Armando Broja scores late equaliser at Bournemouth to end Burnley’s losing run

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Bournemouth 1-1 Burnley: Second-half substitutes Marcus Edwards and Broja combined to earn the returning Scott Parker a point his team had scarcely deserved

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Super-sub Armando Broja scored a last-minute equaliser to end Burnley’s seven-game losing run and leave Bournemouth winless in eight after a 1-1 draw.

Bournemouth thought they had won it when the sought-after Antoine Semenyo scored his eighth goal of the season to finally break through Burnley’s spirited defence after 67 minutes.

But second-half substitutes Marcus Edwards and Broja combined to earn the returning Scott Parker a point his team had scarcely deserved.

A spate of illness in the camp forced Parker to make six changes to his side as he came back to the Vitality Stadium for the first time since being sacked by Bournemouth in August 2022.

Veteran Kyle Walker was among those recalled to the starting 11 after suspension.

One of Andoni Iraola’s two changes was to bring in David Brooks on the right, and he came close in the early stages, curling a left-footed shot just beyond the far post after Semenyo had found him.

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Unsurprisingly it was Bournemouth who created all the early pressure and Brooks went closer still a few minutes later, this time dragging a low shot just beyond the near post after a clever touch to him from Evanilson.

Semenyo was causing plenty of problems on the other flank and he set up the next chance for Justin Kluivert who curled his effort narrowly wide from 20 yards out.

The fourth chance went to Semenyo himself with the Ghanaian drifting in from the left and firing a powerful effort just wide of Martin Dubravka’s far post.

Burnley offered no threat in the first half and had just 28 per cent of the possession but Parker would have been pleased with his players’ defensive resilience.

With their only attack of note former Cherries winger Jaidon Anthony did put the ball in the net from Josh Laurent’s low cross but was flagged offside, a decision reinforced by the VAR check that followed.

The pattern continued into the second half with Bournemouth again camped in Burnley’s final third. Brooks had another early effort, this time heading over Marcos Senesi’s far-post cross.

Bournemouth had not gone three home games without scoring since September 2023 and the crowd were beginning to grow restless.

Iraola made early attacking changes with Enes Unal and Junior Kroupi brought on in place of Evanilson and Kluivert.

It provided a catalyst and, so often the hero, Semenyo did it again, with a brilliant curling shot into the far corner after Laurent had slipped for Burnley.

Just as the game was about to go into stoppage time, the Burnley response finally came when Edwards curled a cross to the far post and Broja rose highest to score.

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