Arter fluffs penalty chance as Bournemouth miss out on win
OH DEAR, Harry Arter. His shocker of a penalty miss cost Bournemouth what could be a vital extra two points against Southampton should they be drawn back into the relegation struggle.
The match finished goalless and inched both teams a further point away from that prospect — they are seven clear of Hull City in 18th — but an otherwise forgettable occasion will be hard to forget for the Bournemouth midfielder.
In bizarrely similar circumstances to Harry Kane missing a spot kick in the same place when Spurs visited this season, the turf shifted dramatically under Arter’s planted foot just before he struck, causing him to skew the ball miles over the bar.
It would have been a harsh end for Southampton in a match they controlled from the start, having plenty of chances to score before relinquishing their dominance in the final 20 minutes.
They came close to taking the lead shortly before the break when Dusan Tadic controlled a low ball from the right and fired at goal with his left, clipping the outside of the post.
Bournemouth’s only real chance of the first half came in the 33rd minute when Andrew Surman stretched to direct the ball past the advancing goalkeeper Fraser Forster but it bounced feebly towards the line, allowing Steven Davis to clear.
Southampton were utterly in control at the opening of the second half, but mostly just passing the ball around in Bournemouth’s half of the field, and the visitors crept back into the game.
In the 72nd minute, Adam Smith sent a low drive through a packed penalty box but the ball smacked the left post with Forster beaten. Eddie Howe brought on Jack Wilshere after 70 minutes, and it coincided with a strong finish.
The on-loan Arsenal midfielder fed a ball through to Ryan Fraser and Ryan Bertrand tugged him down for a penalty, but Arter’s spot-kick was shocking.