Bournemouth 3 West Ham 3: Controversial ending sees hosts steal a point as David Moyes' revival continues

Callum Wilson's late equaliser may have been handball and/or offside but it counted and the Hammers had to settle for a point

Stuart Attwell deals with West Ham protests after the late equaliser (Getty 2017)

An incredible end to a thrilling game saw three goals in the final ten minutes and the points shared on a rain-swept South coast Boxing Day night.

The game ended amid controversy when Callum Wilson had initially been ruled offside as he applied the slightest of touches to Nathan Ake’s header, possibly with his arm, before referee Bobby Madley eventually awarded the goal after a long discussion with the linesman.

David Moyes was furious and confronted the officials at full time but his team would have been incredibly fortuitous to have left The Vitality Stadium with all three points.

James Collins had given David Moyes’ side the lead before Dan Gosling leveled the scores before half-time.

Bournemouth were the better side here for long spells and deservedly went in front when Nathan Ake swept in Lewis Cook’s free kick.

But the previously quiet Marko Arnautovic capitalised on a humiliating slip by Asmir Begovic to equalise before scoring what he assumed to be the winner at the far post after Begovic had saved Javier Hernandez’s initial effort.

But with the game heading into six minutes of additional time, Ake looped his header in to the far corner of the net, via Wilson, to bring the scores level.

‘Being in the bottom three at Christmas’ has long being cited as the harbinger of relegation and here the Cherries had the chance to climb out of it at West Ham’s expense.

Callum Wilson nets the controversial equaliser (Getty 2017)

They had been the better team, creating numerous opportunities to score more than their three goals.

No teams had taken fewer home points than Eddie Howe’s this season, form which has seen them drop to third from bottom but they were a constant threat to the Hammer.

Under David Moyes, the Irons have rediscovered some steel and he will be pleased with their spirit if not their quality.

The Cherries were inches away from going in front after four minutes when Ryan Fraser’s whipped free-kick skimmed off several heads and just wide of the far post.

But via that route, it was the Hammers who forged ahead, with Collins arriving in front of Simon Francis at the near post to head Aaron Cresswell’s corner past Asmir Begovic.

Joshua King ought to have had the home side level nine minutes later when Callum Wilson wriggled free down the right and weighted the perfect pass across the area which King inexplicably skewed wide.

A sodden turf at The Vitality Stadium caused play to be frequently punctuated by errors.

Arthur Masuaku capitalised on one such moment and raced to left byline where he crossed for Andre Ayew who fired narrowly wide.

Marko Arnautovic thought he had scored the winner for West Ham (Getty 2017)

But the most egregious errors were King’s. This time, his supply came from the left side after Fraser had picked him out but again he failed to make a clean contact.

With the game being played at a frenetic pace, Bournemouth again came close to equalising with Adrian clawing out Adam Smith’s 20 yard shot from under his crossbar.

Howe’s team were the stronger side in the first half and Gosling struck the goal they deserved when the ball had dropped to him six yards out after Fraser’s free kick and he fired home.

It was Bournemouth’s first goal in 344 long Premier League minutes.

The half ended amid controversy when Simon Francis was booked for an ugly high kick into the face of Cheikhou Kouyate, sparking some Boxing Day handbags in front of the dugout.

With the rain teeming down, the second half continued the first’s intriguing ebb and flow.

Manuel Lanzini’s deflected shot almost had Moyes’ side back in front but the ball dropped just beyond Begovic’s far post.

The fascinating Boxing Day entertainment continued as the Cherries edged ahead. Ake, comfortably Bournemouth’s best player this season, applied the finishing touch after the Hammers failed to clear Lewis Cook’s free-kick.

Moyes responded by bringing Andy Carroll and Javier Hernandez off the bench and the former almost set up the latter to score immediately after their introduction as the Mexican just failed to connect with Carroll’s flick-on.

West Ham protest the late equaliser handed to the hosts (Getty 2017)

Bournemouth too continued to threaten and came close through Gosling and Ake with the Cherries looking far more like their dynamic best.

Like King in the first half, Marko Arnautovic was then guilty of an awful miss as he prodded Hernandez’s cross beyond the far post.

With the game becoming ever more stretched, a third Bournemouth goal seemed an inevitability.

But the conditions played a crucial part as the otherwise faultless Begovic slipped whilst attempting to clear upfield, presenting Arnautovic with an open goal.

The Austrian got his second a few minutes later as he bundled in at the far post after Begovic had stopped Hernandez’s initial effort.

But a dramatic late intervention from the excellent Ake ensured Bournemouth got a point – the very least they deserved.