Heurelho Gomes proved to be Watford’s hero on the south coast as his late penalty save earned the Hornets a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth in the battle of last season’s top two in the Championship.

The Golden Boys goalkeeper dived to his left to keep out Glenn Murray’s spot-kick with six minutes remaining after Etienne Capoue was adjudged to have felled Adam Smith in the 18-yard box.

The first half had been Watford’s poorest 45 minutes of the campaign to date. The Cherries looked sharper in general, pressed the game effectively in midfield which meant their opponents struggled to establish a platform in the centre of the park and looked uncharacteristically edgy at times at the back.

Although Bournemouth didn’t create a host of chances with their superiority, few could complain that they didn’t deserve the lead Glenn Murray gave them when he headed home a Matt Ritchie cross in the 28th minute.

It looked like the home side would take their advantage into the interval. And they would have done had goalkeeper Artur Boruc not committed a howler shortly before the break when he presented Odion Ighalo with a gift-wrapped opportunity to equalise.

Watford did improve in the second half but they were still unable to gain the amount of control they would have hoped for. However, the visitors did have two good opportunities to get in front before the penalty award; Ben Watson hitting the crossbar before Ikechi Anya was unable to beat Boruc when put through one-on-one by Almen Abdi. However, shortly before the spot-kick Gomes made another superb save to keep out a wonderful overhead kick attempt from Steve Cook.

Quique Sanchez Flores made the one enforced change from the team that was beaten at home by Crystal Palace last time out. Jose Manuel Jurado was ruled out with a hamstring injury, so Nathan Ake came in for his first Hornets Premier League start at left-back and Anya moved forward into a right-sided attacking midfield role.

Eddie Howe was always going to have to make one change from the side that was beaten 2-1 at Stoke City last weekend following the news that Callum Wilson would be out for a prolonged spell with a cruciate ligament injury. In the event though, the Bournemouth boss opted to change both his strikers with Joshua King and Murray starting while Lee Tomlin dropped to the bench.

The game started at a good tempo, with the Hornets having the bulk of the possession in the first two minutes but it was Gomes who was the first goalkeeper called into action to deal with a low King cross from the right.

The hosts created a better opening in the fifth minute when Ritchie was given the chance to advance down the right for the first time. With Simon Francis going beyond the Scotland international on the overlap, that created the space for Ritchie to hit a cross to the back post where Murray headed back across goal and onto the roof of the net.

The former Crystal Palace had another opportunity soon after when, unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box, he stooped to glance a Charlie Daniels delivery from the left wide of the far post, but the assistant’s flag was already up for offside.

Bournemouth had settled the better and King wasn’t too far away from causing Gomes real problems in the ninth minute when he got something on the keeper’s attempted clearance, but the ball had enough pace on it for any potential further danger to be averted.

With the Cherries pressing effectively in midfield, the visitors were finding it difficult to get periods of sustained possession in order to build going forward and it was the home side who continued to control the bulk of the proceedings as the game ticked past the 20-minute mark.

Watford could have been caught out when a Capoue shot was blocked and the rebound broke for King, who skipped away from Sebastian Prodl as he accelerated over halfway but with Anya and Craig Cathcart tracking him, the visitors managed to close the striker’s options down and Watson was ultimately able to clear.

The Hornets had gone into the game having not conceded a goal in the first half in their last 13 league matches but that record was to end in the 28th minute and on the balance of play in the opening period, the visitors could not really complain.

The move originated down the Watford left with Ritchie and Francis combing to good effect, the latter again going beyond the wide man to work the ball back to Ritchie and he clipped over an inswinging left-footed cross from the angle of the penalty area and Murray got clear of Prodl to plant a header over Gomes and make it 1-0.

The visiting fans would have been hoping that goal would kick-start their side but there was no improvement before half time. Watford remained sluggish as they continued to struggle to get a foothold in midfield.

Matters started to get a little lively two minutes before the break when Murray went down claiming he had been caught by Capoue. Referee Michael Oliver let play continue after talking to both players but then the Bournemouth striker decided not to let the issue rest and went in late on Capoue with a nasty challenge that brought a deserved yellow card.

