Tony Pulis: West Brom deserved the win

Boss Tony Pulis claims his West Brom side deserved to beat Bournemouth today and was stunned Cherries midfielder Harry Arter wasn't sent off.

The 26-year-old pushed Gareth McAuley over in the first-half, after the centre-back caught him on the thigh.

He then handled the ball in the second half when the Baggies were on the break, but didn't pick up a booking for either of those incidents.

He was shown a yellow card for flying into Darren Fletcher at pace with a tackle that looked slightly two-footed. Pulis said: "Harry Arter's a lucky boy tonight.

"His push on McAuley first half was really a yellow card, the handball second half that stops us breaking was a yellow card, and his tackle on Fletcher is a straight red card but we finished the game 11 against 11."

Albion took the lead in the 16th minute through a Salomon Rondon header, before goalkeeper Artur Boruc saved Craig Gardner's penalty at the end of the first half.

The Baggies have missed four out of five penalties this season and they were made to pay for this one eight minutes from time, when Matt Ritchie headed in an equaliser.

Pulis said: "We deserved to win the game. The players' attitude was very good. We've not got the results that we've deserved in the last five or six games, without a shadow of a doubt.

"This is another game where I'm really disappointed for the players, our set-up and organisation was very good.

"Obviously, we needed 'Gards' to score to make it 2-0 and if it goes to 2-0 we go on and comfortably win the game.

"We're a little bit disappointed that it never went our way, but that's nothing against the players.

"The players have come here on a boiling hot day, it was quite easy for them to have their sandals on and they didn't."

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Gardner had to wrestle the ball off Rondon before the spot kick, but Pulis claims it was agreed beforehand that the midfielder was on penalty duty.

Asked if he knew who was supposed to be taking the penalty with Saido Berahino on the bench, Pulis said: "I did, it was Gards."

But the Welshman heaped praise on Rondon - who scored his ninth goal of the season with a textbook header from a Jonny Evans cross.

Pulis said: "He's a good player. He's found it difficult at times to maintain the pace and the intensity of this league.

"It's the first time he's been with us in England, the language and everything else, but his attitude has been absolutely fantastic.

"We're looking forward to him hopefully having a big season next year.

"If you speak to him he's most probably missed six or seven chances (this season) that he would normally put away."

Pulis kept faith in 17-year-old Jonathan Leko after last weekend's impressive full debut against West Ham, and the 58-year-old was pleased once again with the youngster's performance.

He said: "Jonathan has been fantastic, last week against West Ham he was in our top four running stats and I'm sure he'll be there again today, and that's what we want from him.

"We're just asking him to run back [as well]. It's not too much to ask is it?"

Albion's boss started his management career at Bournemouth more than two decades ago and he coached Eddie Howe as a teenager.

Pulis praised the 38-year-old manager for keeping the Cherries up this season, but also mentioned the back-room staff at the club.

He said: "Eddie deserves a hell of a lot of credit for what he's done and what he's achieved but I also think the people behind the scenes deserve credit.

"So they've been really ambitious and they've really backed Eddie. When they're bringing three players off the bench worth that much money it's not as thought he hasn't got a good squad here."