AFC Bournemouth 1 - 3 West HamEnner Valencia strikes twice as West Ham hit back to beat BournemouthHome team scorersHarry Arter 17
Away team scorersDimitri Payet 67
Enner Valencia 74
Enner Valencia 84
Enner Valencia, who scored two goals for West Ham, is pursued by Bournemouth’s Steve Cook.
As the teams ran out on to the field to the soundtrack of Kanye West’s Power the scene felt more akin to a Bournemouth nightclub but in the end there was no cause for celebration. Eddie Howe’s squad was boosted by three new arrivals signed for almost £20m – Benik Afobe, Juan Iturbe and the returning Lewis Grabban. Only four years ago, Bournemouth shattered their transfer record on the now Portsmouth striker Matt Tubbs for £800,000. It felt like the start of a new era but instead West Ham continued their surge towards the European places.
Afobe was so keen to the hit the ground running that he ran into the opposition half before the referee Martin Atkinson had even blown his whistle. West Ham had ideas of a fast start too. Inside the first minute, Bournemouth’s captain Simon Francis failed to clear the West Ham captain Mark Noble’s searching high ball and his header landed at the feet of Michael Antonio, whose effort was kicked away by Artur Boruc before Noble fired the rebound over.
It was clear Slaven Bilic’s side, who arrived on the south coast unbeaten in seven matches, were going to play Bournemouth at their own game. The visitors were quick to press, sweep up danger and then attack.
After 12 minutes Andy Carroll, in search of his third goal in as many league matches, chested the ball away from Steve Cook before brushing off the left-back Charlie Daniels, too, and crossed for Enner Valencia. But the exertions of Carroll, who was troubled with a groin injury before Christmas, took their toll and his game was over prematurely – the former England striker shaking his head at Bilic, before heading straight down the tunnel while Nikica Jelavic came on to replace him.
Carroll’s early exit seemed to give Bournemouth impetus. Andrew Surman passed the ball inside to Harry Arter, who veered away from Pedro Obiang before hitting a low drive, which was too powerful for the palms of the West Ham goalkeeper Adrián, into the bottom corner. Bournemouth were now in the groove. Matt Ritchie played a short corner with Adam Smith, the full-back crossing for Afobe, who nodded a header just over. The goalscorer, Arter, then dummied for Daniels, whose thumping left-foot shot forced a smart stop from Adrián
Later, Afobe, the only new Bournemouth signing to start at the Vitality Stadium, wasted a gilt-edged chance to open his Cherries account. The former Wolves striker was picked out by the ex-West Ham winger Junior Stanislas, but as the new £9m record signing attempted to round Adrián, he forgot to take the ball with him, allowing the goalkeeper to scoop up.
For Bournemouth Boruc, a free transfer in the summer, produced another fine save. The West Ham midfielder Dimitri Payet slid through Jelavic, whose shot from a tight angle deflected off the defender Steve Cook and goalwards only for Poland goalkeeper’s strong left hand to intervene. From the resulting corner, James Tomkins hooked his effort on to the top of net. Payet then had a shot tipped over by Boruc.
West Ham started the second half as they had the first – ferociously – with Michail Antonio bamboozling his way past five Bournemouth players before unleashing a low strike just past the post. So much of West Ham’s success this season has been due to Payet, the Frenchman signed from Marseille in the summer. Bournemouth hope they have found their own magician in the on-loan Roma forward Juan Iturbe, a second-half substitute for Ritchie.
Iturbe, who received instructions from a translator pitchside during the game, seemed a little bewildered. There is no doubt the Argentina international, who was wearing gloves and a long-sleeved shirt, is still getting used to his surroundings in Dorset. He spent the first half of this season playing in front of more than 70,000 fans at the Stadio Olimpico alongside Francesco Totti and Edin Dzeko. “Today start a new adventure” he tweeted pre-match.
But while Bournemouth wait for their new signings to bed in, the Hammers are already reaping the rewards of their new hero, Payet, and when Smith fouled Antonio, the scene was set for the winger to fire home his sixth goal of the season, his sweeping right-foot free-kick finding the top corner of Boruc’s goal. Eight minutes later Payet turned provider for Valencia, crossing for the Ecuadorian to lash home from inside the box.
After 85 minutes Valencia sealed West Ham’s fourth straight victory, sending his set piece, from an area not dissimilar to where Payet had previously prevailed, past a hapless Boruc. Before the Hammers’ third, Payet was substituted to rapturous applause from the away support, something Bournemouth’s trio of new signings can only dream of for now.
Guardian