West Ham Vs Bournemouth ends goalless as Hammers squander chance to climb out of danger
The west ham vs bournemouth stalemate left West Ham with a wasted opportunity to move clear of the relegation zone, as Djordje Petrovic’s key saves and profligate finishing kept the scoreline at 0-0 and Nottingham Forest’s home tie against Liverpool loomed as the next measuring point.
West Ham Vs Bournemouth: dominant but pointless
West Ham overwhelmed Bournemouth for long stretches yet could not find a way through. The hosts produced 20 shots and an expected-goals total of 2. 87 but finished with zero on the board. The draw prevented West Ham from rising out of the relegation places and left the gap to safety at two points, at least until Nottingham Forest host Liverpool on Sunday.
Petrovic keeps West Ham in it; Summerville’s run continues
Djordje Petrovic made several decisive stops, including denying Axel Disasi’s header and beating away a first-time flick from substitute Callum Wilson. West Ham had four shots inside the opening six minutes; within 45 seconds of kick-off Disasi saw his rebound turned over the bar after Petrovic palmed the initial header. A flowing move led Taty Castellanos to deliver a cross for Crysencio Summerville, who has scored six goals in his last seven appearances and is West Ham’s second-highest scorer this season, but Summerville could only prod the chance straight into Petrovic’s hands and later failed to get one gilt-edged opportunity out from under his feet.
Late misses and manager reaction
Substitute Callum Wilson’s flick was kept out by Petrovic, a Castellanos bicycle kick briefly threatened the spectacular, and deep into injury time Jarrod Bowen failed to hit the target from a few yards out. Nuno Espírito Santo said: "We were really close. That is the feeling that stays with us – that we feel it is almost there for us to take and we didn’t take it. " He added that the team had competed well and been solid, but that the mood was one of sadness because the decisive chance was not taken.
Bournemouth’s run and an unfinished note
Bournemouth, who have extended their unbeaten run to seven league games, improved after half-time but largely fed off scraps. A fragment in the match coverage reads: "Bidding to become the first teenager to register"—unclear in the provided context.
Manchester City move and wider Premier League results
Elsewhere on the day Manchester City beat Newcastle to move within two points of Premier League leaders Arsenal. Nico O'Reilly scored twice, either side of a Lewis Hall equaliser. Former Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott, speaking on TNT Sports, praised a young player’s confidence and influence after scoring twice and said he believed the player was becoming undroppable. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola spoke to TNT Sports, calling the result "massive" and praising Newcastle’s physicality and pace while noting that 70% of the players had never been in such a close title race situation. Guardiola said the team would rest for three days and then prepare to play Leeds.
Guardiola also spoke on Match of the Day, saying the side needed to play in that manner until the end of the season, that Erling Haaland’s presence remained crucial and that the team deserved the brief break before another battle in Leeds. He praised Nico O'Reilly’s physicality in midfield and mentioned academy graduates Phil Foden and Rico Lewis as examples of the club producing young talent. Guardiola warned of Newcastle’s difficult style of play and noted the challenge of facing them again in the FA Cup after having beaten them three times recently.
Other fixture headlines and reports from the same round included: Brentford 0-2 Brighton, Chelsea 1-1 Burnley, and Aston Villa 1-1 Leeds. A line in the live coverage read that "Chelsea 'set fire' to more points at the Bridge. " The live text closed by noting: "This is all for this live text today but we'll be back for four more important Premier League games. "
Weekend predictions and betting angles
The weekend card was the focus of a betting preview that highlighted several fixtures. Viewers were invited to watch Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace vs Wolves, Fulham vs Sunderland, Arsenal vs Tottenham and Everton vs Man Utd live on Sky Sports. The betting expert known as Jones Knows flagged Jorgen Strand Larsen facing his former club Wolves for Crystal Palace as an angle and noted a 25/1 price with Sky Bet for him to score and be carded.
The preview favoured Liverpool at 4/5 to win away to Nottingham Forest but suggested Liverpool to win to nil at 23/10 as a sharper play, noting all seven of their recent wins against teams they were priced 4/5 or shorter to beat away from home were to nil and nine of their last 11 victories overall were to nil. When straight win prices are tight the draw can offer value, the preview said, using Sunderland at home versus Fulham as an example of two sides likely to cancel one another out.
On the north London derby the tip was that Tottenham looked too big at 5/1 for the victory but that the market for cards was attractive: the last 13 meetings had produced an average of 5. 3 yellow cards per game. The preview recommended player card markets and named Martin Zubimendi at 11/4 with Sky Bet, noting he has been carded away at Liverpool, Sunderland and Chelsea and three times in the Champions League this season.
Next on the calendar from the confirmed schedule in the coverage: Nottingham Forest host Liverpool on Sunday, Arsenal face north London rivals Tottenham on Sunday, and Manchester City plan to rest for three days before travelling to play Leeds.
