Bournemouth 4-0 Lincoln City: Christie hat-trick gives Marco Rose his first win

Bournemouth's Carabao Cup campaign began the way the hosts wanted it to: an early goal, a comfortable evening and a clean sheet. Ryan Christie scored three times and Rayan added a fourth in stoppage time, and the 4-0 win over Lincoln City at the Vitality Stadium also brought Marco Rose his first competitive victory as Bournemouth manager.

As a Premier League side with no European football, Bournemouth entered the competition in the third round, so this was their debut in this season's Carabao Cup. They did not have to wait long to settle it. Christie opened the scoring in the 7th minute from a Ben Gannon-Doak assist, and the hosts spent the rest of the first half in control of possession without needing a second to feel safe.

Goal by goal

1. 7' — Ryan Christie (assist: Ben Gannon-Doak) 1-0
2. 69' — Ryan Christie, header (assist: David Brooks) 2-0
3. 88' — Ryan Christie (assist: Bafodé Diakité) 3-0
4. 90+4' — Rayan (assist: Daniel Jebbison) 4-0

The second goal arrived 69 minutes in, when Christie got on the end of a David Brooks corner to head the ball in. It was the goal he singled out afterwards as his favourite, saying he had not seen a hat-trick coming. His third came with two minutes left, set up by Bafodé Diakité, and Rayan, on as a substitute, finished a fast break from Daniel Jebbison's pass in the fourth minute of added time.

The numbers behind the win

Ten corners to none and eight shots on target to one tell the story. Lincoln managed a single effort on target all night. Callum Elder, Dom Jefferies and Daniel Oyegoke were all booked for the visitors, while Justin Kluivert and António Silva picked up Bournemouth's two cautions.

Line-ups

• AFC Bournemouth (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; Silva, Diakité, Soler, Hill; Kluivert, Christie, Cook, Rodríguez, Gannon-Doak, Brooks. Substitutes used: Rayan, Jebbison, Tavernier, Juanlu Sanchez, Tóth.
• Lincoln City (4-4-2): Gauci; Towler, Oyegoke, Elder, Jefferies; Konak, Bayliss, Honohan, Ogbene, Hackett-Fairchild, Ladefoged. Substitutes used: Bradley, House, Coubis, Elerewe, Street.

Christie's evening

The Scottish midfielder was the difference between a routine win and a statement one. He took each of his three chances in a different way: a first-half finish, a header from a set piece and a late goal after Diakité's pass. With the manager looking for the first win of his tenure, a hat-trick from a player in the middle of the pitch was the best possible way to open the account.

What it means for the bracket

A one-off tie with no replay leaves no room for a slow start, and Bournemouth never gave Lincoln one. The win put them into the fourth round, where they were drawn at home to Aston Villa. Lincoln City's cup run ends after one match.

That fourth-round tie, played on 28 October 2026 at the Vitality Stadium, is what comes next for Bournemouth.