HERNANDEZ CAN STILL WIN OVER MOYES
FEWER than 12 seconds of play had passed from Ryan Fraser opening the scoring for Bournemouth before Javier Hernandez hit back for West Ham. A long ball found Marko Arnautovic, whose shot ricocheted off Simon Francis, and Hernandez was on hand to drive the equaliser past Asmir Begovic. Quick-witted, instinctive, a true poacher’s effort and the kind of strike upon which the former Manchester United man built his reputation in this country. Unfortunately for West Ham’s fans, it has been a rarely seen sight, with the £16m striker’s last goal coming way back in October. But given the transformation of Arnautovic, West Ham boss David Moyes believes that with an injury-free run in the side there is no reason the Mexican cannot undergo a renaissance of his own. ‘We’ve got so much powerful threat up front at the moment,’ Moyes said. ‘We’ve arguably got one of the best forwards, I know there are others, but I think Marko’s up there. His form has been so good and it’s meant the more we get it up to him, the better we have been doing. ‘I always say to players, they’ll get their chance and it’s up to them to take it. Chicharito has played some games, he’s come on and made a difference — and he can do that. You can’t question his quality. Will he definitely stay? I’d like to think so, money will always be a talker but as far as I know nobody has made an offer. If we can get him good enough service he can be a penalty-box player.’ If he resists the overtures from elsewhere, Hernandez should have his chance too, with Manuel Lanzini — the man he replaced — expected to have a hamstring injury assessed early this week. Moyes insists he will look to bolster his squad, but only if the right players become available. For Eddie Howe, who completed his 100th Premier League game in charge of Bournemouth, problems at the back remain a concern, with his team now failing to keep a clean sheet since November. Arnautovic and Lanzini were a handful, and it was only Fraser’s one-touch finish, against the run of play, that gave the Cherries some respite. ‘I feel like a veteran,’ Howe quipped of his milestone. ‘To get 100 games is nice, but it means nothing if we don’t achieve what we want to this season. ‘It (defensive frailty) is a slight concern. We’ve worked incredibly hard to improve our goalscoring, but conceding terms maybe of January, at at the the other cost I don’t of end. think In we’ll be looking outside for help.’ WEST HAM UTD (3-5-2): Adrian 6.5; Collins 6.5, Ogbonna 6.5, Cresswell 6.5 (Byram 89min); Zabaleta 7, Kouyate 7 (Rice 89), Obiang 6, Noble 7, Masuaku 7; Lanzini 7 (Hernandez 64, 7),
ARNAUTOVIC 7.5. Subs not used: Hart,
Martinez, Burke, Cullen. Scorer: Hernandez 72. Booked: Collins, Masuaku, Ogbonna. Manager: David Moyes 6.5. AFC BOURNEMOUTH (3-4-3): Begovic 6; Francis 6, S Cook 6.5, Ake 6.5; Smith 6.5, Cook 6.5, Gosling 6.5, Daniels 6; Ibe 6 (Stanislas, 62, 6.5), Wilson 6.5, Fraser 7 (King 84). Subs not used: Boruc, Surman, Mousset, Simpson, Taylor. Scorer: Fraser 71. Booked: Gosling. Manager: Eddie Howe 6.5. Referee: Martin Atkinson 7. Attendance: 56,948.