Bournemouth extend unbeaten run to six matches but settle for draw against Crystal Palace

Bournemouth extended their unbeaten Premier League run to six matches but had to settle for a draw at home against Crystal Palace.  

The Cherries, buoyed by a 3-0 win at Manchester United in their previous match, created the majority of the promising chances but struggled with their finishing.

Andoni Iraola’s side nearly took the lead in the first half when Antoine Semenyo’s shot from a corner was cleared off the line by Ismaila Sarr.

Palace thought they had capitalized on Bournemouth’s missed opportunity when Sarr raced through the defense and put the ball past Kepa Arrizabalaga, but the Senegalese forward was offside.

Both teams struggled to maintain possession, but the open midfield play led to an exciting contest with both sides attacking and pressing hard in defense.

The match remained end-to-end as Bournemouth appeared more likely to break the deadlock, but despite their best efforts, the game ended in a Boxing Day stalemate.

Frustrating Day for Bournemouth

It was a challenging afternoon for Bournemouth, who registered 18 goal attempts but only managed to hit the target with four.

Iraola’s team was relentless, increasing the pressure as the game went on, pushing forward in numbers to overwhelm Palace. Despite registering 1.19 expected goals, they couldn’t find the net.

Full-back Milos Kerkez played a key role in their attacking play, frequently charging up the left flank and initiating dangerous counterattacks.

The Cherries were far from one-dimensional, with Justin Kluivert linking play, Dango Ouattara causing problems with his dribbling, and Semenyo consistently testing Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

Semenyo had a frustrating time in the final third, missing two excellent late chances, including a powerful header that went wide and a shot from the edge of the box that sailed off target.

The introduction of Evanilson and Tyler Adams in the second half swung the momentum in Bournemouth’s favor.

Brazilian forward Evanilson proved more difficult for the Palace defense to deal with than his predecessor, Enes Unal, but despite controlling the final stages, Bournemouth couldn’t convert their dominance into a goal.

More to follow.