HOWE MAD WAS THAT?
Cherries do it ugly to grab late point
BRIGHTON 2 BOURNEMOUTH 2 EDDIE HOWE served up an early contender for understatement of the year when he admitted Bournemouth’s late equaliser “wasn’t one for the purists”.
There won’t be many crazier scrambles in the top flight this season after the pinball exchange that led to Callum Wilson’s 79th-minute strike.
And Brighton had only themselves to blame for letting two points slip after a game that produced 42 efforts on target – more than any other Premier League game this season.
Chris Hughton’s side led twice – first through Anthony Knockaert’s fifth-minute effort, and again when Glenn Murray struck early in the second half after Steve Cook had equalised in the 33rd minute.
But the Seagulls undid their good work when they made four awful attempts to clear a corner before Shane Duffy blasted the ball against the Cherries’ Adam Smith and Wilson stuck out a leg to turn it in.
Gutted
Howe said: “It wasn’t one for the purists, was it? But we’ll take that.
“It was a mass of bodies and hacked clearances and Callum claiming the goal. As all great strikers do, he was in the right place at the right time.”
Hughton was gutted his side let their lead slip for a second time – although he was more concerned with the way Cook was allowed to head home from a first-half corner.
He said: “The second one can happen. You can’t apportion any blame.
“The timing wasn’t the best but I would have been more disappointed with the first goal rather than the second.
“It’s an area we have tried to work on and we’ve conceded too many goals from corners.”
Knockaert gave the home side the perfect start when he turned home Jose Izquierdo’s cross.
But Bournemouth worked their way back into the game when Cook rose to head the leveller.
Izquierdo should have restored Brighton’s lead just before the break. But he again turned provider when he set up Murray for the second.
The Colombian then wasted a chance to put the Seagulls in real control midway through the second half when he ran from his own box, only to shoot too close to keeper Asmir Begovic.
And that paved the way for the visitors to get back into the game through Wilson late on.
BRIGHTON (4-4-2): Ryan; Schelotto (Saltor 77), Duffy, Dunk, Suttner; Knockaert, Stephens, Propper, Izquierdo; Gross (Brown 88), Murray. Subs: Krul, Kayal, Hemed, Goldson, March.
BOURNEMOUTH (4-4-2): Begovic; A Smith, Francis, S Cook, Daniels; Ibe, Arter (Gosling 71), L Cook, Pugh (Ake 60); Afobe (Mousset 66), Wilson 7. Subs: Boruc, Surman, Butcher, Simpson.
Referee: Michael Oliver.