Dean Huijsen sends Kepa joke after Bournemouth penalty scare against Wolves
Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen saw the funny side of his penalty miss after his side scraped through against Wolves.
Huijsen had a nightmare game against Wolves, missing his attempt in a penalty shootout after the two teams were tied at 1-1 in normal time.
Evanilson opened the scoring in the 30th minute, after Newcastle’s top target Antoine Semenyo had his effort saved following a mazy run, and the Brazilian was there to poke home.
Just four minute later, the Cherries thought they had doubled their lead, but a malfunction in the semi-automated offside system caused VAR to spend eight minutes looking at the goal, before disallowing what would have been Huijsen’s third Bournemouth strike.
Matheus Cunha then opened Wolves’ account with a thunder-strike from 35 yards out, on the hour mark.
The Brazilian striker was the talking point once again, as extra-time neared an end, the former Atletico Madrid forward was sent off for a headbutt on Liverpool target Milos Kerkez.
Following a nervy penalty shootout, in which Huijsen missed his attempt, Bournemouth scraped through thanks to misses from Matt Doherty and Boubacar Traore.
Dean Huijsen thanks Bournemouth teammate Kepa Arrizabalaga
Following the win, Huijsen posted an image of his teammates celebrating on his Instagram story, captioned: “Hahaha thanks for the good penalties guys and also to Kepa Arrizabalaga.”
The Spanish goalkeeper was able to save Traore’s effort, which eventually won the Cherries the tie.
| 2024/25 Premier League stats | Huijsen |
| Appearances | 21 |
| Starts | 16 |
| Goals | 2 |
| Yellow cards | 5 |
| Minutes | 1,510 |
Arrizabalaga is on-loan at Bournemouth, and has quietly had a good season for his side, whilst his parent club Chelsea struggle to find a reliable option between the sticks.
The former Athletic Club goalkeeper has kept five clean sheets and only conceded 25 goals in 20 games for his side this season.
Bournemouth preparing for bidding war for Dean Huijsen this summer
Football Insider Verdict
With reports of Liverpool and Juventus being interested in the Spanish centre-back, Huijsen looks set for a step-up to one of Europe’s giants.
The tall centre-back is a calm presence at the back, alongside Illia Zabarnyi, and the pair have built up a fantastic partnership together this season.
However, for Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola, the summer may be spent attempting to replace the former Juventus man should he leave.