Almirón saves point for Newcastle as Eddie Howe returns to Bournemouth | Premier League

Eddie Howe always knew his return to Bournemouth would hurt his feelings, but his return home was one of disappointment as Newcastle held out another draw, but only after surviving a late scare. Newcastle were fortunate to end up with a point, with Kieran Trippier’s goal arriving seven minutes into the second half, denying Dominic Solanke a late winner. Bournemouth’s players were praying Trippier’s intervention was too late to stop Solanke’s backheel from Hamed Traore’s cross going over the line, but referee Stuart Atwell checked his watch and replays showed the captain of Newcastle did enough.

Bournemouth were reluctant to be too accommodating given their current predicament – they remain the only English top-flight side without a win since the World Cup and had lost seven of their previous eight games – but their fixture list beckoned Haw. club, over a decade in two spells, as the kind of fairytale journey usually only seen in Football Manager. When Howe took over at Bournemouth in 2008, they were close to the Championship, the club’s existence in jeopardy and he resorted to paying for masseurs out of his own pocket.

This was Howe’s first visit back to this stadium since leaving as Bournemouth manager in August 2020 following relegation to the Championship, and he was unsurprisingly given a warm welcome as he stepped off the Newcastle team bus. Howe is the leader of Newcastle, but the Bournemouth links don’t stop there. Matt Ritchie and Ryan Fraser, Bournemouth regulars that season, were among Newcastle’s substitutes, but Callum Wilson was absent with a hamstring problem.

Simon Weatherstone, another player on Howe’s staff, jumped off the bench in the away box as Miguel Almirón equalized late in first-half stoppage time. Allan Saint-Maximin, flattered to deceive, kept the ball in play and found Sean Longstaff who galloped into space centrally. Longstaff forced Neto, Bournemouth’s keeper in charge this week, into a save but the rebound fell for Almiron to tap home. Bournemouth could have doubled their advantage moments earlier after Dango Ouattara cut the ball back for Jordan Zemura, but the left-back refused to shoot.

Ouattara, a 20-year-old winger signed from Lorient last month, was brilliant and his header helped Marcos Senesi deservedly open the scoring after half an hour. Traore, another January arrival, took a corner, Ouattara evaded Newcastle captain Kieran Trippier to glance the ball towards the back post and Senesi poked home.

Gary O’Neil acknowledged in the program notes that Howe’s achievements here need little explanation. But the Newcastle manager has never been one to bask in the limelight and the reality is that Howe would be deeply disappointed with his side’s start. Before Senesi pounced, Howe’s Bournemouth signing Dominic Solanke forced Nick Pope into an awkward header to safety after meeting Jadon Anthony’s deft cross.

The second half started relatively well – all calm fell on the Bournemouth fans making clear their disdain for Fraser refusing to sign a contract to play with the club in the final months of the prolonged lockdown period in his final year here – but both teams arrived close to grabbing the lead through the substitutes. Marcus Tavernier failed to have a shot ruled out after breaking into the box and Anthony Gordon, who replaced the injured Joe Willock during the first half, pushed wide when Neto met a Saint-Maximin shot.

Newcastle fans chanted the name of former winger Christian Atsu, who signed on loan from Bournemouth after being promoted to the Premier League in 2015, throughout the first half. Atsu’s agent said the Hatayspor winger is still missing after the Turkey-Syria earthquake.