Bournemouth go into European places after Leeds equalise late to draw 2-2

Lewis Henderson
Wed, 22 Apr 2026 21:03:10 +0000

Bournemouth have gone into the European places after Leeds United equalised late on to draw 2-2.

The Cherries thought they had three points all wrapped up, but Sean Longstaff's late strike was enough to split the points.

The midfielder's strike arrived in the 97th minute at the Vitality Stadium, capping a remarkable fightback that saw Daniel Farke's side recover from behind twice.

Leeds now sit on the magic 40-point mark, establishing a nine-point cushion above the relegation places as they turn their attention to Sunday's FA Cup semi-final clash with Chelsea at Wembley.

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The result means the Yorkshire club remain unbeaten across their last five fixtures following consecutive victories against Manchester United and Wolves.

Bournemouth controlled a cagey opening period that offered little in the way of goalscoring opportunities.

Captain David Brooks posed an early threat for the hosts, while Adrien Truffert's weak effort was comfortably gathered by Karl Darlow in the Leeds goal.

Brenden Aaronson registered the visitors' sole meaningful attempt before the interval, drawing a straightforward save from Djordje Petrovic in the 37th minute.

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The Cherries, fresh from impressive away triumphs at Arsenal and Newcastle, came closest to breaking the deadlock when Darlow denied Ryan Christie with an excellent stop using his right foot.

The breakthrough finally came on 60 minutes when Marcos Senesi dispossessed Ao Tanaka and fed Junior Kroupi, whose shot deflected off Joe Rodon and into the net.

Noah Okafor squandered a golden chance to level moments later, striking the base of the left post after capitalising on a Hill error as he sought his fourth goal in three matches.

The Cherries defender's misfortune continued in the 68th minute when Ethan Ampadu's long throw created havoc in the penalty area, with Wilfried Gnonto's driven cross deflecting off Hill's heel and into his own net.

Bournemouth regained their advantage with four minutes remaining through Rayan, who side-footed home from Tyler Adams' delivery after the former Leeds midfielder entered to jeers from visiting supporters.

Evanilson appeared to have wrapped up victory in the 91st minute, but his finish was chalked off for offside.

The Brazilian was later booked just four minutes after having his goal taken away from him.

Longstaff's decisive intervention came after Lukas Nmecha had gone close to equalising moments earlier.

A long throw into the Bournemouth box was cleared by Alex Scott, but the ball fell perfectly for Longstaff, who thundered a first-time volley past Petrovic to spark wild celebrations among the travelling support.

The late drama denied the Cherries' rise to sixth in the table, though they did climb to seventh above Brentford and Chelsea as they chase European qualification for the first time in the club's history.

Iraola's side extended their unbeaten streak to 14 matches in what was their first home game since the Spaniard confirmed his departure at season's end.