NORWICH gave themselves a major boost in their relegation fight after Steve Cook’s remarkable handball allowed Teemu Pukki to score from the spot.
It was also the first time a referee used to a pitchside monitor to send Norwich’s Ben Godfrey off as the contest finished 10-men apiece.
Steve Cook pulled off a stunning save but it came at a price
Teemu Pukki scored the winner from the penalty spotCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Pukki’s first half penalty meant Daniel Farke’s side collected a precious three points in the first big relegation battle of the season.
But it was the dismissals of Cherries captain Cook and Norwich defender Godfrey that will perhaps live longer in the memory.
Centre-back Cook might well find himself being featured on those bizarre football moments compilations having produced a stunning, acrobatic one-handed stop to prevent Ondrej Duda’s strike from finding the net.
It was a save the best keepers in the world would have been proud of, but all it meant for Bournemouth was delaying the Norwich goal until the spot-kick had been taken and an hour for Howe’s side to negotiate with ten men.
But not to be outdone, Godfrey then entered the record books for becoming the first player sent off in Premier League history after an official had consulted a pitchside monitor.
The defender was initially shown a yellow for his foul on Callum Wilson, but ref Paul Tierney took matters into his own hands by watching the replays pitchside and deciding to upgrade his punishment to red.
Rarely do you feel a match could be so important to the destiny of both teams as early as mid-January, but there was no hiding away from the importance of the game before kick-off.
Howe had been forced to fend off suggestions he had been asked to resign in midweek, such has been the dramatic decline of the Cherries over the past few months.
After keeping the club in the top flight for the past four years, the 42-year-old certainly deserves to be given time to arrest a slump in the fifth season up with the elite.
But even he would have to admit the decline is worrying, having won just once in the league in two months coming into the match.
Norwich, on the other hand, were surely preparing for the game knowing they are already in the last chance saloon.
The referee used the pitchside monitor to send off GodfreyCredit: Rex Features
Steve Cook was shown a straight red cardCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Watford’s dramatic resurgence under new boss Nigel Pearson is example enough that a run can be put together to when all looks dead and buried.
But in truth there has been little to suggest the Canaries had the strength and quality to be able to bridge a gap to safety which had opened up to eight points before kick-off.
Bournemouth started like a team who had been left in no doubt they needed to produce more than they had done recently, and Callum Wilson glanced a second minute header into the grateful arms of Tim Krul.
That it was the England striker’s first attempt on target since back in October was an example of how bad things have been down in Dorset of late.
And when Philip Billing fired over after seizing on a loose ball shortly after, it seemed the Cherries were up for the fight.
But after taking their time to settle it was Norwich who grew into the game and looked the team with more attacking threat.
Emi Buendia went within a whisker of opening the scoring on 16 minutes when Max Aarons crossed from the right for the Norwich man to head just wide of the bottom corner.
Farke’s side served notice again of their danger when Alex Tettey let fly from 25 yards with a half-volley which passed a yard wide of the post.
And the game changed complexion completely on 31 minutes when Norwich were awarded a penalty and Bournemouth were reduced to ten men when Steve Cook was sent off.
Godfrey was given his marching orders for a shocking challengeCredit: Rex Features
The battle at the bottom was a fiery affairCredit: Reuters
It was a moment of madness from the Cherries captain as he tipped Ondrej Duda’s goalbound effort wide of the post with a flying save.
It was a stunning, acrobatic stop from Cook – but as he is a defender it left ref Paul Tierney no choice but to point to the spot and brandish the red card.
For no apparent reason it took VAR well over a minute to confirm what everyone had seen, but that did not put Pukki off from the job of converting from the spot.
It was a crazy decision from the skipper which left his embattled side having to play with a man down for an hour, and it sucked the life out of his teammates for a while.
Only the exceptional goalkeeping of Aaron Ramsdale kept Howe’s side in the game as Norwich poured forward looking for an equaliser.
He saved one-on-one to deny Pukki a second goal, then got down well to block Duda’s goalbound effort.
And when he also did well to prevent Buendia scoring a wonderful individual goal having danced through three challenges, the Canaries were left scratching their heads wondering whether they were throwing the win away.
Bournemouth had already seen Callum Wilson squander a great chance to level as he missed his kick from eight-yards with the goal at his mercy.
But when the striker was caught late by Godfrey’s horrible lunging tackle, Norwich saw their man advantage go for the final 15 minutes as Tierney eventually got the right decision having looked at his pitchside monitor.
With seven minutes left, Nathan Ake was denied an equaliser when his header was acrobatically tipped over the bar by Krul.
Mike Dean chuckles away as Oli McBurnie is hit in the privates
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
