Millwall's Play-Off hopes took a severe dent as Darren Anderton hit a first-half winner to clinch three points for struggling Bournemouth.
In a disappointing game, The Lions were unable to produce the form that had seen Willie Donachie's men record successive away wins at Yeovil, Oldham and Blackpool.
It was a desperately disappointing afternoon for nearly 2,000 travelling Lions fans who did their best to encourage their team, but to no avail.
Boss Donachie was forced to make a change to the starting line-up with right-back Danny Senda ruled out with a calf injury and Alan Dunne coming in to fill the spot.
The Lions certainly started brightly and produced a couple of sweeping moves upfield that looked promising, but failed to test Neil Moss in the home goal.
However it wasn't long before The Cherries got into their stride, with Lenny Pidgeley twice punching clear from deep Shaun Cooper crosses and then James Hayter's slick shot-on-the-turn flashed a yard wide.
At the other end Tom Brighton sent a rasping left foot effort over the bar after good work by Dave Brammer, only for Hayter to respond again for Bournemouth, this time sending a half-volley agonisingly wide of the mark.
However, there was nothing Pidgeley could do to prevent Bournemouth taking the lead on 19 minutes when the keeper's punched clearance fell to Anderton, who let fly with a stunning first-time effort into the bottom corner.
Dunne made a great block tackle to nick the ball off David McGoldrick's feet as the pacey frontman broke through for Bournemouth a couple of minutes later.
Other than a Dunne effort that flew wide and a couple of Chris Hackett fresh air shots, The Lions failed to impress during the first-half.
The introduction of Poul Hubertz for Tom Brighton at the break added some physical presence to the team, but Donachie's charges failed to test keeper Moss, who had a quiet afternoon in the home goal. So quiet, in fact, he didn't have a single shot to save during the 90 minutes.
Bournemouth, with Anderton dictating play from the middle, looked crisp and controlled when in possession.
Walker, the impressive Hayter and McGoldrick all tested Pidgeley as The Cherries pressed to extend their lead.
Donachie's charges tried to work their way into the game, but the final delivery into the box were either too high, hard or low.
It took a long-range effort from Dunne to spark a bit of urgency into the side on 69 minutes. A couple of minutes later Marvin Elliott's shot took a huge deflection off Darren Byfield, looped up and dropped a matter of inches past the post.
Elliott sent a glancing header wide a couple of minutes later from Hackett's deep delivery, but that was about it attack-wise for The Lions.
Bournemouth could have added a second goal five minutes from time. Dangerman McGoldrick sprinted through the Lions rearguard, but just as he was shaping to shoot, Paul Robinson intervened with a perfectly timed tackle to just get the ball away.
Even the addition of three minutes injury-time could stir a really positive response from Millwall. Bournemouth were quite happy to wind down the clock for three precious points in their bid to avoid relegation - and that's just what they did.

AFC Bournemouth: Moss, Young, Purches, Cooper (Cummings, 78mins), McGoldrick, Fletcher, Hayter, Gowling, Anderton, Wilson, Walker. Subs not used: Stewart, Hollands, Pitman, Vokes.
Scorer: Anderton (22mins)

Millwall: Pidgeley, Dunne, Craig, Elliott, Robinson, Shaw, Brighton (Hubertz, 46mins), Brammer, Harris, Byfield, Hackett. Subs not used: Day, Ardley, Ashton, Zebroski.

Ref: R. Olivier
Att: 7,194