With an hour on the clock, Everton sat sixth in the table, above city rivals Liverpool and closer to leaders Arsenal than the relegation zone.
They were 30 minutes from hitting the fabled safety zone of 40 points, prompting fans to start dreaming of the jaunts and haunts of European football that could soon await if they continued this form.
But they were soon brought crashing back down to earth as an eight-minute catastrophic spell halted any talk of a continental tour.
Iliman Ndiaye’s first-half penalty was cancelled out by a cheap Rayan header on 61 minutes before fellow winger Amine Aldi put Bournemouth ahead on 64.
Four minutes after that, Everton defender Jake O’Brien was sent off for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity. Three points were in their grasp and then, bang, they were gone.
David Moyes threw his hands in the air in frustration as the experienced boss knew this was a golden chance tossed away, while striker Thierno Barry sat with his head in his hands on the substitutes bench, looking close to tears after missing two gilt-edged chances earlier.
Bournemouth overturned a one-goal deficit in eight minutes to beat Everton on Tuesday
David Moyes despaired as the Toffees spurned a golden chance in their European quest
Six feet or so to their left, Andoni Iraola retained a composed stature but the Basque coach knew this was an eight-minute spell that could define their season.
The 1,000 or so hardy souls who made the long journey in the away end saw that, too. This was an almighty victory for the Cherries, who have fought out of a mid-season slump to now be six unbeaten and back in their own chase for Europe.
After losing the core of their team in the summer and then star player Antoine Semenyo last month, Iraola’s two relatively unknown wingers have stepped up.
Amine Adli scored just once in his first 18 league outings but now has two in his last four, while January buy from Vasco de Gama, Rayan, has two in a week.
The Brazilian’s first was not quite as exquisite as his equaliser against Aston Villa on Saturday but the back-post nod counted all the same, while Adli also scored with his head.
Moroccan winger Adli could have had another if O’Brien had not tugged him down when through on goal in a red-card offence.
Bournemouth were far from their best but took their chances, while Everton did not. The Toffees had led through Ndiaye’s penalty, while Barry fluffed two shots from point-blank range to put this game to bed.
It does not define their European bid but this defeat could be one Moyes comes to regret. For Iraola, it could be the start of another special run.