Fulham 2 – 2 Bournemouth

Dango Ouattara’s 89th-minute strike saved Bournemouth a point as Fulham were held to an entertaining 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage.

When Harry Wilson scored his fifth goal of the season, the home side looked poised to overtake their rivals into sixth place, but Ouattara’s deft finish to Bernd Leno ensured both teams maintained their unbeaten streak, which has now stretched to seven games extended on both fronts.

Raul Jimenez’s header from an Andreas Pereira corner (40′) was canceled out by Evanilson’s brilliant turn and ended six minutes after the break (51′). Marco Silva’s men showed their fighting qualities once again this season when Wilson burst into Bournemouth’s penalty area and restored the home side’s lead (72′).

But Bournemouth made a habit of scoring important late goals through substitutes as substitute Ouattara would write the final chapter of this turbulent contest on the banks of the Thames.

“I’m very proud of the team,” said Cherries boss Andoni Iraola. “I think we put in a lot of effort today, as you can see from the bench we came in with.”

“We came in with everyone healthy and I definitely don’t think we deserved to lose that game. We had the chances and better moments than Fulham, but it is true that they were ahead twice so we have to appreciate and appreciate the point.”

The result means Fulham remain in eighth place after 19 games this season, with Bournemouth above them in sixth.

How Bournemouth fought back twice

Marco Silva looked frustrated on the touchline at the final whistle after watching his side lose further points from a winning position. There are now 19, significantly more than any other team and more than Fulham have lost in each of the last two seasons.

And yet it is the first time since the Mark Hughes era over 14 years ago that Fulham have gone seven games unbeaten in the Premier League.

Silva wrote in his program notes about finding solutions to compensate for the lack of key personnel, but with the appointment of Emile Smith Rowe on the bench, those problems are now easing – and on Sunday his players appeared to have found a way to claim the scalp liberate Bournemouth.

Wilson was a strong player throughout and it was a surprise when the Welshman was replaced late on by Fulham. He took his goal well and shot at Antonee Robinson’s cross to direct the ball in the same direction as Jimenez had done for the hosts’ opener.

Backing up Chelsea’s first win in 45 years with another success here is always going to prove a difficult task for the same players, and Iraola once again found joy on the bench.

The visitors were the better of the two teams in the first 45 minutes as Leno ran from his line to deny Antoine Semenyo. In the following corner, James Hill had his first Premier League goal disallowed as referee Robert Jones spotted a foul by Semenyo on Joachim Andersen. It was soft.

Fulham made the most of their reprieve. Bournemouth were unsettled and could have been reduced to 10 players when Ryan Christie was only shown a yellow card for a reckless attack on Robinson. VAR confirmed the decision on the pitch.

Afterwards, Silva said: “I think there is no doubt about the red card (for Ryan Christie). When I saw the red card for Tom Cairney against Tottenham it was much less aggressive. I saw Robinson’s leg at halftime. I can’t explain the referee’s decision to you, you’ll have to ask him. I don’t want to apologize, but for me it was a red card.

Evanilson’s goal was similar to the first he scored for Bournemouth against Southampton earlier this season, when he ran over Andersen’s shoulder and almost broke through the net. “It’s the classic Evan move. I think we’re learning to use him better in these situations,” Iraola added.

What was most impressive about this latest comeback was the fact that Fulham looked more likely to score a third after Ouattara’s equaliser.

This was due to a rare error from Leno as Enes Unal picked up his deficit. Semenyo cut inside and his shot attempt spilled free, allowing Ouattara to calmly direct his finish into the net.

Evanilson: We have to appreciate this point

Bournemouth striker Evanilson in conversation with Sky Sports:

“We have to value the point because we always knew it would be a difficult game. We played a good game.”

“It was a really difficult goal. I didn’t even believe the ball was in. After a while I went to celebrate and it was a really nice goal.”

“The manager really expects a lot in terms of intensity so we work hard during the week to maintain this high level.”

Silva: We have to be more ruthless with tips

Fulham Boss Marco Silva:

“It’s hard to endure a difficult game as we knew it would require a lot of energy as they play the game aggressively and we had to be able to handle that. In the first half it was more difficult for us to achieve our goal. Game, but it was balanced and a set piece made the difference up to that point.

“Our best moment was after we made it 2-1 and I felt Tom Cairney’s impact was big. We controlled our game and our possession of the ball was better. It was more like 3-1 than 2-2, but in the end. As the game went on we had to be more ruthless when we made a mistake. The ball wasn’t precise and they punished us.

“I think of West Ham, away to Everton, and the way we conceded in those games this afternoon. Yes, I expect us to learn from these moments and become more ruthless. We like to play with risk, but I expect us to be more mature and have the experience to read and manage the game differently. We weren’t pushed back, the game was in our control, so there’s no reason for us to lose points like that. The details make an impression.

Jimenez scores quickly – Opta stats

• All six of Raul Jimenez’s Premier League goals this season have given Fulham a 1-0 lead – only Chris Wood (8) has scored the opening goal in a game more times in the competition this season.
• Fulham scored two headed goals in the same Premier League game for the first time since December 2023 (against West Ham). In fact, they had only scored two headed goals in the entire league to date.
• Harry Wilson has scored five goals in 15 Premier League games for Fulham this season (4 starts), one more than he scored in 35 games in the competition last season (4).

History of the game in the statistics…

What’s coming up in the Premier League?