A narrow loss to 17th-placed Wolves in midweek did little to lift spirits at the London Stadium, where the hosts saw plenty of the ball without creating much in the opening stages.
A shock defeat at the hands of struggling Ipswich last time out added to Bournemouth’s recent malaise and perhaps contributed to a rather flat first half. In fact, after half an hour of play, just three shots had been fired in, with none of them hitting the target.
It looked as if the contest was drifting towards a goalless half-time scoreline, yet a snapshot from Antoine Semenyo forced an error from Alphonse Areola, who spilled the ball at the feet of Evanilson for his fifth strike in six games across all competitions.
A quiet first period ended with Illia Zabarnyi heading onto the crossbar from a corner – a chance that appeared to set the tone for the second half as Bournemouth remained in control.
The Cherries looked the more likely to score the game’s second goal, but the introduction of Niclas Fullkrug from the Hammers’ bench soon changed that.
It didn’t take long for the German to make an impression, powering in a header from James Ward-Prowse’s outswinging corner delivery for his first strike since January.
Momentum was now firmly with the hosts, and just seven minutes after restoring parity, they were ahead thanks to Jarrod Bowen, who rose highest to nod home Mohammed Kudus’s clipped cross.
In stark contrast to the first half, the contest was now wide open, with the West Ham lead lasting for just 11 minutes before Evanilson struck again, prodding home at the far post after a towering header from Dean Huijsen.
That set up a thrilling finale in which neither side was backing down, but ultimately, an elusive winner never materialised.
Now winless in four (D2, L2), it’s fair to say that Graham Potter hasn’t had the desired impact since taking over from Julen Lopetegui in January.
A 15-point buffer between themselves and the drop zone means West Ham will have no realistic fears of relegation, but slumping in 15th, the 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League winners have a long way to go if they are to reach those heights once more.
As for Bournemouth, a sixth straight winless league encounter (D2, L4) leaves them ninth, with further dropped points harming their aspirations of qualifying for a maiden European campaign.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Evanilson (Bournemouth)