Justin Kluivert says Bournemouth are dreaming of European qualification after his stunning hat-trick in a 4-1 win at Newcastle.
The Dutch forward starred in a superb display at St James’ Park that lifted the Cherries to the heights of sixth in the Premier League.
Andoni Iraola’s men have been surprisingly pressing in the first half for most of the season and are currently unbeaten in 11 matches.
But for Kluivert, their form is no surprise and he says European qualification has always been the aim for the Cherries.
What a way to score a hat-trick 🤩
Justin Kluivert tops off a great performance in style 💫
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— Soccer on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 18, 2025
He told TNT Sports: “I feel great. We know how hard it is to play here. To come here with a lot of injuries and dominate like that – hats off to the team.
“I want to help my team and become important for the club. Our run is beautiful and we have shown that we are here to impress.
“At the start of the season, we have a lot of ambitious players in the team, you want to play in Europe and we show that.
“Why not dream big and we never know where we might end up. The Champions League would be very difficult, but who knows?”
Bournemouth were deserved winners at St James’ Park, impressing the hosts who had won their previous nine games in all competitions.
“We’re here to impress”
Justin Kluivert talks Bournemouth’s impressive form and hits hat-trick against Newcastle 🙌
🎙️ @julesbreach
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— Soccer on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 18, 2025
Antoine Semenyo, who also caught the eye, added to the Premier Legaue’s performances: “It was a crazy performance from us.
“We just knew we had to get the press right and if we did we would get chances and as you saw from a couple of goals we had the right press and got the three points.
“We knew they had moments where they would hold it back and we wanted to get past the top four. Once the keeper switched to center back that was the trigger to go and it worked perfectly.
“Justin’s finishes were special. He is a top player for us. It was a well-deserved hat-trick.”
Their 11-match unbeaten run is all the more impressive considering the large number of injuries they currently have to deal with, with Evanilson and Enes Unal recently ruled out for the rest of the season.
Semenyo added: “It’s all mindset. Our mentality is so strong, we are mentally tough. we are going through all these tough times with injuries but we know collectively that we can do it and no one can tell us otherwise.
“We’re taking it game by game and not putting any pressure on ourselves.”
