Javier Hernandez to the rescue as West Ham see out disappointing draw against Bournemouth

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In the end this was a hugely frustrating afternoon for David Moyes, and for most inside the London Stadium, as they watched West Ham huff and puff for so long without reward. It might have been worse than the 1-1 draw they escaped with when Ryan Fraser handed Bournemouth an unlikely lead with 20 minutes left, but Javier Hernandez’s immediate reply prevented what would have been a gut-wrenching defeat.

West Ham dominated from the first moments to the last, with only sporadic periods of resistance. But they lacked the cutting edge that has been a hallmark of their upturn in recent weeks, Marko Arnautovic suffering the kind of off-day in front of goal which they can hardly afford.

To cap off Moyes’s disappointment, Manuel Lanzini left the pitch limping and shaking his head and Aaron Cresswell departed with the assistance of a physio. Their names look likely to be added to what is already a substantial injury list.

Lanzini had been a threat throughout and it was his early interchange with Arnautovic which indicated a sign of things to come. They combined on the left of the box with a rapid one-two, but the assistant’s flag appeared on the last pass with the goal in view.

As West Ham pinned back their visitors, more chances came – and went. Mark Noble jabbed a dropping ball a little too high, before the first clear sight: Pablo Zabaleta curled beautifully into Arnautovic bustling into the box, who prodded the ball goalwards only to be denied by the faintest brush of Begovic’s fingertips to redirect over the crossbar.

Arnautovic was at the heart of almost every foray forward. He has reinvented himself under Moyes as something resembling a complete No9, with that rare ability both to bully defenders physically and frighten them with pace and movement. But the other part – ruthless finishing – is hit and miss, literally here. He makes for both a compelling and frustrating focal point to Moyes-era West Ham.

Bournemouth were redundant bystanders, fortunate that West Ham were lacking a clinical edge. That point was illustrated comically midway through the first half by Mark Noble when, 25 yards out, the captain sliced his shot so horrifically that the ball ended up at the feet of an unsuspecting photographer on the side of the pitch, heading in the opposite direction to which it was fired.

Eddie Howe had been furiously gathering notes but his half-time instructions failed to stem the flow. West Ham’s pressure cranked up again early in the second period, Lanzini denied a tap-in at the back post only by another show of Begovic’s sharp reactions. Arnautovic then powered down the right before teeing up the team-mate inside him, but the arriving player was the wrong one – Zabaleta – who scooped the ball tamely into Begovic’s chest.

As the clocked ticked past the hour, Jordon Ibe gave away possession sloppily and Howe immediately pointed to his bench, replacing the winger with Junior Stanislas, the West Ham academy graduate. Moyes made a change too, though his was enforced – the constantly bright Lanzini limped away shaking his head and Hernandez came on. Both substitutes would prove influential.

The Mexican immediately brought the game to life, pickpocketing the ball in midfield before spraying a 40-yard pass across the pitch and charging forward. More endeavour, but it continued to go unrewarded, and West Ham were finally punished for their profligacy in the 71st minute. Stanislas collected the ball in space, turned, and slipped a pass between Angelo Ogbonna and James Collins. Ryan Fraser scurried on to it and slammed past Adrian with his left foot.

West Ham’s response was immediate. They scored directly from kick-off against Huddersfield and here they repeated the trick. Arnautovic made a nuisance of himself as the ball was hurled forward, and when the Austrian scuffed his shot, Hernandez arrived on cue to poke the loose ball past Adrian from eight yards. Bournemouth’s lead had lasted one minute and nine seconds.

West Ham went searching for a winner but it failed to materialise, and they were almost caught on the counter-attack by Callum Wilson in the final minute. Bournemouth took away a hard-fought point, West Ham accepted a frustrating one.