The Premier League match on Monday night served high-octane action as Bournemouth and West Ham United delivered an entertaining 1-1 draw. West Ham appeared set to win the three points when Lucas Paquetá scored a late penalty, but Enes Ünal scored a wonderful free-kick that would share the points with West Ham at the Vitality Stadium.
Game Recap: Action-Packed From Start To Finish
The match started at a frantic pace, with both teams creating opportunities in a goalless first half. West Ham came close through Jarrod Bowen, whose curling effort clipped the crossbar. Bournemouth, on the other hand, nearly opened the scoring on the stroke of halftime, but Lukasz Fabiański pulled off a superb point-blank save to deny Dango Ouattara.
2nd Half Of The Game
The second half saw Bournemouth step up the pressure, where Fabiański faced repeated testing, but the breakthrough was made by West Ham. Tyler Adams had handled the ball after a VAR review from an Aaron Wan-Bissaka cross; Paquetá calmly slid the penalty into the corner. But Bournemouth showed no sign of letting in. Enes Ünal stepped forward to curl this magnificent free-kick 25 yards from goal in the top corner, stealing a precious point for his hosts.
What Does 1-1 Draw Mean For Both Teams?
This puts Bournemouth at the top of the Premier League table with sixth, two points clear of Manchester City in fifth, and three points shy of Nottingham Forest in fourth. West Ham stays 14th now, and this time around, it has seven clear points on the relegation zone. Next, Bournemouth meets Manchester United at Old Trafford while West Ham is going to host Brighton.
Bournemouth’s Late Miracle Keeps European Hopes Alive
Bournemouth’s stubbornness has once again caught the eye, as does the quality and fighting ability which characterizes this team. They have climbed to such an impressive sixth position that European hopes are now firmly on the horizon. On day one of the campaign, few would have suggested this was possible, yet the consistency of Andoni Iraola’s squad keeps on surprising.
Man of the Match: Lukasz Fabiański
West Ham’s 39-year-old goalkeeper impressed everyone with a match filled with incredible saves to ensure that Bournemouth didn’t find the net at least once throughout the match. They managed to leave with the valuable point from this fixture despite Ünal’s excellent free-kick which handed them the only goal for the match. With nine saves from 29 attempts, Fabiański proved he is still well-equipped to deliver the very best.
Player Ratings
Bournemouth: Arrizabalaga 5, Smith 6, Zabarnyi 7, Huijsen 6, Kerkez 7, Christie 8, Cook 6, Semenyo 7, Kluivert 7, Ouattara 7, Evanilson 5.
Subs: Adams 5, Brooks 6, Billing 6, Ünal 7.
West Ham: Fabiański 9, Coufal 7, Mavropanos 7, Kilman 7, Wan-Bissaka 8, Alvarez 7, Sou ek 7, Paquetá 6, Soler 5, Kudus 6, Bowen 7.
Subs: Füllkrug 6, Scarles 6, Summerville 5, Casey N/A.
