Julen Lopetegui, the manager of West Ham United, commended his team’s tenacity following Monday night’s tense 1-1 draw with Bournemouth. Both teams fought hard but had to settle for a point in a match that witnessed more shots than any other Premier League encounter this season.
Under manager Andoni Iraola, Bournemouth set a club record with 29 efforts on goal, while West Ham only managed 16 shots. Only 12 of the 45 total shots were on target, and both goals came from set pieces.
Both teams fought very hard to win the game but it became what it was, Lopetegui was proud of the outcome however.
Three minutes from the end, Lucas Paqueta calmly converted a penalty kick, giving West Ham the impression that they had won. But in the closing seconds, Enes Unal of Bournemouth answered with a spectacular free kick to give his team a well-earned draw.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Lopetegui expressed mixed emotions:
“I think it was a pity. We were thinking we would win in a difficult stadium. In the first half we were better, in the second half they were one step ahead. We suffered a little bit but overcame this to score.”
In addition, he called Unal’s free kick “incredible” and hailed his team’s last-minute effort despite intense Bournemouth pressure:
“We showed good behaviour in the last moments. We competed really well.”
The game demonstrated their will and aggressive purpose, even though both teams were unhappy not to win all three points. As the season goes on, West Ham and Bournemouth will want to improve on this outcome.