After a game of high drama that exhibited the very worst of video officiating, a wonder strike, an extraordinary red card and then a sudden-death penalty shootout, it is Bournemouth who continue to dream of Wembley. That will teach the television companies for making this the only FA Cup fifth-round tie not chosen for broadcast.
The victory was nothing more than the dominant hosts deserved. But, my word, they went round the houses to get there. Eventually, after Boubacar Traore had hit the crossbar, it was Bournemouth substitute Luis Sinisterra who was the hero, converting from the spot for a 5-4 shootout win after the game had somehow remained deadlocked at 1-1 after extra-time.
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Revenge for last week’s Premier League defeat in this fixture will taste no less sweet for taking so long to arrive.
Despite attempting 31 shots over the course of 120 minutes, Bournemouth’s only joy had come from Evanilson, whose goal was cancelled out by a wondrous Matheus Cunha long-range strike. It may well be the Brazilian’s last action for some time, with a lengthy ban expected for his sending-off in the final minute of extra time after hitting, kicking and then head-butting Milos Kerkez.
Given Bournemouth’s superiority, the hosts’ really should have put the game to bed long before the shootout. Centre-half James Hill was the unlikely creator of their goal, threading a wonderful ball straight through the middle for Antoine Semenyo to bear down on goal. Sam Johnstone saved well low to his right, but his firm hand pushed the ball straight to Evanilson, who could not have wished for a simpler task to score his first goal of the calendar year than tapping into an empty net.
Then came the game’s unwelcome talking point. Bournemouth thought they had doubled their lead five minutes after the opener, only for the second goal to be ruled out after the most protracted, soul-destroying video assistant referee delay did its best to suck every bit of life out of an otherwise invigorating spring afternoon.
The issues arose when a deep Bournemouth cross was bundled over the line from close range by a puzzling combination of Kerkez and Dean Huijsen. A laborious check for potential handball from both Bournemouth defenders determined that neither had definitively committed that offence – although the ball certainly appeared to come extremely close to both players’ arms – before attention then turned to a possible offside.
With the six-yard box too congested to employ the semi-automated offside technology that was meant to be in use for the first time this weekend, referee Sam Barrott called both captains and managers over to explain that the officials would need to take their time drawing their own lines.
As the crowd’s ire grew – moving through the full repertoire of chants from “It’s not football any more” to “This is embarrassing” – it took what was an English record of close to eight minutes before a miked-up Barrott eventually announced on the pitch that Huijsen’s foot had strayed marginally offside; no matter that the ball went in off his shoulder.
Back to football (eventually), Bournemouth again had the ball in the net in first-half injury time, but that, too, was chalked off. This time, thankfully, there was no controversy, with Alex Scott unintentionally flicking the ball up on to his hand and into the net. Aided by Scott not even bothering to celebrate, Barrott ruled the goal out himself.
As on so many occasions this season, Wolves’s attacking threat could be neatly summed up as Cunha and Cunha alone. The architect of almost every Wolves move, the Brazilian decided on the hour that he would simply forgo his teammates and fire for goal himself. The result was one of this season’s finest strikes, dipping and swerving into the top corner from close to 30 yards.
Shocked into action by that unexpected equaliser, Bournemouth’s dominance grew with every minute, placing Johnstone’s goal under near-permanent siege. But, through a combination of last-ditch blocks, superb saves and goalline clearances, the visitors took the game to extra time and then penalties.
Cunha was not on the pitch for them, following his late moment of madness, and his side paid the price without him.
