Bournemouth 1-1 Newcastle: Player ratings as spirited Cherries snatch a point
By Tom Gott
Newcastle's defence was breached once again as Bournemouth snatched a 1-1 draw on Saturday evening.
The Cherries took the lead from a corner through Senesi but Almiron tied things up before the break, ensuring the points would end up shared.
It was a really positive start from Bournemouth, who matched the visitors' energy well and caused plenty of problems for the Premier League's fiercest defence. Nick Pope did well to make an awkward save to deny Dominic Solanke's header ten minutes in.
After 20 more minutes of very limited quality, a sensational corner from Hamed Traore found Dango Ouattara, whose flick-on gifted Senesi with a simple tap-in to fire the Cherries into an unlikely lead - the first Premier League game Newcastle have fallen behind in since they last played Bournemouth in September.
The Magpies slowly grew into the game, however, and grabbed an equaliser on the stroke of half-time. Sean Longstaff's strike was palmed away by Neto but the goalkeeper could do nothing about Almiron's composed follow-up.
Newcastle offered a better showing after the break but still found it tough to break Bournemouth down.
Alexander Isak, who struggled to get into the game, lashed an ugly effort high and wide before being called back for offside anyway, which summed up his outing.
Allan Saint-Maximin's low effort led to a bit of penalty-box pinball after a poor save from Neto, but somehow Anthony Gordon's close-range strike went wide of the post.
Both sides continued to push for an opener, with Bournemouth giving as good as they got, and Solanke thought he had tapped home a winner in the dying embers, but a goal-line clearance from Kieran Trippier saved the day.
Bournemouth player ratings (4-4-1-1)
GK: Neto - 6/10 - A smart stop to keep Longstaff out but he was powerless for Almiron's equaliser. A little more uncomfortable after the break.
RB: Adam Smith - 6/10 - Felt like he could have been a weak point on paper but Smith held his own against Newcastle.
CB: Jack Stephens - 7/10 - Enjoyed his battle with Isak and usually came out on top.
CB: Marcos Senesi - 7/10 - Did a great job of neutralising Newcastle's forward line and showed nice movement to tap home the opener. Unfortunate to pick up an injury early in the second half.
LB: Jordan Zemura - 7/10 - Put in a real shift at both ends of the field, causing plenty of problems for Newcastle.
RM: Dango Ouattara - 7/10 - Some great moments with the ball at his feet and did well to get the assist for Bournemouth's opener. Looked a real problem.
CM: Jefferson Lerma - 7/10 - Tough in the tackle and ready to put a shift in. Really limited the space for Newcastle to work in.
CM: Philip Billing - 7/10 - An excellent performance. Recovered possession on a number of occasions with real ease.
LM: Jaidon Anthony - 6/10 - Did his best to inject some much-needed quality into the first half.
AM: Hamed Traore - 6/10 - An excellent corner for the opening goal but his delivery wasn't always so impressive.
ST: Dominic Solanke - 6/10 - Put his body around really well and was never afraid to try and test Pope. A solid evening's work.
Substitutes
Chris Mepham (52' for Senesi) - 5/10 - Bournemouth's defence dropped off after Senesi was injured.
Marcus Tavernier (63' for Anthony) - 6/10 - A few nice moments.
Antoine Semenyo (79' for Ouattara) - N/A
Ryan Fredericks (79' for Smith) - N/A
Manager
Gary O'Neil - 7/10 - Will be absolutely delighted with this showing. Unfortunate to lose Senesi to injury and the enforced change impacted Bournemouth's performance.
Newcastle player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Nick Pope - 6/10 - Was disappointed to concede last time out but this one might hurt a little more.
RB: Kieran Trippier - 5/10 - Got caught out for Bournemouth's opener in what was another underwhelming performance. Saved the day with his late clearance.
CB: Fabian Schar - 7/10 - Had a fun battle with Solanke and usually came out on top. Really poor in attack from corners, however.
CB: Sven Botman - 6/10 - A solid performance from Botman, who was often dragged out of position to try and help other teammates.
LB: Dan Burn - 5/10 - Unsurprisingly torched by Ouattara. Didn't have the legs to keep up with him.
DM: Sean Longstaff - 6/10 - Some great runs to try and drag Newcastle forward but not always the best execution.
CM: Joe Willock - 4/10 - A very slow start to the game and limped off injured before he could sort things out.
CM: Joelinton - 7/10 - Excellent energy in midfield to try and compete with Bournemouth's physical duo.
RW: Miguel Almiron - 7/10 - Not involved a whole lot but a smart finish to tie the game up. Excellent work rate.
ST: Alexander Isak - 4/10 - Offered very little against Bournemouth's back line. Looked scared of the physicality.
LW: Allan Saint-Maximin - 6/10 - Impressed on occasion but couldn't maintain that high level throughout.
Substitutes
Anthony Gordon (36' for Willock) - 7/10 - Made a notable difference with his injection of energy and grit.
Jacob Murphy (81' for Almiron) - N/A
Elliott Anderson (84' for Saint-Maximin) - N/A
Manager
Eddie Howe - 5/10 - Injuries didn't help his squad selection but there's no denying that Newcastle looked a little flat throughout.