Newcastle's Matt Ritchie denies Bournemouth with a last-gasp equalizer | first division

Tactical anarchy reigned when, deep in injury time, a ghost from Bournemouth's past denied Andoni Iraola's team their first chance. first division 2024 victory.

Matt Ritchie, 34, has played very little lately, but he retains the trust of Eddie Howe and, after coming off the substitute bench in the 91st minute, the winger restored the confidence of the Newcastle coach.

Just when a bafflingly chaotic, yet highly entertaining afternoon seemed to end with Howe suffering an ignominious defeat against the club he once managed with distinction, Ritchie connected with the fallout from Bruno Guimarães' cross that confused the defense and stabbed home from close range. distance after his own header crossed the goal and had been deflected. The only thing missing was for the veteran to celebrate as befits a forward without scoring since 2020.

“We had to dig deep,” Howe said after watching his suddenly porous team concede their 19th and 20th Premier League goals in their last eight games. “Matt hasn't played as much as he would like, but he maintains the standards in training. “That was a great late goal.”

Dominic Solanke's name is high on Howe's summer shopping list but, despite opening the scoring with a classic opportunistic strike, the Bournemouth The center forward might have wished this particular audition had started a little better.

Twice in the course of a hectic, slightly kamikaze first half from start to finish, Solanke really should have scored after receiving a signal from Justin Kluivert. On both occasions Martin Dubravka saved very well, but Solanke will surely feel that he should not have given the home goalkeeper any chance.

In the absence of the injured Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson, Anthony Gordon led the Newcastle forward line and enjoyed using his pace and persistence to give Neto some scares. Gordon initially came close to scoring after closing down the Bournemouth goalkeeper as he lingered on a kick.

During a gap year between leaving Bournemouth and taking charge of Tyneside, Howe had shadowed Iraola at his former club Rayo Vallecano and was hugely impressed with the La Liga side's hard, high-pressing style.

While he soon began implementing a very similar system in Newcastle, Iraola introduced a version of that Spanish model to the south coast. It all resulted in a mutual willingness to take risks that, on more than one occasion, left Howe's left-back Dan Burn scorched by Bournemouth's attacking pace.

Dubravka, however, was to blame for conceding Solanke's first goal. When the Newcastle defense decided to slowly build from the back, the ball was played back to the Slovakian goalkeeper, who, after receiving a touch, slipped and watched in horror as the striker stole to score. Given that Dubravka had previously magnificently saved Marcus Tavernier, it seemed like harsh justice.

Howe is concerned that Dan Ashworth's mooted move from the sporting director's role at St James' Park to the equivalent role at Old Trafford will result in the leak of Newcastle's most intimate secrets. Not that it will be surprising if Ashworth, present in the directors' box here, informs the Manchester United hierarchy that Newcastle cannot defend.

At least they are still an attack threat. Gordon duly emphasized that threat by equalizing from the penalty spot after a lengthy VAR review confirmed that Adam Smith had dragged Fabian Schär back into the area. “A very soft penalty,” lamented Iraola, before claiming that Schär was offside and interfering with play. “I am very, very upset with the refereeing. “I am very happy with the performance, but disappointed with only one point.”

Undeterred, Bournemouth recovered with an excellent block from Marcos Senesi that stood between Guimarães and a goal. When, not for the first time, Antoine Semenyo evaded Burn, the right winger proceeded to beat Dubravka thanks to a fine and beautifully calibrated shot from the edge of the area.

Howe ordered Tino Livramento to prepare for action. The fourth official had not even lifted the electronic board bearing 33, Burn's number, when the left-back approached and said “it's me, isn't it?” and he quickly walked away, muttering to himself.

As Bournemouth manager, Howe often had Ritchie to thank for game-changing goals and when he made his final call to arms, the substitute did not disappoint.