Callum Wilson and Junior Stanislas combined to give Bournemouth the lead against Watford. Both sides will be fighting to stay up all season long.
Bournemouth vs. Watford might not be a game that the casual Premier League fan would get excited about, but it is an important fixture. With Bournemouth hovering dangerously close to the drop zone in 15th, they figure to be fighting to stay up all year long. Watford themselves are in 11th, but a loss to Bournemouth would do them no favors.
So far through one half, Watford have controlled the play. They own a 9-3 advantage in shots, with a 3-1 advantage in shots on target. But give credit to Bournemouth, because they’ve made the most of their chances. Their only shot on target came in the 31st minute, and it resulted in this goal from Callum Wilson:
"Callum Wilson with the flick! #PLonNBC https://t.co/Bqain4TZbB— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) October 1, 2016"
You have to give credit to Junior Stanislas, though. His great dribbling and cross were what led to the goal. He had to evade three Watford defenders before sending one into the box, and his delivery was a perfect one.
Callum Wilson has been one of Bournemouth’s most dependable goalscorers, but his first Premier League season was a difficult one. He scored a hattrick against West Ham early on, then missed six months due to a torn ACL. After his side managed to stay up, he wants to put his struggles from last year behind him and make an impact for his team.
As for Bournemouth themselves, their biggest acquisition in the transfer window was Jack Wilshere. While he was always a fan favorite at Arsenal, he’s fallen out of favor. But keeping Bournemouth out of relegation would prove he’s still a valuable player to Premier League teams.
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Even though they scored, the shots will still probably be heavily tilted in Watford’s favor. Bournemouth’s best course of action may be to park the bus the rest of the way.