THE evolution of this Cherries team is a sight to behold.

Despite strong-yet-considered investment in the squad and an overhaul of the club’s facilities, it is the old guard who continue to push the boundaries.

Usually, such an upward trajectory is coupled with something of a revolution.

Players come and go. Those who get you out of one league get discarded in favour of dream-chasing in the next.

Cherries may have been boosted by proven arrivals such as Andrew Surman, Ian Harte and Elliott Ward but the core has kept producing the goods.

Cast your eye over the players who have established themselves in the starting XI as Cherries’ Championship juggernaut gathers pace.

Francis, Cook, Elphick, Daniels, Pugh, Arter and Pitman. All feature prominently in what many consider one of the finest attacking units outside the Premier League.

Just when you think you have seen it all, more magic unfolds to boggle the mind and bamboozle opponents in equal measure.

But if this talented crop is to reach English football’s ultimate stage, they surely need to negotiate one last hurdle.

Despite boasting a whopping 64 per cent possession in a rip-roaring contest which saw Cherries extend to 11 matches their unbeaten league run, the Championship’s new leaders somehow managed to ship three goals on home soil.

Unbelievably, Cherries have conceded three more goals at home than rock-bottom Blackpool after a bountiful supply of breathtaking moments at both ends against Cardiff.

It took just 39 seconds for Cherries to take the lead.

Charlie Daniels and Marc Pugh combined to play Callum Wilson down the left and Matt Ritchie was on hand to confidently stroke home the opener with aplomb.

Clear chances were at a premium but Cherries dominated the ball and with a sense that something was likely to happen, before pandemonium ensued in the lead-up to the interval.

Surman, who produced a wide range of incisive passes throughout the afternoon, made Cherries’ second goal with a perfectly-weighted ball into the left channel from just outside his own penalty area.

Daniels bombed on and combined with Pitman and Pugh.

It looked like the moment had passed but Daniels retrieved possession and found the onrushing Arter who stepped inside and smashed a low effort to City keeper David Marshall’s left.

Two up and cruising? If only it were that simple.

Moments later, Steve Cook slipped in possession on the halfway line and Adam Le Fondre scampered away to tee up Kenwyne Jones’s strike.

That might have been the cue for Cherries supporters to make off for their half-time Bovril but those that did missed a treat as Ritchie rolled back to Pugh, who fired a deflected, looping effort over Marshall from 20 yards.

Cardiff made a change at the break and lively debutant Kadeem Harris clearly relished the task, dispossessing Arter to set up Craig Noone’s hanging cross for Jones who overpowered Boruc in the air.

Daniels saved the day with a goal-line clearance but the reprieve was short-lived as Peter Whittingham was afforded too much space to play in a half- cleared corner which Sean Morrison thumped home at the far post.

Nerves began to jangle in the stands but Cherries continued their unrelenting push and the first of the game’s big talking points arrived within five minutes.

Marshall charged off his line to beat Wilson to a through ball and appeared to handle outside the penalty area in his desperation to clear. Despite lengthy consultation between the match officials, Marshall got out of jail.

Once play had eventually resumed, Cherries continued to mesmerise their visitors.

After Pugh, Daniels and Arter had combined, Pitman’s back-heel drifted away from Wilson but Ritchie hit a first-time drive that fizzed narrowly wide.

At the other end, Cardiff sought to exploit Cherries with an aerial bombardment which forced Ritchie, Daniels and Cook to muster last-ditch blocks.

But Wilson kept chipping away and gave Cardiff plenty to think about, even if he received no help from Adcock and co.

Having peeled into the left channel, he tried bustling his way through Matt Connolly and Morrison only to be shepherded to the ground in front of his own supporters.

Unmoved, Adcock again waved play on and Wilson looked to the sky in disbelief.

But Adcock had no choice but to blow his whistle when Ritchie was upended by Connolly and substitute Yann Kermorgant combined power with precision to net an unstoppable 20-plus yard free-kick.

However, Whittingham’s deflected effort gave City another corner from which Morrison crashed in his second with 12 minutes to go and City’s assault resumed.

Boruc had to race off his line feet-first to balloon to safety Noone’s centre, while hesitant defending from another corner allowed Tom Adeyemi an overhead kick from close quarters.

But as time ticked away, City’s tendency to launch forward became increasingly desperate, which led to Cherries’ all-important fifth.

With a minute to play, Cook nodded into the path of Ritchie whose deft threaded pass set Wilson free to race away from Morrison, round Marshall and net. Relief and retribution in one sweeping move.

Pugh might have added a sixth from Kermorgant’s selfless pass late on but it mattered not.

Cherries were, eventually, worthy winners.

It was, without question, a marvellous spectacle which left many scratching their heads as to just how Cherries can produce such wonderfully-crafted goals yet give away untidy ones.

Can Cherries eradicate their defensive lapses? Are they so good that they can afford not to?

Definitive answers may be a long way off but one thing is for certain – it will be fun finding out.

MATCH FACTS AND STATS

Cherries: Boruc 5.5, Francis 6.5, Cook 7, Elphick 6.5, Daniels 7, Ritchie 8 (Smith, 90), Arter 8, Surman 8.5, Pugh 8, Pitman 7.5 (Kermorgant, 59), Wilson 8.5 (Gosling, 90). Unused subs: Fraser, O’Kane, Stanislas, Camp (g/k).

Bluebirds: Marshall, Connolly, Morrison, Turner, Brayford, Kim Bo-Kyung (Harris, h-t), Gunnarsson (Adeyemi, 84), Whittingham, Noone, Jones (Macheda, 71), Le Fondre. Unused subs: Da Silva, Ralls, Manga, Moore (g/k).

Referee: James Adcock (Nottinghamshire).

Attendance: 10,440 (including 1,357 away supporters).

STAR MAN - ANDREW SURMAN

THE fact that his three midfield colleagues all got on the scoresheet spoke volumes for Andrew Surman’s contribution.

His work from deep-lying positions provided the platform for Cherries to tear apart their expensively-assembled visitors with a range of raking passes.

The pick of his fine work was the beautiful ball which carved open Cardiff for the second goal.

With the exception of fearless frontrunner Callum Wilson, every Cherries player may reflect on what they might have done better defensively.

But in what became a mission in outscoring the enemy, Surman’s ability to set the wheels in motion was telling.