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Thompson brace helps five-star Cherries to thumping win over Wimbledon

Kenni Thompson netted a brilliant brace with a goal in each half, as Molly Barron-Clark, Sophie Quirk and Emilia Newton all scored too, with the latter coming off the bench for her first senior league goal for the club.

The five goals saw the Cherries extend their goal difference advantage at the top of the league to four goals after fellow unbeaten side Watford also won, but only 2-0.

The visiting Cherries made a rapid start at Tooting and Mitcham United, as they took control of the game in the early exchanges and opened the scoring with just four minutes on the clock.

It was Barron-Clark who scored the first Bournemouth goal, as she finished well into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

Molly Barron-Clark _(Image: Richard Crease)_

Leading goalscorer Quirk doubled the Cherries’ advantage after 22 minutes.

She collected the ball 25 yards out, took a couple of touches before unleashing a powerful shot from the angle on the left into the near top corner that took her goal tally to 13 for the season.

Thompson scored her first of the afternoon five minutes later to make it 3-0 to the Cherries.

She headed home unmarked from just outside the six-yard box after a Kelci Bowers cross was not cleared and headed up into the air and into her path.

Bowers rattled the crossbar after she cut inside her defender and got a shot off from inside the box, as the Cherries led 3-0 at halftime.

There were fewer chances for Bournemouth after the resumption, before it was Quirk’s turn to hit the woodwork as she struck the post with 19 minutes left to play of the 90.

Sophie Quirk _(Image: Richard Crease)_

Two minutes after that, Bournemouth made it four as Thompson completed her brace direct from a free kick, curling the ball inside the post from 30 yards just to the right of centre.

Erin Foley had to be alert to rush off her line and deny the hosts a goal back, before Bournemouth made it 5-0 five minutes into added time.

Newton collected the ball from Katie James after she made a diagonal run across the defence, and then she picked out the bottom corner with a fantastic finish back across the keeper from just outside the box.

That saw the Cherries home and took them to 23 points from nine league games, continuing their unbeaten run and cementing their spot at the top of the league.

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