25 December 2024

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola was disappointed that his side could only draw with West Ham despite substitute Enes Unal equalizing with a stunning free-kick in the 90th minute.

Lucas Paqueta gave West Ham the lead with a penalty kick three minutes before the end, but Unal equalized with a wonderful free kick to share the points.

The Cherries had an impressive 29 shots on target – a total they have only surpassed once in the Premier League – but struggled to finish in an open game.

“I don't think it's a good result for us even if we score the goal in the end,” Iraola said.

“We were better in the second half. I didn't like the first half. We were pushing for the win and then the penalty happened and we had to take the point. I don't think it's a good point for us.

“The game was very slow for us in the first half. We were not brave enough to put them under real pressure. We improved in the second half but it was not enough to win.”

West Ham United coach Julen Lopetegui praised his team's resilience.

Spaniard Lopetegui was under pressure after West Ham's indifferent start to the season, but he will be happy with the attitude of his players in a match in which they finished second for large parts.

“I think it was unfortunate. We were thinking we would win in a difficult stadium,” Lopetegui told Sky Sports.

“It was very close. In the first half we were better, in the second half they were a step ahead. We struggled a bit but we overcame that to score.

“It was a great goal from Unal. After they scored, they put a lot of pressure on. We showed good behavior in the last moments. We competed really well.

“The most important thing was the behavior shown by the players. It was very good,” he added.

With this draw, West Ham moves seven points away from the relegation zone. Sixth-placed Bournemouth has no such concerns, having collected more points (25) at this stage of the season than any other season in the English Premier League.

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