Football: Crystal Palace 0 - 0 Bournemouth
Bournemouth were held to a draw by 10-man Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
The home side had to play over half the match with a numerical disadvantage after Chris Richards' dismissal in first-half stoppage time, but Andoni Iraola's side failed to break down their opponents in a second-half low on goalmouth drama.
Author - Ajay
The first 45 minutes had ended in controversy after Palace defender Richards was shown a second yellow card for a tug on Justin Kluivert. Palace fans and players were incensed at the decision, particularly as the referee had opted against dismissing Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott for a second bookable offence following a foul on Ismaila Sarr 10 minutes earlier.
Maybe some controversy would liven things up? Perhaps, the sending off gave Palace the impetus to see the game and pick up a deserved point.
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The visitors dominated possession after half-time but, aside from a tame Evanilson header from Adam Smith's delivery, the Cherries rarely looked like breaching Palace's organised defence.
Crystal Palace have one more game now before that all-important FA Cup semi-final. For the away side, dreams of European qualification are starting to fade away but this has still been a fantastic season for them.
Palace display determination after heavy defeats.
Crystal Palace showed grit and determination to earn a goalless draw at Bournemouth, despite being reduced to ten men early in the second half.
Though they had suffered heavy defeats at Manchester City and Newcastle in recent weeks, only four Premier League teams had collected more points than Palace since 27 October. It’s a reflection of the quietly impressive work Oliver Glasner is doing at Selhurst Park.
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The Eagles failed to muster a shot on target at the Vitality Stadium but showed real resilience after Chris Richards was sent off, holding their shape well to secure a valuable point.
They had started with purpose. Jean-Philippe Mateta came close to connecting with a low ball across the box from Daniel Muñoz, though the striker would likely have been flagged offside.
Palace created a couple of openings after the break too. Maxence Lacroix just missed getting a touch on Will Hughes’ inviting free-kick, while Ilia Zabarnyi came close to an own goal when his misjudged header looped narrowly over his own bar.
As the match wore on, Bournemouth found themselves restricted to shots from distance. Their final chance came in stoppage time, but Antoine Semenyo's ambitious effort flew well over the bar.
Palace now turn their attention to a challenging trip to Arsenal in midweek, before facing Aston Villa in the FA Cup semi-final at the weekend.
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