Quick West Ham equaliser frustrates Eddie Howe in Bournemouth manager's 100th Premier League game
By Michael Hincks
Last Updated: 20/01/18 7:01pm
Eddie Howe was left frustrated by West Ham's quickfire equaliser in what was his 100th Premier League game in charge of Bournemouth.
Ryan Fraser opened the scoring for Bournemouth in the 71st minute, but Javier Hernandez levelled two minutes later as West Ham secured a 1-1 draw at the London Stadium.
The draw extends Bournemouth's unbeaten league run to five games, which started when the Cherries drew a six-goal thriller with West Ham on Boxing Day.
However, Howe could not hide his disappointment after his side conceded straight from kick-off.
"We didn't start the game particularly well, we came under pressure early but did well to defend that and not concede," Howe told Sky Sports.
2:55 "We grew into the game and scored a great goal from our perspective, and looked a real threat on the counter-attack in the second half. The frustrating thing is the timing of their second goal.
"There was no time to enjoy it or build on it, which is frustrating. I don't think the lads switched off or that it was a concentration issue, it was just the fact we didn't win two big headers outside our box.
"It's a frustration because at that stage I thought we were the better team and we were looking to build upon a great goal."
Howe was boosted by the return of both Junior Stanislas and Josh King, who had been out of action during recent weeks due to hamstring problems.
The duo came off the bench in the second half against West Ham, and Stanislas, in particular, had a telling contribution when sliding in Fraser for the opener.
"Junior's pass for our goal was sublime. He's got the quality and makes us play very good football, so we're delighted to have him back," How added.
"Josh has been such a key player for us in recent times, hopefully those guys can give us a real lift."
And having brought up 100 top-flight games as Bournemouth manager, Howe's response was brief when asked to comment on the landmark figure.
"Quite a few highs, quite a few lows," Howe said. "When you come into the Premier League, you never know what to expect. It has been a great experience so far, and hopefully there's more to come."
