Newcastle earns 2-2 draw at Bournemouth with late equalizer

BOURNEMOUTH, England (AP) — Newcastle winger Matt Ritchie scored a stoppage-time equalizer against his former club on Saturday to secure a 2-2 draw at Bournemouth in the Premier League.

The Scotland international, who left Bournemouth in 2016, lashed the ball home on the half-volley four minutes into added time.

Joshua King’s second-half double looked to have earned the Cherries a comeback victory after Salomon Rondon had put the visitors ahead with a first-half free kick.

The draw edges both clubs closer to survival, with Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth 12 points above the bottom three and Newcastle six points off the drop zone.

Rondon provided the opener in first-half injury time when record signing Miguel Almiron was fouled outside the area and he curled a free kick into the top corner from 25 yards (meters).

King leveled from the penalty spot three minutes after the restart when Federico Fernandez fouled Nathan Ake at a corner. King then thought he had scored the winner nine minutes from time when substitute Dominic Solanke worked space inside the area before laying the ball off for the Norway international to sweep a first-time effort into the corner for his sixth goal in five home games.

But Newcastle rescued a point when Ritchie emphatically connected with DeAndre Yedlin’s right-wing cross.