AFC Bournemouth missed the opportunity to stay in touch with the Premier League’s top four after they were held to a goalless draw by Crystal Palace.
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The points were shared at Vitality Stadium following a game of few clear opportunities.
Bournemouth were seeking a fifth win in six games, and carried the greater threat for large periods of the contest.
However, Andoni Iraola’s side were forced to settle for a point, with Palace extending their unbeaten away streak to five league games.
Bournemouth are sixth, four points behind fourth place. Oliver Glasner’s Palace sit 16th and move five points clear of the relegation zone.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
17 | +23 | 42 |
| 2 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
18 | +17 | 35 |
| 3 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
18 | +5 | 34 |
| 4 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
17 | +18 | 33 |
| 5 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
18 | +9 | 29 |
| 6 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
18 | +6 | 29 |
How the match unfolded
Jean-Philippe Mateta and Dango Ouattara both shot narrowly wide in the opening 20 minutes, while Ismaila Sarr made an important clearance from Antoine Semenyo inside the six-yard box.
Sarr thought he had put Palace ahead at the other end when he calmly raced away from the defence and tucked home, only to be denied by the offside flag.
Both sides went close early in the second half. Eberechi Eze tested Kepa Arrizabalaga from distance and, moments later, Enes Unal could not quite divert Justin Kluivert’s shot beyond Dean Henderson.
Clear chances did not fall too freely in the second half, though Bournemouth looked the more likely to snatch all three points.
Substitutes Evanilson and Philip Billing dragged shots agonisingly wide, while Semenyo’s header also flashed the wrong side of a post as the two teams settled for a point apiece.
Bournemouth lacking Boxing Day punch
Fresh from a second 3-0 victory at Old Trafford in as many seasons, in-form Bournemouth entered this game with the chance to potentially move into the top four, should Nottingham Forest have lost to Tottenham Hotspur at the City Ground.
The Cherries had not lost a home match on Boxing Day since 2003, though they were not quite packing the necessary punch this time around.
This was epitomised during the first half when Ouattara fed Semenyo inside the penalty area, though the latter ultimately had too much time and a loose first touch saw the chance go begging.
Nevertheless, Iraola’s side looked the more likely of the two teams to score. They were denied by fine margins, with efforts from Evanilson, Billing and Semenyo all going fractionally wide.
Ultimately, it proved a frustrating day for the hosts, and they will travel to Fulham on 29 December without Kluivert, who is suspended following his early yellow card for kicking the ball away - his fifth of the campaign.
Palace extend unbeaten away streak
Palace have not enjoyed much festive cheer recently – each of their last three Boxing Day matches had ended in 3-0 defeats.
The Eagles conceded five goals against Arsenal last Saturday, but had momentum on the road to build on. They sought a third straight away league win for the first time in over five-and-a-half years.
While Bournemouth looked the more threatening of the two sides, Palace did have the ball in the net at the Vitality Stadium, albeit after Sarr had strayed offside.
Glasner’s side also remained firm at the other end of the field, securing only a second clean sheet in 10 matches across all competitions.
However, Marc Guehi will be missing from their defence for Sunday’s visit of bottom side Southampton after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season. That is one of three successive home games to come for Palace, who now turn their attention towards ending a run of four matches without victory at Selhurst Park.
Club reports
Bournemouth report | Palace report
What the managers said:
Andoni Iraola: "We have to value a point but it's true that we wanted more. We knew the game was going to be quite level but it's a team that's very good in possession, they keep you at a low pace because it's difficult to press them because they are very good technically on the ball. We couldn't make the difference in the last third."
Oliver Glasner: "It's okay it is a point. I think the game was like we expected, a lot of duels and very intense. They are doing well and on a run so it is fine. We had three or four opportunities to score, overall I think it's okay."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Bournemouth’s tally of 29 points after 18 games is their best-ever top-flight return at this stage of a campaign, while their 27 goals is a joint-high and their 21 goals conceded an outright top-flight best for the Cherries at this point in a season.
Crystal Palace have been involved in 36 goalless draws in the Premier League since returning to the top flight in 2013/14, the joint-most of any side in that time (Everton also on 36).
Tyrick Mitchell became the 11th player to make 150 Premier League appearances for Crystal Palace, while at 25 years and 116 days old, he is the youngest to do so.
Bournemouth are unbeaten in six Premier League games (W4 D2), their longest run without defeat since a run of seven, with the last game in that streak coming on Boxing Day last year (W6 D1).
