Bournemouth 1 West Ham 1: Solanke salvages draw with late equaliser after Bowen stunner

JARROD BOWEN picked up where he left off in Prague with a classy goal for West Ham.

However, this time frustrated boss David Moyes finished the game rolling his eyes instead of charging down the pitch with arms aloft.

Bowen’s solo run and strike back in June won them the Europa Conference League to spark a four day party in the Czech Republic and back in East London.

But today's trip to the South coast could only muster a drab draw and a feeling that West Ham threw away three points and a chance to claim a statement victory.

They were leading until eight minutes from time when a lapse in concentration allowed Dominic Solanke to equalise and spare new Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraolo the embarrassment of defeat on his debut.

Both managers are under the spotlight. Iraola to see if he can deliver Premier League football on a shoestring budget. Moyes to try to build on last season’s European success story.

He must do it with the added challenge of filling the gap left by the departure of midfield driving force and skipper Declan Rice.

He completed one aspect of it by making centre half Kurt Zouma captain. But wearing an armband alone cannot make up for the loss of such an imposing player in one fell swoop.

Zouma made some timely clearances in the second half as Bournemouth pushed for an equaliser but also came close to scoring an own goal in the first.

The Frenchman was also way too slow out of the blocks when sub Antoine Semenyo played a diagonal ball for Solanke to equalise on 82 minutes.

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Zouma failed to read the play and Solanke was two steps ahead to round Hammers’ keeper Alphones Areola and roll the ball home from five yards.

West Ham must move on quickly from losing Rice and apart from that one big slip it looked like a solid start. 

Pacqueta led by example at the heart of the team with his class on the ball, his surprising ability to ride a tackle and equal deftness at buying cheeky free kicks. He also hit the post as West Ham went for a winner.

The Brazilian’s performance showed why Manchester City are serious about signing him and why West Ham can’t really afford to lose him - even if it does bring in £90 million.

Pacqueta was paired alongside Tomas Soucek in midfield, enabling the return of Pablo Fornals in a more attacking role. 

And on 18 minutes the Czech was unlucky not to put West Ham ahead. 

Nudged through by Said Benrahma into the Bournemouth box, he shot across Neto in goal only for the ball to hit the inside of the opposite post and rebound to safety for the home side.

Ten minutes before half time, Cherries’ reborn midfielder Philip - the Danish star has suddenly ditched his surname - cleared a stab at goal from Michail Antonio away from goal dangerously close to his own line.

Bowen broke the deadlock with a class finish six minutes into the second half. Fornals broke up play on the edge of the Bournemouth box, poked the ball to Soucek who fed Bowen to unload a vicious, curling left foot shot.

New Bournemouth boss Adoni Iraola’s claim that he can only play on the front foot still looks premature despite grabbing a point.

Even though his team was hardly under the cosh from West Ham, the threats on goal were few and far between.

David Brooks brought a cracking save out of Alphonse Areola with a volley on the turn from inside the box. And Joe Rothwell clipped the Hammers bar.

The home side also looked dangerous from set pieces but have a way to go to live up to the ideals of their attack-minded coach.

Bournemouth’s tiny home ground was also moulded as a fortress in years gone by and it is here where they must earn the points to keep them in the division.

The fightback at least shows they will not crumble even when behind but Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal are the next three visitors to the Vitality Stadium when digging in may be the only way to avoid being cast adrift by mid-September.

Here is how the game unfolded