Bournemouth’s Enes Unal delivered a dramatic equalizer in his team’s 1-1 draw with West Ham on Monday, scoring a superb late free-kick to cancel out Lucas Paqueta’s penalty. Paqueta had looked to secure West Ham’s second consecutive Premier League win when he converted from the spot with just three minutes left at the Vitality Stadium. However, Unal came to Bournemouth’s rescue, netting his second goal of the season just three minutes later.
The Turkish forward’s stunning free-kick extended Bournemouth’s unbeaten run to four matches, lifting them to sixth place in the table. Bournemouth have scored a league-leading 10 goals in the final 15 minutes of matches this season, with two of those coming in their remarkable 2-1 win over Ipswich, where Unal also scored the equalizer.
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola praised Unal’s strike, calling it “amazing” but expressed disappointment over the penalty decision that gave West Ham the lead. The penalty was awarded for Tyler Adams’ handball, a decision Iraola criticized, noting that it didn’t affect the direction of the cross. “I’m very disappointed. It has cost us,” he said.
West Ham, meanwhile, avoided defeat in consecutive matches, easing some pressure on manager Julen Lopetegui. They remain in 14th place, seven points clear of the relegation zone. Lopetegui acknowledged Unal’s brilliance but remained optimistic, saying, “There are positives. This is the first step to becoming stronger and a better team.”
Bournemouth started the match strongly, with Antoine Semenyo creating an early threat by winning a header and then striking a low shot that glanced off the far post. West Ham responded through Jarrod Bowen, who nearly scored with a curling effort that hit the crossbar.
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The visitors were dangerous on the counter-attack, with Carlos Soler and Tomas Soucek both coming close to scoring. Bournemouth’s Dango Ouattara had a golden chance to open the scoring but was denied by a superb save from Lukasz Fabianski. After the break, Ouattara and Ryan Christie both tested Fabianski, but the goalkeeper stood firm.
West Ham took the lead in the 87th minute after Adams was penalized for a handball from an Aaron Wan-Bissaka cross. Paqueta calmly converted the resulting penalty with a stutter-step run-up, sending Kepa Arrizabalaga the wrong way.
But Unal had the final word, scoring a brilliant free-kick in the 90th minute. His shot from 25 yards curled into the top corner, leaving Fabianski with no chance and securing a dramatic point for Bournemouth.
