Bournemouth 2-2 Newcastle: Honours Even at Vitality Stadium as Cherries Leave it Late to Earn Point

Honours were even at the Vitality Stadium as Bournemouth and Newcastle played out an entertaining 2-2 draw. The visitors took a deserved lead at half-time thanks to a brace from Dwight Gayle, before strikes from Adam Smith and Dan Gosling meant both sides were left with a point, although both feel it could've been three.

Bournemouth started the game the better of the two sides, coming very close to breaking the deadlock inside 10 minutes. The lively Junior Stanislas delivered in a free-kick wide from the right which found Callum Wilson. He then turned to fired an effort on goal which forced Martin Dubravka into a smart save low to his left. 

Despite being second best in the early proceedings, the visitors took the lead with former Cherries favourite Matt Ritchie playing a key part in the goal. Jonjo Shelvey played a lovely ball to the Scot on the right, before he crossed to Dwight Gayle in the centre. The ball rebounded between him and Asmir Begovic, before Gayle cheekily back heeled the ball into an empty net. 

Newcastle now looked in the ascendancy, going close to a second through a curling effort from Ritchie, while Jamaal Lascelles and Florian Lejeune defended stoutly to reduce the hosts to half chances that failed to test Dubravka. 

Their dominance was to be rewarded as the North East side helped themselves to a second on the stroke of half-time. A Paul Dummett cross found Ayoze Perez at the far post, before the Spaniard laid the ball across goal, which somehow found a way through Begovic, leaving Gayle to tap in his second of the game and a deserved two goal lead at half-time. 

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The second half started with Eddie Howe's side probing for a route back into the game, and had a decent shout of a penalty waved away by referee Roger East following Lascelles' cumbersome challenge on Ryan Fraser in the opening five minutes of the restart. 

Bournemouth tried to take the game to Newcastle, but the North East side defended resolutely, while Rafael Benitez's side almost put the game out of sight, but Perez could only prod the ball over from six yards out, before a mad couple of minutes soon followed.

Newcastle initially wasted another opportunity to score a third, but Nathan Ake did well to put off Shelvey who blazed over. Moments later however, Bournemouth did find a route back into the game. Lewis Cook flicked the ball into Adam Smith's path before his dipping effort finally beat Dubravka and reduce the deficit with 10 minutes remaining. 

With a minute remaining, Bournemouth found an equaliser through former Newcastle man Dan Gosling. The Cherries were mounting pressure on the visitors goal, as Ake fired a strike towards goal which Gosling managed to poke in to set up a dramatic finish. 

It was the home side looking for the winner in the final minutes of the game, but a fifth goal in the game never came, meaning both sides left the Vitality Stadium with a point after an entertaining contest.