Key stats
- Bournemouth have won 15 points from losing positions in the Premier League this season, only Aston Villa (19) and Sunderland (16) have recovered more.
- Bournemouth are undefeated in their last eight games in the Premier League.
- Five of Evanilson's 16 Premier League goals have been assisted by Marcus Tavernier.
Highlights
Analysis
Bournemouth were dominant for large spells and will be disappointed not to pick up all three points.
Match report
The visitors started the game on the front foot and created a very early opportunity when Noah Sadiki’s effort forced Đorđe Petrović into a decent save, shortly before the Black Cats had a strong penalty appeal turned down by the referee.
The hosts gradually worked their way into the match as the first half progressed, and after 12 minutes, Eli Junior Kroupi should have done much better when he dragged a shot from inside the box well wide of the target.
It was Régis Le Bris’s side that made the breakthrough, though, when a lovely team move led to a stinging effort from Habib Diarra that was palmed away by Petrović, but into the path of Eliezer Mayenda, who stroked the ball into the back of the net, marking his first PL goal since the opening day of the season.
The Cherries responded with urgency, and Robin Roefs was soon needed to produce an impressive double save to keep Sunderland ahead.
Andoni Iraola’s team continued to look dangerous in the final third in their search for an equaliser, and Roefs was once again required to make an important stop to prevent Marcus Tavernier from levelling the game before the interval with a well-struck free-kick.
The HT break allowed the Black Cats to regroup, and they came desperately close to making the dream start to the second half.
Within two minutes of the restart, Diarra broke free of Bournemouth’s last man and suddenly had just the goalkeeper to beat, but his strike lacked accuracy, and Petrović was able to make a vital block to keep the hosts in contention.
This proved to be a costly miss, as substitute Evanilson headed home an outstanding cross from Tavernier to equalise in the 64th minute, setting up an intriguing final quarter of the match.
Despite both sides’ best efforts, including a goal for the Black Cats inside the last 10 minutes that was immediately ruled out for offside, a winner could not be found, and a point apiece was probably a fair result.
The Cherries will look to keep their hopes of European qualification on track on Tuesday evening when they host Brentford in the league.
Meanwhile, Sunderland have risen to 11th position and will aim to return to winning ways when they face Leeds United at Elland Road on the same night.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Marcus Tavernier (Bournemouth)
Post-match comments
Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola to Sky Sports: "We paid for our slow start, and they scored the first goal.
"After, we improved and in the second half were the closest to winning it. But we paid the price in terms of two points today in terms of how we started the game.
"It's 12 draws. We are showing we are almost always competitive in the games. We've lost seven games, which is very little.
"But draws, it the end, are not rewarded big, and the feeling is like, just one point."