Bournemouth was unable to significantly reduce the gap with fourth-placed Arsenal, as they drew 0-0 at home against Crystal Palace.
Andoni Iraola’s side are now unbeaten in their last six Premier League matches despite falling to sixth with Newcastle moving above them after failing to convert their chances.
Bournemouth took 18 shots compared to 10 for Palace, but both teams only managed four shots each, as the visiting team scored during the first half through Ismaila Sarr, who was flagged for offside.
The hosts came close to scoring when Sarr cleared Antoine Simenho’s shot from close range off the goal line in the 23rd minute, before missing several chances in the second half.
Semenyu pulled wide, as did substitutes Evanilsson and Filip Billing. Palace saw Eberechi Eze denied by Kepa Arrizabalaga with Bournemouth advancing at the other end to force goalkeeper Dean Henderson to save Enes Unal’s shot.
Palace held on in the final minutes to take a five-point lead over the bottom three teams when Semenyu’s header missed the target by two inches.
Ilya Zabarny challenges Eberechi Eze
Joey: Not what you want to see on Boxing Day!
Crystal Palace captain Mark Guehi:
“It was a rubbish match. Boring for neutrals. It’s not what you want to see on Boxing Day but we’ll take it.”
Airola: We’ve done half the job
Bournemouth president Andoni Airola He said:
“We have to appreciate the point. We wanted the three-man but we were only half done. We kept a clean sheet and defended well considering the level of their attacking players but we missed something in the final third.
“With five very good defenders, and two holding midfielders, the chances you’re going to get are probably not going to be very clear. But you have to shoot from the edge, head well, play one set. We had those chances but we couldn’t score.” .
“If you look at the stats, we deserved more, but they were a threat too.”
Glassner: Good performance and an important point
Crystal Palace president Oliver Glassner He said:
“The away point is good. They beat Arsenal and Manchester City here and four days ago at Old Trafford.
“They play very direct at the back. They have a lot of pace. That makes them difficult to defend and play against.
“Sometimes we moved the ball too quickly and created situations. It was a good performance and a very important point.”
The story of the match in statistics…
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