History repeated itself as AFC Bournemouth maintained their 100 per cent winning start to the season with a convincing victory over National League counterparts Southampton Women on Wednesday.

Lucy Cooper was on target twice as the Cherries ran out 4-0 victors at Long Lane – a feat she achieved when Steve Cuss’s team registered the same scoreline against the Sirens last season.

Skipper Gemma Hillier and defender Amber Treweek were also on the scoresheet as the Cherries made it three league wins on the bounce, adding to their cup victory over Bridgwater.

Cherries goalkeeper Daniela Kosinska was rarely tested as she kept a third clean sheet of the season, while her opposite number Grace Jenman made a series of fine saves to keep the hosts at bay.

Abby Jones, impressive throughout, set the tone for a one-sided and chance-laden encounter for the Cherries, her rasping drive deflected over the crossbar in the fourth minute.

Gemma McGuinness saw her header saved by Jenman before Molly Barron-Clark’s effort was cleared off the line by Sirens striker Erin Bloomfield.

Helen Bleazard’s header from a cross by set-piece specialist Barron-Clark was blocked before Katie James saw her long-range piledriver saved by Jenman.

Cooper drew first blood when she robbed Jenman of possession and assuredly steered the ball past a lone defender on the line in the 16^th minute.

There was an element of good fortune about the goal, the visitors having been awarded a free-kick when McGuinness was erroneously flagged offside from a throw, Cooper nipping in after a Sirens defender had passed the ball back to her goalkeeper.

Cooper went close to doubling the Cherries’ lead when her shot flashed past the post before Jenman got down smartly at her near post to save Barron-Clark’s low drive.

Alisha Buckingham got in on the act when her thunderous effort narrowly cleared the crossbar before Bleazard headed inches wide following another probing Barron-Clark free-kick.

Jenman atoned for her earlier error when she made a stunning save to keep out Hillier’s fierce drive from point-blank range in the 30^th minute.

Further chances fell to Olivia Venditto and Cooper before Jenman pulled off another top-drawer save to parry Barron-Clark’s ripsnorter and then saved Treweek’s volley.

But there was no reprieve for the visitors when Hillier emphatically drilled home the Cherries’ second on the stroke of half-time after James’s ball into the box had been laid off by Barron-Clark.

The second half was a similar story, Jenman again denying Cooper after McGuinness had loaded the gun just four minutes in.

Cooper then turned provider, her cushioned header from Barron-Clark’s precision centre falling at the feet of Treweek who swivelled and finish with aplomb to make it 3-0.

Jenman was not finished, the goalkeeper clawing an angled drive from McGuinness away from the top corner before James’s venomous shot came crashing back off the crossbar.

A superb run from the eye-catching McGuinness paved the way for the Cherries’ fourth goal, Cooper’s accurate shot from just inside the box finding the bottom corner in the 63^rd minute after she had traded passes with James.

After Barron-Clark had twice been denied a goal her sterling efforts had deserved, Jenman saved acrobatically to prevent Hillier making it five.

Her save to keep out Shannon Albuery’s header six minutes from time evoked memories of Gordon Banks’s legendary stop from Pele in the 1970 World Cup finals, Jenman somehow clawing the substitute’s effort over the crossbar.

AFC Bournemouth: Kosinska, Jones, Bleazard (Smith, 70), Venditto (Elkins, 72), Cooper (Gladwell, 72), Barron-Clark, McGuinness, James (Gilroy, 72), Hillier, Buckingham (Albuery, 72), A Treweek.

Southampton Women: Jenman, Vokes (Wood, 50), Whitlock (Darnton, 71), Tucker, Whitton (Kaur, 16), Chaffe, Wellesley-Davies, Bloomfield, Coalter (Ball, 60), Cleeve, Knight. Unused sub: Luce (g/k).