August 12, (THEWILL) – West Ham and Bournemouth played out an entertaining 1-1 draw in their English Premier League opener at the Vitality Stadium.
Jarrod Bowen had given the Hammers a second-half lead with a spectacular curling strike from the edge of the box. But Bournemouth, playing their first game under new manager, Andoni Iraola, equalised through Dominic Solanke’s composed finish eight minutes from time.
Both sides had chances to win it in an end-to-end affair. David Brooks went close for the Cherries in the first half while Michail Antonio saw an effort cleared off the line for West Ham. The second half saw spectacular saves at both ends from Alphonse Areola and Neto before Bowen’s moment of magic for the Hammers’ lead.
But Bournemouth’s new-look side continued to threaten after going behind. Solanke, Rothwell and Semenyo all tested Areola before Solanke finally beat him with a cool one-on-one finish after Semenyo’s shot fell kindly. West Ham will be disappointed not to start with three points. But Bournemouth showed plenty of promise on their return to the top flight under new coach Iraola.
The result leaves both teams on 1 point after the opening weekend. West Ham host Chelsea next Sunday in a tough London derby. Liverpool welcome Bournemouth to Anfield next Saturday after their first home game back in the English Premier League.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