That looked like it would be it for the first half but in the last minute of the opening 45 minutes the Hornets were gifted a route back into the contest.

There was no danger when Sylvain Distin passed the ball back to Boruc but in trying to return the ball to the central defensive partner, the keeper tamely passed to Odion, who brought it under control, turned inside and away from the wrong-footed keeper and calmly knocked in his fifth goal of the campaign and 21st of the calendar year.

Despite seeing his side pull level, Flores resisted the temptation to make any changes at the break but once again the visitors were almost caught out five minutes after the restart when Ritchie’s back-heel found Francis in space on the right and his cross picked out Murray. He again found space in the area but could only loop a header straight to Gomes.

That was a let off but almost immediately the Hornets went very close to taking the lead.

Ighalo forced a corner after turning Distin inside out before firing in a shot that was put behind. Abdi played in the set piece from the right, the ball was headed up into the air and the onrushing Watson was able to watch it drop before striking a controlled right-footed half-volley that looked to be going in but rebounded out off the crossbar.

The Vitality Stadium rose as one to observe a minute’s applause for long-time Cherries club photographer Mick Cunningham, who passed away last Sunday. But towards the end of that 60 seconds Watford had another opportunity when Anya burst forward before feeding Ighalo on the right side of the penalty area. He clipped the ball back into the middle but Anya could only direct a header tamely wide.

The Cherries made the first change in the 57th minute when Smith replaced Marc Pugh but the game continued to get increasingly stretched with both sides having moments of promise when they got forward.

The next clear opening came Watford’s way in the 68th minute when Ighalo and Deeney combined to find Abdi, who split the Bournemouth defence and released Anya with a fine pass but the Scotland international was unable to beat Boruc with his attempted left-footed finish from left of centre.

Both sides made alterations two minutes later; Eunan O’Kane coming on for King, while Victor Ibarbo replaced Allan Nyom, who had been struggling with a leg problem since being fouled by Ritchie earlier in the half.

Ighalo struck a half-volley wide from the edge of the area when Deeney was arguably better placed to receive a pass before Juan Carlos Paredes came on for Anya with 11 minutes remaining.

Bournemouth’s attacking threat had not diminished though, and it was again from the right that their next chance arose, Francis again the supplier with a cross which Murray headed wide at the far post when Ritchie, who was coming in behind him, was probably better placed.

But for a great save from Gomes, central defender Cook would have scored a stunner with eight minutes remaining, connecting superbly with a left-footed overhead kick on the edge of the area that the keeper had to dive to push over after a Paredes clearance from a corner had been headed back in by Dan Gosling.

Within a minute though, the home side had a gilt-edged chance to seal the points when they were awarded a penalty after Capoue was adjudged to have brought down Smith in the area, although the reactions of the Hornets players suggested it was a very harsh decision.

Capoue was booked and there was some delay before the spot-kick was taken by Murray, who went for placement rather than power. But Gomes read the striker’s intentions and dived to his left to make the save before Watford duly cleared their lines.

O’Kane shot at Gomes as the home side continued to press before Watford had an opportunity when they won a free-kick 30 yards out but Abdi struck it wide of Boruc’s right-hand post.

But neither side were able to fashion another opportunity in the closing stages as the contest ended all-square, with the Hornets probably the happier of the two sides with a point.

Bournemouth: Boruc; Francis, Cook, Distin, Daniels; Ritchie, Gosling, Surman, Pugh (Smith 57); King (O’Kane 70), Murray. Not used: Federici, Cargill, Bennett, Tomlin, Kermorgant.

Watford: Gomes; Nyom (Ibarbo 70), Prodl, Cathcart, Ake; Watson, Capoue; Anya (Paredes 79), Deeney, Abdi (Guedioura 90); Ighalo. Not used: Arlauskis, Britos, Diamanti, Dyer.

Bookings: Murray for a foul on Capoue (43); Capoue for a foul on Smith (84).

Referee: Michael Oliver.