Jason Tindall saluted two-goal Dominic Solanke after Bournemouth staged a stunning second-half comeback to beat promotion-rivals Reading 4-2.
The Cherries looked to be heading for the first home defeat of the season when Reading stormed into a 2-0 half-time lead through a Lucas Joao penalty and a rare Sonny Aluko goal.
But Solanke’s double coupled with an Arnaut Danjuma’s strike and a stunning long-ranger from Lewis Cook – his first Bournemouth goal – completed a remarkable turnaround for the home side.
Bournemouth manager Tindall said: “I am pleased for Dominic because he is an outstanding centre forward and such a good team player.
“He has been excellent in training these last two weeks, his finishing has been good and I had a good feeling for Dom today.”
The Cherries knew victory would see them leapfrog early-season league leaders Reading but were poor in the first half.
Joao opened the scoring from the spot with only four minutes played after Alfa Semedo had been bundled over by goalkeeper Asmir Begovic.
Aluko doubled Reading’s lead in the 43rd minute, side-footing home from 12 yards after being played in by Ovie Ejaria.
Bournemouth were back in the game 11 minutes into the second half when Solanke thundered a shot into the roof of the net from Junior Stanislas’ teasing low cross.
Wales winger David Brooks then played in Danjuma to make it 2-2 just three minutes later with a cleverly-disguised pass.
Cook completed the turnaround with a stunning 25-yard curler that fizzed into the top corner with 13 minutes remaining – the midfielder’s first goal in more than four years.
Reading thought they had equalised when Joao’s header from a corner clattered off the inside of the post and Begovic somehow managed to claw it off the line.
Solanke sealed the points in the dying seconds of normal time with a composed finish from the edge of the penalty area after catching Rafael in possession.
Tindall said: “Coming back from 2-0 down gives us confidence but we cannot under-perform like we did in the first half again.
“We started the game far too slowly and the second half performance is our benchmark. We came out in the second half, scored two quick goals and never looked back.
“I am happy with where we are in the table but it is only 12 games in so nobody is getting too carried away.”
The defeat was Reading’s fourth in a row and knocks the Berkshire side off the top of the table for the first time since the second week of the season.
Manager Veljko Paunovic said: “It was two different halves – in the first half it was a fantastic performance with a fantastic mentality and spirit.
“We could have scored even more than the two goals we did if we were a little bit more precise and calm in the final third.
“In the second half, it’s unacceptable. We weren’t the team before or even in the first half.
“Those two sides are new to us and we have to see what the reason is for that.
“We definitely have the sense we didn’t have the focus and we thought we had won the game.
“We have to be consistent moving forward when we have these results and not drop points like this.”
