English Premier League

Bournemouth 2 – 2 West Ham

Left-back Aaron Cresswell fired in a late equaliser at the Vitality Stadium as West Ham stretched their unbeaten Premier League run to six matches.

The two sides came into the game in the top six and produced a pulsating match, with Andriy Yarmolenko opening the scoring with his third goal in six Premier League games this season.

But the lead lasted just seven minutes as Joshua King struck from close range. Although the goal was initially flagged offside, the video assistant referee awarded the goal after a lengthy stoppage.

West Ham then kicked off the second half yet fell behind just 27 seconds later as Callum Wilson swept in his fifth goal of the season.

But the England striker spurned a great chance to make it 3-1 and within 90 seconds Cresswell volleyed home to deny Bournemouth a third straight Premier League win.

Having failed to score at all in the 2018-19 season, the former England defender, 29, has scored twice in a week after sealing last Sunday’s 2-0 win against Manchester United.

The Hammers were then humbled 4-0 by Oxford in the Carabao Cup in midweek, while Bournemouth was also knocked out by League One opposition, the two sides have made a combined 19 changes.

It would have been harsh for either to lose, having produced much-improved performances after reverting to the same starting line-ups they had for their last Premier League game. Bournemouth claimed their first-ever win at Southampton last Friday to go third in the table – if only temporarily – and despite falling behind to Yarmolenko’s well-taken opener, they continued to impress.

A short corner resulted in Diego Rico delivering an outswinging cross which deflected off Nathan Ake’s thigh into the path of King. The Norwegian forward swept the ball in and his initial disappointment at seeing the offside flag turned to delight as the decision was overturned.

Dominic Solanke headed over from a corner and the Cherries were handed a boost when West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski injured his thigh taking the goal-kick.

He had to be replaced by Roberto Jimenez on 34 minutes, the summer signing coming on for his Premier League debut, and although the hosts failed to test the Spanish veteran before the break, that changed immediately after the restart.

The Hammers swiftly lost possession and Solanke cut in from the left before finding King. He poked the ball to Wilson, who gave Roberto no chance by firing into the bottom corner from just inside the box.

It was the first time Wilson, who was named in Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad, has scored in four straight Premier League games – and his seventh in seven Premier League games against West Ham.

But it could have been even better for the 27-year-old as, after Ake rightly had a goal disallowed for offside against Solanke, he was denied by Roberto after being played in by Harry Wilson.

Wilson may have had the opportunity to make amends from the penalty sport as Cresswell appeared to pull King’s shirt late on but the referee turned down the Cherries’ appeals – and the VAR agreed.

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Source – BBC