Bournemouth vs Newcastle United. Premier League.
Vitality StadiumAttendance10,625.
Report and highlights as Newcastle move seven clear of the Premier League relegation zone
Saturday 16 March 2019 20:27, UK
Matt Ritchie scored a dramatic late equaliser against his old club as Newcastle drew 2-2 with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday.
Salomon Rondon gave the visitors the lead with a fine free-kick on the stroke of half-time (45+5) on a wet and windy afternoon.
But Josh King looked to have completed a Bournemouth turnaround as he scored from the spot (48) before grabbing his second nine minutes from time. However, Ritchie's stunning volley in injury-time snatched Newcastle an emphatic late point.
The result means Bournemouth move above Everton into 11th. Newcastle remain in 13th, but are seven points clear of the relegation zone.
Both sides found the strong wind a problem in the early stages with neither able to get into a flowing rhythm. But the first chance arrived in the 11th minute when Ryan Fraser's drilled strike beat Martin Dubravka and smashed off the post.
With the blustery conditions resulting in ill-timed challenges, Jefferson Lerma picked up his 11th yellow of the season in the 18th minute - more than any other player in the Premier League - for a heavy sliding challenge on Ayoze Perez.
Callum Wilson, who received an England call-up in midweek, had his first look on goal three minutes before half-time, but he fired his shot from a tricky angle wide of the post. However, Rondon gave the visitors the lead in first-half injury-time with a curled free-kick into the top-left corner which Artur Boruc could not reach.
Bournemouth won a penalty two minutes after the restart when Federico Fernandez was deemed to have pulled down Nathan Ake in the area. King sent Dubravka the wrong way with his casual spot-kick.
Moments later and Ritchie nearly got the final touch to turn in Rondon's deflected shot - 15 minutes before Paul Dummett acrobatically cleared Wilson's dinked header over the bar - but Bournemouth took the lead through King when he skilfully placed his shot into the bottom corner.
With it looking like Bournemouth would secure all three points, Ritchie stole the show with a last-gasp equaliser as he volleyed home DeAndre Yedlin's floated ball to the back post to send the visiting fans home happy.
Rafael Benitez: "The penalty in the second half you put some things there that we have different opinions. We have to analyse things carefully before we make decisions.
Check the video. I think we deserved a point because the way we were playing and working so we have to be happy at the end.
Eddie Howe: "We've still got more work to do. We're still looking above us as well at the same time trying to catch the teams above us.
"It's a good time for us, a two week break to get some bodies back. We need that. We've got some quality players that are not available at the moment and our squad will look a lot stronger when they return."
On a scrappy afternoon, King was still able to score two goals against a well-drilled Newcastle defence.
The Norway international's spot-kick was a confident one, while his classy 81st-minute finish in the swirling wind will unfortunately be overshadowed by Ritchie's sensational equaliser.
Bournemouth travel to Leicester for a 3pm kick-off in the Premier League on March 30. Newcastle, meanwhile take on Arsenal on Monday Night Football on April 1.
