MATCH FACT
■ Bournemouth have lost seven Premier League games in 2020 – no other side has lost more during this calendar year (level with West Ham). more than they deserved. Roy Hodgson’s boys had all but clinched their survival with a run of three wins on the trot before football stopped.
And they picked up where they had left off in this first half, dominating the home side all over the pitch.
There were tense moments at the start of the second half when Gary Cahill steamed into King and caught him right on the ankle.
Cahill won the ball, but King was unable to continue – and VAR Derek Eaton took a good long look before confirming referee Stuart Attwell’s decision not to show red. Nathan Ake then had his head in his hands after planting a point-blank header from a corner straight into the waiting arms of Vicente Guaita.
Ake needed treatment too after catching Cahill on the back of the head with his follow-through, but was able to continue.
With King off and Brooks forced to follow him after a severe case of cramp, the Cherries, who have been injury-hit all season, couldn’t afford to lose anyone else.
For all the danger they were in, Bournemouth lacked urgency and did not look like mounting a late fightback, with most of their chances coming from set-plays.
Palace were more than comfortable soaking up the pressure and hitting back on the counter, and you could feel the home side’s frustration growing.
And it could have been three if Cahill hadn’t skied a volley on the turn from a dangerous position after Christian Benteke had beaten Ake in the air at a free-kick.