Premier League
BournemouthAFC Bournemouth2FulhamFulham1

Bournemouth 2-1 Fulham: Dominic Solanke winner boosts Cherries' Premier League survival hopes

By Joe RindlBBC Sport
Bournemouth's Marcus Tavernier celebrates his goal
Marcus Tavernier was playing in just his third match in 2023

Bournemouth leapt out of the Premier League relegation zone with a second-half turnaround as goals from Marcus Tavernier and Dominic Solanke helped them beat Fulham at Vitality Stadium.

Solanke bundled home the hosts' winner in the 79th minute, scoring his first league goal since November.

Earlier, substitute Tavernier had struck a stunning, curling equaliser into the top corner.

Fulham had taken the lead through Andreas Pereira's side-footed effort in the 16th minute.

Goalscorer Tavernier said he believes his Bournemouth side "are here to stay in the division" after victory moved them up to 15th place.

Bournemouth are one point clear of the relegation zone, having started the day in 19th.

"We're full of belief at the moment, in the past two games you can see that," Tavernier told BBC Match of the Day. "If we carry on playing like that we have a good chance."

"I think the team's performance showed that in the second half that we are here to stay in the division."

Cherries combine resilience with brilliance

This was only Bournemouth's third win since November and only the second time since the Premier League returned after the World Cup that they have scored more than once in a match.

When Fulham took an early lead, it seemed Gary O'Neil's side were destined for an 11th loss in 15 games across all competitions.

But they were inspired by midfielder Tavernier, who had not made an appearance for the Cherries since scoring and then aggravating a hamstring injury in a 1-0 win over Wolves on 18 February.

"It's been a tough couple of months for me getting injured and then coming back and getting injured again," Tavernier added.

The Englishman came on for Jaidon Anthony at half-time and made an immediate impact, curling in from range for his fourth goal in five appearances.

It was the lift the hosts needed, with Dango Ouattara having struck the crossbar while standing in an offside position during the first half, and Marcos Senesi seeing a shot blocked on the line by Tim Ream early in the second.

Tavernier continued to haunt Fulham's defenders with two more driven shots that were well saved by Bernd Leno, before Bournemouth's deserved winner finally came, with Solanke tapping home a rebound after the visitors' goalkeeper had kept out Ryan Christie's initial strike.

"It's a game that you need to win," O'Neil told BBC Match of the Day. "They produced one hell of a display.

"We injected some energy with some fresh faces and one of those fresh faces smashed the ball into the top corner from 20 yards out. That helps.

"[Tavernier] is a huge player for us. Let's keep him with us for the rest of the season and he'll play a part."

Fulham lack firepower without Mitrovic

Fulham head coach Marco Silva said his side lacked a "killer instinct" as defeat saw his side lose three consecutive league matches for the first time this season.

They remain ninth in the Premier League table as their European qualification hopes suffered a blow.

They were without key forward Aleksandar Mitrovic and winger Willian, who were both sent off in their FA Cup defeat by Manchester United last time out.

Silva, also dismissed during that tie, was in the dugout after requesting a personal hearing over his Football Association charge, delaying any suspension.

His side raced out of the blocks, Pereira opening the scoring after good play from Manor Solomon and Harrison Reed.

But the visitors were unable to double their lead, with defender Antonee Robinson hitting the bar in the first period, and the Cottagers looked flat in the second half.

"We were so clearly the better team in the first half," Silva told BBC Match of the Day.

"I think we had a little bit [of a] lack of a killer instinct in the second half because we were so much the better team."

The Cottagers are four points behind west London rivals Brentford, who currently sit in a Europa Conference League qualification spot in seventh.

"It was a strong reaction from them and of course, we lost control of the game," added Silva.

"We switched off completely, we were punished by that, it was sloppy."

Silva's side face West Ham at home in their next match next Saturday, with Bournemouth at home to Brighton on Tuesday in their next game.

