Sakho hands Bournemouth last-gasp victory
Just as it appeared Bournemouth would be raging at the lack of the video assistant referee in the Premier League, they had cause to give thanks to the official out in the middle as Mike Dean rightly awarded them a late penalty for a mindless elbow by Mamadou Sakho. It was enough to win this ferociously competitive clash with Crystal Palace.
“Justice,” said manager Eddie Howe, but that was in reference to the overall performance rather than the penalty incident, with this result lifting an impressively resilient Bournemouth to seventh place.
“I’ve been told their goal is offside,” Howe added. “I haven’t seen it, or the penalty. It’s justice in respect of our first half and end to the game being really good. We shaded it and deserved to win.” They probably did as they book-ended this display with a strong start and an even stronger ending, which has become a theme for them this season. The penalty struck by substitute Junior Stanislas – with what was his first touch – was the fifth goal Bournemouth have scored past the 80th minute in all competitions.
“It is a massive part of our armoury,” Howe said. “The fitness levels are second to none. The spirit and togetherness is always there. It enables us to stay in games.”
There were two big moments of controversy. The first came with Palace’s goal, struck by Patrick van Aanholt. It was a brilliant finish but the left-back was clearly offside as he ran on to Wilfried Zaha’s through ball down the left. Van Aanholt fired in a powerful right-footed shot that caught out goalkeeper Asmir Begovic high at his near post.
The Premier League is continuing to trial VAR and, although it has its problems, the difficulty for them is when a game like this is shown live, the viewing audience knows within seconds that the goal should not have stood.
Then, in the 87th minute, came the penalty. Palace needlessly gave away a free-kick which Ryan Fraser swung in. Sakho had a look at Jefferson Lerma and clearly stuck out an elbow, catching the midfielder on the chin. Dean had no hesitation, booking Sakho before Stanislas picked up the ball and coolly chipped his penalty down the centre of the goal as goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey dived to his left.
“Before the penalty there was some pushing, the referee said ‘no more’. I didn’t see if there was contact or not,” said Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake. The reaction of Palace manager Roy Hodgson, however, said it all. “We paid a high price for the mistakes we made,” he said, clearly frustrated.
“The ball is hit into a crowded area and the referee blew his whistle… we didn’t have a clue what had happened. Mamadou Sakho has no intention to elbow the player to stop him getting to the ball. I can’t deny that he does catch the player and, as a result, the referee is within his rights to give the penalty.”
Before all of that it had appeared that an accomplished strike by David Brooks, his first Bournemouth goal, would be the difference. His first-time shot, with Palace napping, from Callum Wilson’s pass kissed the crossbar on its way past Hennessey. “A wonder goal,” Hodgson said, with Brooks becoming Bournemouth’s youngest Premier League scorer at 21 years and 84 days.
Palace struggled with Zaha starved of possession and there was little goal threat without him involved, although they significantly improved in the second half when he did get on the ball more.
Credit Howe, though. After the equalising goal, he changed Bournemouth’s system and they again dominated. Hennessey did well to block Wilson’s shot with an outstretched boot as he was clear on goal and turned away substitute Dan Gosling’s header.
Then came the penalty and tempers boiled over – Lerma, Fraser, Cheikhou Kouyate and James Tomkins all booked – as Bournemouth fought to the end, even if it was Palace who delivered the crucial blow.
Bournemouth Crystal Palace Referee