AFC Bournemouth 1-1 West Ham United
Premier League, Vitality Stadium, Monday 16 December 2024, 8pm GMT
Two set-piece goals in the final three minutes saw a lively Premier League fixture between AFC Bournemouth and West Ham United end 1-1 at the Vitality Stadium.
Lucas Paquetá’s 87th-minute penalty - awarded by referee Chris Kavanagh following a pitchside review for handball against Tyler Adams - looked like snatching all three points for Julen Lopetegui’s Hammers, only for substitute Enes Ünal’s dipping 90th-minute free-kick to deny the east Londoners all three points.
Having taken the lead so late, the Irons could be forgiven for being frustrated not to win but, in truth, the Cherries’ own efforts warranted a share of the spoils from a game which produced an incredible 45 goal attempts, including 29 for the home side.
The first half was evenly matched, with both teams hitting the woodwork, both having nine goal attempts and both goalkeepers making important saves to ensure it ended goalless.
It was one of those halves when both head coaches, sets of players and supporters probably felt their team should be in front, such was the number of openings they created.
As it was, neither could take any of those openings.
For West Ham, there was much to admire about their play, particularly down the two flanks and when Carlos Soler and Paquetá combined through the middle.
For Bournemouth, wide attackers Antoine Semenyo and Dango Ouattara carried the greatest threat, and both went within inches of opening the scoring as the two teams traded short periods of dominance.
The game started quickly, with Vladimír Coufal shooting high and wide and Paquetá seeing an effort blocked by Milos Kerkez at one end, while Soler’s slide sent Ryan Christie’s shot spinning wide, before Semenyo, Evanilson and Justin Kluivert combined and the Ghanaian clipped the outside of the far post with a bouncing effort.
After both sets of fans had applauded the absent Michail Antonio, Maximiliian Kilman’s header hit home captain Adam Smith, before Mohammed Kudus’ through ball sent Jarrod Bowen away and the skipper curled against the top of the crossbar from 22 yards.
Bowen went close again minutes later, once more from a Kudus pass, spinning away from Illia Zabarnyi and stinging Kepa’s palms with a rasping effort, before the ever-available Soler exchanged passes with Paquetá and side-footed narrowly wide.
West Ham were edging things and Lopetegui had his head in his hands again on 42 minutes, when Tomáš Souček’s shot was diverted wide by the sliding Ouattara.
And his fellow Basque Andoni Iraola struck a similar pose moments later when Semenyo’s shot deflected into the path of Ouattara, whose shot was kept out by a sprawling Łukasz Fabiański’s outstretched left boot.
The action continued immediately after the break, but initially it was all Bournemouth.
Inside the first ten minutes, Coufal diverted Ouattara’s shot wide, Kluivert and Semenyo curled into Fabiański’s gloves, Christie’s rising effort was pushed over by the West Ham No1, Kilman’s block kept out another Semenyo strike and Zabarnyi headed wide from a corner.
Lopetegui reacted by sending on Niclas Füllkrug, who sent an acrobatic effort bouncing wide on the hour-mark. The German’s introduction changed the pattern of the game for a while, with Edson Álvarez and Dinos Mavropanos both shooting wide before Zabarnyi’s superbly timed challenge thwarted Kudus.
Bournemouth reacted and Fabiański did likewise to tip Evanilson’s header over.
With 15 minutes to play, Lopetegui sent on Ollie Scarles - who turned 19 on 12 December - for his Premier League debut, and Crysencio Summerville, and switched to a 5-4-1 formation.
Bournemouth kept coming, though, and it took a Kilman block and a flying Fabiański save to deny Philip Billing and Christie respectively.
Then, with five minutes to play, Aaron Wan-Bissaka crossed, the ball brushed Adams’ arm and, after Kepa had denied Füllkrug, VAR Michael Salisbury called Kavanagh to the pitchside screen, a penalty was awarded and Paquetá sent the goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot.
Victory was not to be, however, as Mavropanos fouled substitute Ünal and the Türkiye international whipped an unstoppable 25-yard free-kick into the top left-hand corner of Fabiański’s net.
Into eight added minutes and both teams had opportunities to win. First, Coufal’s shot was blocked, then Ouattara tested Fabiański one final time at the near post.
Finally, Kavanagh brought a breathless game to a close and both sets of fans showed their appreciation for their team’s efforts.
AFC Bournemouth: Kepa, Smith © (Adams 68), Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez, Christie, Cook, Ouattara, Kluivert (Billing 81), Semenyo (Brooks 68), Evanilson (Ünal 81)
Subs not used: Travers (GK), Aarons, Hill, Kinsey, Winterburn
Goal: Ünal 90
West Ham United: Fabiański, Coufal, Mavropanos, Kilman, Wan-Bissaka (Casey 90+5), Álvarez (Summerville 75), Souček, Soler (Füllkrug 56), Kudus (Scarles 75), Paquetá, Bowen ©
Subs not used: Areola (GK), Orford, Irving, Luis Guilherme, Ings
Goal: Paquetá 87 (pen)
Booked: Soler, Álvarez, Lopetegui
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
Attendance: 11,204
