Foster heroics deny Bournemouth
Bournemouth’s new-year hangover will now extend into March, posing an increasing threat to their top-flight survival, after the latest setback in which West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Ben Foster denied them any reward with two breathtaking injury-time saves.
Foster’s heroics kept Bournemouth on a firmly downward trajectory.
Eddie Howe’s strugglers enjoyed long stretches of possession and battled to the end but rarely showed the cutting edge necessary for the fight to come. Despite the tonic of Joshua King’s early penalty, they were left reeling as Craig Dawson and Gareth McAuley completed a turnaround within 17 minutes.
It was not always pretty from Tony Pulis’s men but, unlike their lowly visitors, Albion have the guile and experience to grind out a result. Pulis, whose side are now unbeaten in their last five starts, was quick to praise Foster. “He’s been absolutely fantastic. His performance levels this season have been fantastic. He’s been top drawer.”
For Bournemouth, it is now eight matches without a win since the turn of the year, with the last four ending in defeats. That new year’s eve victory at Swansea now feels a long time ago.
Howe said: “We need points and we need points quickly. The goals we are giving away at the moment are giving us too much to do to win games.
“But I believe there is a lot of strength in this team characterwise and with the technical things.”
Yet the afternoon had started off so promisingly for Howe’s side, who were given the perfect impetus of a fifthminute penalty. Albion defender Allan Nyom bundled the quick-footed Ryan Fraser off the ball and King sent Foster the wrong way with his spot kick.
They were in front for just five minutes, Dawson driving beyond goalkeeper Artur Boruc from the edge of the penalty area with the help of a deflection off Charlie Daniels.
The Bournemouth goalkeeper could do little about that, but was fully culpable 12 minutes later. He flapped at Chris Brunt’s corner kick and the ball fell obligingly for McAuley to crash in from close range.
There could have been another calamity for Bournemouth four minutes later, when Steve Cook barged aside the goalbound Salomón Rondón. Referee Mark Clattenburg, seeking guidance, looked to his assistant who signalled play on.
Rondón was appealing to officialdom after hitting the deck again in the 35th minute but television replays showed Clattenburg, taking charge for the first time since announcing his move to become referees’ chief in Saudi Arabia, was correct not to have penalised Tyrone Mings’s intervention.
Bournemouth were not without hope, and were unfortunate when Fraser’s cross was inches too high for Marc Pugh as Albion rejigged after the loss of goalscorer Dawson following a clash of heads with Mings. Having had little out of the routine to do during the regulation 90 minutes, Foster was suddenly called upon to safeguard his side’s advantage during five minutes of added time. First he spectacularly pawed away Lys Mousset’s 20-yard screamer, then somehow kept out Mings’s goalbound header.
The Hawthorns roared its relief. For Bournemouth, the wait goes on.