Siriki Dembele snatches last-gasp winner for Bournemouth at Blackpool

Siriki Dembele was Bournemouth’s hero as his strike with just seconds remaining handed his side a potentially precious 2-1 win at in-form Blackpool.

Dembele – making his first start for the Cherries – sidefooted home deep into stoppage time as Blackpool’s five-game unbeaten run was curtailed in dramatic fashion.

Substitute Jamal Lowe had equalised in the 86th minute, cancelling out Josh Bowler’s opener, while Bournemouth saw Dominic Solanke miss a penalty.

Scott Parker’s men notched a third straight win as they moved five points clear of third-placed Blackburn in the race for promotion from the Sky Bet Championship.

Solanke highlighted his huge threat for Bournemouth inside three minutes at a packed Bloomfield Road.

He charged onto Dembele’s inch-perfect through ball before seeing a fierce drive superbly tipped over the top by Blackpool keeper Dan Grimshaw.

The hosts responded swiftly with CJ Hamilton lashing over from the tightest of angles, then the same player tested goalkeeper Mark Travers with a similar effort from the opposite side.

With Blackpool and Bournemouth both in a decent run of league form, it was not surprising to see composure and confidence on the ball, although the blustery, rainy conditions did not help.

Bowler was the hosts’ major threat in the opening quarter of the game, and he saw a shot blocked after a trademark jinking run after 23 minutes.

There was drama soon after when Bournemouth fluffed a penalty chance.

Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel was punished for shoving Jaidon Anthony in the box, but the normally reliable Solanke struck a soft spot-kick, allowing Grimshaw to save comfortably.

Perhaps typically, the Seasiders responded by taking the lead in the 37th minute.

A spectacular goal came out of