Bournemouth 2-0 Stoke: Dominic Solanke and Joe Rothwell see Cherries to Carabao Cup third round win

Dominic Solanke came off the bench to send Bournemouth into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup after beating Stoke 2-0 at the Vitality Stadium.

Striker Solanke scored six minutes after coming on at half-time, before Joe Rothwell’s free-kick burst through a crowded penalty area to settle the tie.

It sent the Cherries to the fourth round for the sixth time in ten seasons, having achieved the feat just twice in their first 54 attempts. They face Liverpool in the next round, which will be played the week of October 30.

Bournemouth made eight changes in Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Brighton in a week when they play three games in seven days.

Stoke made six of their own after losing to Hull, and all the changes made for a first half full of misplaced passes, heavy touches and frustration from the stands.

Furthermore, neither side had any form to hold on to. The Potters are winless in five games in the Championship, while the Cherries have only beaten Swansea in the last round under Andoni Iraola.

It wasn’t until the 13th minute that both sides had a notable shot, when Milos Kerkez stung the palms of Stoke goalkeeper Jack Bonham with a fierce shot from inside the penalty area.

With eight minutes to go in the first half the crowd finally came alive, with Bournemouth experiencing some sustained pressure.

Dango Ouattara produced an outrageous move to turn Ki-Jana Hoever and earn space in the penalty area, but his strike towards goal was pushed behind.

At the other end, Stoke, who had pressed on with good discipline, threatened when Jordan Thompson finished a fine move by curling forward before Wesley failed to connect with a low cross.

Unsurprisingly, Iraola made the substitutions at half-time, with regulars bringing on Solanke and Ryan Christie.

It took just six minutes for top scorer Solanke to find the net.

The former Liverpool striker controlled Adam Smith’s low cross before finishing with a neat turn 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 penalty area escaped everyone’s touch and bounced into the bottom corner.

It was the midfielder’s first goal since joining from Blackburn last season.

Christie forced Bonham into a good save with a dip from outside the box, while Nathan Lowe’s acrobatic effort and Sol Sidibe’s flash across goal in injury time failed to produce a grandstand finish for Stoke.

The only sour note of the second half for Bournemouth was Solanke’s withdrawal five minutes from time after taking a blow.