Player of the match

ChristieRyan Christie

with an average of 8.06

AFC Bournemouth

  1. Squad number10Player nameChristie
    Average rating

    8.06

  2. Squad number16Player nameTavernier
    Average rating

    7.55

  3. Squad number24Player nameSemenyo
    Average rating

    7.37

  4. Squad number9Player nameSolanke
    Average rating

    6.81

  5. Squad number29Player nameBilling
    Average rating

    6.76

  6. Squad number13Player nameNeto
    Average rating

    6.69

  7. Squad number25Player nameSenesi
    Average rating

    6.69

  8. Squad number3Player nameStephens
    Average rating

    6.60

  9. Squad number22Player nameTraorè
    Average rating

    6.58

  10. Squad number8Player nameLerma
    Average rating

    6.55

  11. Squad number5Player nameKelly
    Average rating

    6.52

  12. Squad number15Player nameA Smith
    Average rating

    6.51

  13. Squad number32Player nameAnthony
    Average rating

    6.37

  14. Squad number14Player nameRothwell
    Average rating

    6.26

  15. Squad number11Player nameOuattara
    Average rating

    6.22

Fulham

  1. Squad number26Player nameJoão Palhinha
    Average rating

    6.10

  2. Squad number18Player nameAndreas Pereira
    Average rating

    5.82

  3. Squad number11Player nameSolomon
    Average rating

    5.80

  4. Squad number13Player nameReam
    Average rating

    5.57

  5. Squad number6Player nameReed
    Average rating

    5.56

  6. Squad number33Player nameRobinson
    Average rating

    5.46

  7. Squad number2Player nameTete
    Average rating

    5.45

  8. Squad number21Player nameJames
    Average rating

    5.36

  9. Squad number17Player nameLeno
    Average rating

    5.33

  10. Squad number31Player nameDiop
    Average rating

    5.32

  11. Squad number14Player nameDe Cordova-Reid
    Average rating

    5.13

  12. Squad number30Player nameCarlos Vinícius
    Average rating

    5.02

  13. Squad number10Player nameCairney
    Average rating

    4.99

  14. Squad number8Player nameWilson
    Average rating

    4.21

  15. Squad number12Player nameCédric Soares
    Average rating

    3.82

  16. Squad number28Player nameLukic
    Average rating

    3.63

Line-ups

Bournemouth

Formation 4-4-1-1

  • 13Neto
  • 15A Smith
  • 3Stephens
  • 25Senesi
  • 5Kelly
  • 11OuattaraSubstituted forChristieat 45'minutes
  • 14RothwellSubstituted forTraorèat 72'minutes
  • 8LermaBooked at 60mins
  • 32AnthonySubstituted forTavernierat 45'minutes
  • 29Billing
  • 9SolankeSubstituted forSemenyoat 90'minutes

Substitutes

  • 1Travers
  • 4L Cook
  • 7Brooks
  • 10Christie
  • 16Tavernier
  • 18Viña
  • 22Traorè
  • 24Semenyo
  • 27Zabarnyi

Fulham

Formation 4-2-3-1

  • 17Leno
  • 2TeteBooked at 67minsSubstituted forCédric Soaresat 82'minutes
  • 31Diop
  • 13Ream
  • 33RobinsonBooked at 90mins
  • 6ReedSubstituted forCairneyat 69'minutesBooked at 81mins
  • 26João PalhinhaSubstituted forWilsonat 88'minutes
  • 14De Cordova-ReidSubstituted forJamesat 69'minutes
  • 18PereiraBooked at 59minsSubstituted forLukicat 82'minutes
  • 11Solomon
  • 30Carlos Vinícius

Substitutes

  • 1Rodák
  • 4Tosin
  • 5Duffy
  • 8Wilson
  • 10Cairney
  • 12Cédric Soares
  • 21James
  • 28Lukic
  • 35Francois
Referee:
Peter Bankes
Attendance:
10,305

Match Stats

Home TeamBournemouthAway TeamFulham
Possession
Home43%
Away57%
Shots
Home12
Away10
Shots on Target
Home7
Away2
Corners
Home4
Away3
Fouls
Home15
Away13

Live Text

  1. Post update

    Match ends, Bournemouth 2, Fulham 1.

  2. Full Time

    Second Half ends, Bournemouth 2, Fulham 1.

  3. Post update

    Foul by Carlos Vinícius (Fulham).

  4. Post update

    Jack Stephens (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  5. Post update

    Dan James (Fulham) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  6. Post update

    Foul by Hamed Traorè (Bournemouth).

  7. Booking

    Antonee Robinson (Fulham) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

  8. Post update

    Foul by Antonee Robinson (Fulham).

  9. Post update

    Ryan Christie (Bournemouth) wins a free kick on the right wing.

  10. Substitution

    Substitution, Bournemouth. Antoine Semenyo replaces Dominic Solanke.

  11. Substitution

    Substitution, Fulham. Harry Wilson replaces João Palhinha.

  12. Post update

    Attempt blocked. Dan James (Fulham) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Manor Solomon.

  13. Post update

    Foul by João Palhinha (Fulham).

  14. Post update

    Dominic Solanke (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  15. Post update

    Attempt missed. Jefferson Lerma (Bournemouth) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Philip Billing with a cross following a set piece situation.

  16. Post update

    Foul by Sasa Lukic (Fulham).

  17. Post update

    Lloyd Kelly (Bournemouth) wins a free kick on the left wing.

  18. Post update

    Delay over. They are ready to continue.

  19. Substitution

    Substitution, Fulham. Sasa Lukic replaces Andreas Pereira.

  20. Substitution

    Substitution, Fulham. Cédric Soares replaces Kenny Tete.

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