A dream point and another to breathe easy. The draw between Bournemouth and West Ham at the Vitality Stadium, an English ‘Guipuzcoan derby’, leaves Andoni Iraola’s team tied on 25 points with Unai Emery’s Aston Villa in sixth place, and Julen Lopetegui’s players with a seven-point cushion over the relegation zone. Although the Cherries and Hammers had enough chances during the first 85 minutes to beat the nearly unbeatable Kepa Arrizabalaga and Lukas Fabianski, all the real drama occurred at the end. In the span of five minutes, the game saw controversy and two goals, one of which is a candidate for the best goal of the season in the Premier League.
Starting with Lucas Paquetá’s penalty, awarded for a nearly imperceptible handball that made it 0-1, we then witnessed a stunning strike from outside the box by Enes Ünal. The former Getafe striker, who has been somewhat sidelined since joining Bournemouth mid-last season, scored a phenomenal free-kick to rescue a point for his team, the same point that places the southern England side just behind Manchester City and three points off the Champions League spots. While it was Julen Lopetegui’s new West Ham who were expected to fight for Europe, it’s Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth that keeps looking upwards.
The Hammers once again suffered from a lack of precision during the opening 45 minutes at the Vitality Stadium. Although it was local player Antoine Semenyo who had the first big chance of the match, Julen Lopetegui’s team came closest to opening the scoring. Two shots from Jarrod Bowen, one of which crashed against the woodwork, another from Spain’s Carlos Soler, who has comfortably secured his place in West Ham’s starting XI, and a final effort from Tomas Soucek nearly brought joy to the Basque coach in the first half. At least the London side did not need to regret a late goal, as Dango Ouattara nearly found the net with a close-range shot but was denied by Lukasz Fabianski’s miraculous foot.
A second half with roles reversed but destined to end like the first entered a nail-biting climax. This time it was Andoni Iraola’s pupils who kept threatening the Polish goalkeeper’s net. Captain Ryan Christie tested Fabianski with several shots from the edge of the box, one of which required a top intervention from the West Ham keeper, and Evanilson also had a chance with a header. The locals had to work hard as well, with promising Illia Zabarnyi blocking a close-range shot from Mohammed Kudus.
Then, VAR, for the second consecutive matchday, once again caused controversy in favor of the Hammers. A play that ended with a stunning save by Kepa Arrizabalaga from Niclas Füllkrug’s header ultimately led to the visitors’ 0-1. With just four minutes left, VAR called referee Chris Kavanagh to review a minimal, almost imperceptible contact in the build-up to the German’s header.
Lucas Paquetá, responsible for converting the penalty, dashed to celebrate the Hammers’ goal with Julen Lopetegui on the touchline—a very significant gesture from the Brazilian. However, there was barely time for controversy at the Vitality Stadium. In the 90th minute, a stunning free-kick by former blue Enes Ünal—a thunderbolt from outside the area that found the top corner—allowed the Cherries to earn a point. This marked the second consecutive match in which the Turkish striker scored and the fourth match without defeat for Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth.
