West Ham: Fabulous Lukasz Fabianski defies age and Bournemouth to get reward for hard work
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Never before had Bournemouth fired as many shots on goal in a single Premier League game as the 29 they barraged West Ham with on Monday. The fact only one ended up a goal said less about misplaced shooting boots and more about Lukasz Fabianski’s remarkable performance.
In the end he was beaten - Enes Unal’s blistering free-kick on 90 minutes cancelling out Lucas Paqueta’s penalty three minutes earlier for a 1-1 draw - but it had taken Bournemouth a real moment of quality to force their way past him. Fabianski, though his distribution is by no means poor, is a goalkeeper of traditional tenets: a fine shot-stopper with a penchant for the acrobatic.
Those West Ham fans braved the December chill at the Vitality Stadium saw so first-hand, as the former Polish international kept the hosts at bay until Unal’s deadly dead-ball. An Antoine Semenyo volley in the opening 10 minutes which clipped the post and went wide proved the stroke of luck Fabianski needed to inspire a vintage individual performance.
Shortly before the break on Monday, the former Arsenal and Swansea goalkeeper hurtled himself to the ground as the ball broke for Dango Ouattara at the back stick. Somehow Fabianski fashioned his feet in order to thwart the winger’s shot. A stunning stop to keep the game goalless at the break; a sign of things to come after the interval.
In the second half, Fabianski stayed alert to scramble an Evanilson flicked header off the line from Ryan Christie’s inviting corner. Soon after, Christie thought he had finished off a sweeping Bournemouth counter, only for the goalkeeper to push his stern effort wide for a corner.
