The lowdown on Bournemouth 0 Crystal Palace 0 – Guehi is star man for Eagles but now faces suspension

Crystal Palace celebrated their Boxing Day with a relatively uneventful 0-0 draw at Bournemouth.

Here is Alex Pewter’s lowdown from the game.

THE LINE-UPS

Crystal Palace: Henderson, Chalobah, Lacroix, Guehi, Munoz, Hughes (Doucoure 53’, Lerma, Mitchell, Sarr, Eze (Devenny 88), Mateta (Kamada 82). Subs not used: Turner, Clyne, Richards, Kporha, Schlupp, Agbinone.

Bournemouth: Kepa, Aarons (Adams 62), Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez, Cook, Christie, Semenyo, Kluivert (Billing 72), Ouattara (Brooks 86), Unal (Evanilson 62). Subs not used: Travers, Hill, Kinsey-Wellings, Winterburn, Harris.

SNAPSHOT OF THE GAME

It was a match where Palace and Oliver Glasner could ‘respect the point’, even if perhaps there wasn’t much to respect from the overall performance.

It was a scrappy game where neither team created a clearcut chance. Bournemouth were able to get forward at pace and into good positions on many occasions, but it felt like the ball was flying past keeper Dean Henderson’s back post without threatening.

The home team had scored in each of their last 10 matches in the Premier League, so that lack of quality in front of goal was uncharacteristic of their recent form, at least. Only four of the 18 shots Palace faced forced Henderson into action and hit the target and each of those was a regulation stop for the England international.

Glasner could call on Daniel Munoz and Eberechi Eze, both unavailable for the previous league game. In the 22nd minute, both were involved in arguably the best chance of the match for the away team. A low cross from Eberechi Eze found the Colombian in the area, but his left-footed shot was unable to trouble Kepa in goal.

The fact that the following 70 minutes failed to deliver a better opportunity is a telling critique of Palace’s effectiveness in attack. Yet, with Glasner targeting four points from this pair of fixtures to close out the year, a draw keeps the team on track.

TACTICAL APPROACH

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, known for their high-pressing style of defence, set out in a typical fashion to restrict the Palace within their own area. For the most part, Palace managed to cope well with that, and both sides played with a direct style.

The key battle for Palace was at the wing-back position, with Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell against Dango Ouattara and Antoine Semenyo on their respective flanks. Mitchell ended the game with four successful tackles and five recoveries, a good haul for the left-back in his 150th Premier League appearance.

STAR MAN

Marc Guehi. The captain’s calm nature and approach to defending may have the effect of lessening his overall performance, or appearing to do so. His four tackles and ability to recover any loose Bournemouth passes or deliveries reduced the threat of the home team.

BEST MOMENT

Possibly the final whistle and avoiding any typical late drama or shenanigans from Bournemouth. Otherwise, a very clearly offside goal from Ismaila Sarr, which the away fans only half-celebrated, such was the gap between the Senegal international and the home team’s backline. Good finish, all the same.

MOAN OF THE MATCH

Just as it’s challenging to select a stellar moment in the game, it was difficult to single out any particular issues in the performance.

The team struggled to get the ball to Eberechi Eze in the Bournemouth half, and it often felt that he had to drop deeper to seek it out, particularly in the first half. The attacking midfielder ended the match with four shots, three blocked and one that forced a Kepa save through traffic. Still, if the team is to capitalise on their possession against Southampton, they need their creative talent to be receiving passes in the areas Ismaila Sarr is on the opposite side.

TALKING POINT DOWN THE PUB

With Southampton presenting a big opportunity to close out 2024 with three points on Sunday, Palace will be without Guehi after his fifth yellow card of the season – picked up in the 60th minute for a push on Enes Unal.

The team will be without their preferred starting trio for the next two matches, as Trevoh Chalobah will be unable to play against his parent club Chelsea on January 4. Chris Richards will be expected to come into the starting 11 in place of Guehi, and whilst he played in the difficult 5-1 defeat against Arsenal, the team will be glad he has minutes under his belt in advance of these next two matches.

WHAT THE MANAGER SAID

“I expected the game as it was today, very intense, many duels – with them playing very direct and in behind with their pace and always creating pressure. So, it wasn’t the game anybody expected, and everybody felt that if a team scored, that team would win. Both teams kept a clean sheet, and at the end, it’s a 0-0. For us it’s a very good away point here against a very strong Bournemouth side.”

PICTURE: ALAMY