James Ward-Prowse took heart from West Ham United’s resilience in fighting back to claim a point against AFC Bournemouth.
The midfielder scored from the penalty spot for the Hammers on 61 minutes to level Thursday’s Premier League clash with the Cherries, after Dominic Solanke had put the away side ahead early in the first half.
While Ward-Prowse admitted the Irons did not meet their high standards at London Stadium, the No7 was happy to take a share of the spoils and stretch the side’s unbeaten run in the league to six matches.
“It was a hard-earned point,” he said. “Credit to Bournemouth, they’re a good team and they’ve had a fantastic season so far. It was a difficult test and we didn’t give ourselves the greatest platform at the start of the game.
“It’s always difficult when you go a goal down. We’re disappointed not to win the game but it’s a good sign in the sense that we’ve not played our best and we’ve managed to get a point.
“It's not great to gift the opposition goals. We’re a confident team and we’re trying to play football, and it’s just a mistake from us. The important thing though is that our heads didn’t drop and we kept trying to play our football. That’s the reaction we were looking for.”
Ward-Prowse’s finish from the spot was his fifth goal of the season and eleventh Premier League goal involvement in 21 appearances. The midfielder now has 16 goal involvements in all competitions in 31 showings since joining the Hammers.
With 15 penalties also netted in his Premier League career, the 29-year-old relishes the opportunity to step up to the mark.
“I love taking penalties. I love the pressure. I love the reward you get for the practice you do during the week. It’s pleasing to get another goal.”
After a short break without a fixture, the Hammers face a quick turnaround and a trip to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United on Sunday.
Ward-Prowse is already looking forward to the test.
“We need to recover and learn from this game,” he added. “We know we’ve got more in us and we keep a bit of momentum in that we didn’t lose tonight. Ultimately, we wanted to win this game. Sunday against Manchester United is a great challenge for us.”
