Eddie Howe hails 'great' comeback as Bournemouth beat West Ham
Saturday 18 August 2018 20:17, UK
Eddie Howe saluted another "great" comeback as his Bournemouth side fought back to beat West Ham 2-1 at the London Stadium.
Bournemouth recovered 21 points from losing positions last season, and they were at it again to seal a second-straight Premier League win of the new campaign.
West Ham had taken the lead through a Marko Arnautovic penalty, but Callum Wilson leveled matters with a stunning individual effort on the hour-mark before Steve Cook headed in six minutes later.
"It was a really good win. When we conceded it was at a spell when West Ham were on top and we found it difficult, but credit to the players second half," Howe said.
"We had a number of chances to score. It's a great comeback. Whenever you come here and win it's a real achievement.
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"There were loads of chances that we didn't take and you think, 'Is it going to be one of those days?', but thankfully Callum's goal was the turning point. It was a great goal from him individually. That was the boost we needed to go on and win the game."
Wilson's goal came at a pivotal time in the game, and it was a moment of magic which spurred Bournemouth on to victory.
The forward received the ball 10 yards inside the West Ham area, and with no team-mate near him, he evaded a couple of challenges - including a desperate slide from Pablo Zabaleta - before sliding it through the legs of Lukasz Fabianski.
Howe admitted he initially wanted Wilson to hold the ball up, but only had praise for the forward, who was recovering from a serious knee injury this time last year.
He added: "To be honest, my first reaction was we need to retain possession rather than look for the goal, but it's a mark of his confidence at the start of this season. He has been brave, taking people on and what's most impressive about that goal is the finish, on his wrong side.
"He's one of the strongest players mentally that I've worked with. There was no doubt Callum would come back in his mind, and in our minds, because of that mentality. He looks as good as he's ever been."
