Bournemouth 2-2 Stoke City
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Bournemouth and Stoke both secured their Premier League status following a well-fought game at Vitality Stadium.
The draw, coupled with Hull's 2-0 defeat at Sunderland, ensured both sides will remain in the top flight.
Stoke took the lead in the 33rd minute when Lys Mousset inadvertently headed into his own net, before Junior Stanislas equalised when he swept home.
Mame Biram Diouf poked in to make it 2-1 but Ryan Shawcross' own goal from close range earned a precious point for the hosts.
Arter lucky to stay on?
A match that began sluggishly came to life in the second half, with both teams coming away with a deserved point.
However, it could have been a very different outcome for Cherries fans had Harry Arter received a straight red card for a two-footed tackle on Joe Allen in the 27th minute.
The battling midfielder had already picked up 10 yellow cards this season, and collected another for the tackle. But some might question whether referee Paul Tierney was lenient with his punishment.
Stoke manager Mark Hughes said: "A terrible challenge, the lad was out of control."
Six minutes after the incident, Stoke took the lead. French forward Mousset was the unfortunate culprit when he headed past team-mate Artur Boruc from a Potters corner. It was the 21-year-old's first Premier League start.
Birthday boy Smith integral for Cherries
The Cherries responded well after the break when the move of the match resulted in the equaliser. The exceptional Adam Smith - on his 26th birthday - delivered a low square ball which Joshua King allowed to go under his legs for Stanislas to fire home.
But back came Stoke. Diouf, who replaced the ill Saido Berahino in the starting XI, delayed his substitution by converting from five yards from Geoff Cameron's cross.
However, with nine minutes of the 90 remaining, the Cherries equalised for a second time.
Right-back Smith, signed from Tottenham in 2014, again delivered a great ball into the area which substitute Max Gradel nodded towards goal. His effort came off the boot of King, and then the unfortunate Shawcross, past Jack Butland in goal.
Man of the match - Adam Smith (Bournemouth)
'We are looking to beat last season's points total'
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe: "It means everything to the club to establish ourselves in the Premier League. It is an incredibly tough league as we found this year.
"It was a real challenge to break down Stoke but we made it harder for ourselves by twice having to come from behind.
"We have the same points total as last year so now we are looking to beat that and try and finish in the top 10."
Stoke boss Mark Hughes: "Disappointed not to win but I thought it was a good performance. We had a game plan to frustrate them and it worked. I think their first goal was offside, and we are disappointed the referee did not see fit to send one of their players early off in the game.
"You saw the result for West Ham last night. By getting the three points they went up six places, it shows how close the middle group is. I felt we were the better side today."
Shawcross catching Dunne - the stats
Both sides have scored an own goal in a Premier League game for the first time since QPR v Liverpool in October 2014.
Stoke scored their first goal away from home in the Premier League in 629 minutes of action.
Bournemouth scored their fifth own goal of the season in the top flight (a joint-high along with Hull and Swansea) after scoring none last season.
The Cherries have scored four Premier League own goals in 2017 after only one in their previous 57 games in the competition.
No defender has registered more Premier League assists this season than Adam Smith (five, level with Kyle Walker).
Since his Premier League debut in August 2008, Ryan Shawcross has scored five own goals. Only Martin Skrtel (seven) and Richard Dunne (six) have scored more in that time.
What's next?
The Cherries face Burnley at home next Saturday (15:00 BST), while Stoke host Arsenal on the same day (17:30 BST).
- Published2 May 2017
- Published6 May 2017