gloss to the scoreline.
A scintillating first-half of football
David Wagner decided to make five changes to his team from their previous league outing, the 2-0 defeat to Manchester United. The likes of Aaron Mooy, Tom Ince, Scott Malone, Mounie and Pritchard all returned to the starting line-up as Tommy Smith, Terence Kongolo, Colin Quaner, Philip Biling and Laurent Depoitre dropped out.
As for Bournemouth, Eddie Howe opted not to make a single change to the starting line-up following their 2-1 win over Stoke City last weekend.
It was the home side who made the brighter start to proceedings and they deservedly went ahead early on. Mounie got the better of Simon Francis down the left-hand side before squaring the ball to Pritchard to fire home to make it 1-0. It was his first goal for the Terriers since joining from Championship side Norwich City in January.
However, despite going behind so early on, it did not take long for the away side to respond. Ryan Fraser was given far too much space on the right-hand side and he was able to pick out Stanislas in the area. The 28-year-old winger was able to keep his composure and slot home into the bottom corner to make it 1-1. It was a fantastic response to going behind from the Cherries.
The Terriers did not let their heads drop after being pegged back and could have retaken the lead with around 20 minutes played. Mooy has been a revelation for Wagner's men this season and his delightful ball into the box was met by Mathias Jørgensen but he could only aim his header straight at Asmir Begovic.
However, the away side continued to struggle with Mooy's impeccable delivery as Huddersfield restored their lead shortly before the half hour mark. Mooy's free-kick was perfect once again and was met by Mounie who made no mistake as his header found the bottom corner of the net to make it 2-1 to the Terriers.
In what was turning out to be an incredible attacking match, Bournemouth came so close to an instant response for the second time in the match. Charlie Daniels picked out Steve Cook from a corner and his scuffed effort hit the outside of the post. The Terriers continued to look very vulnerable at the back.
The Cherries did continue to try and muster an equaliser before the break but it was not to be as the Terriers went into half-time with a 2-1 lead following a scintillating first-half of football.
Terriers seal vital three points
It was the home side who had the first opportunity of the second-half and it fell the way of Mooy. He ran at the Bournemouth defence unchallenged before his drilled shot trickled wide of the target. The Cherries did also have an early chance as Ibe did well down the left-hand side but they were unable to produce anything from the resulting corner.
Mooy continued to cause the Bournemouth defence all sorts of problems and his cross into the area was met by Ince but he could only fire his header over the bar. It was a superb chance for the Terriers and it could have put the game beyond the away side with around an hour played.
However, they were not left to rue their missed opportunities as they made it 3-1 around five minutes later. Mooy was again given too much space on the left-hand side and his ball into the area was slightly behind Mounie but this did not prevent the striker from slotting the ball into the bottom corner, much to the delight of the home crowd.
Huddersfield's afternoon was overshadowed with around 15 minutes to play as the exceptional Mooy was stretchered off with what looked to be a very concerning injury. Everyone connected with the club will be hoping he makes a speedy recovery as he has impressed many so far this season.
To their credit, Bournemouth did keep going in the latter stages as they looked to mount an unlikely comeback. However, the Terriers were able to hold out for a vital three points and van La Parra's penalty in injury time added gloss to the scoreline.