Match ends, Bournemouth 2, Fulham 1.
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."
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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
AFC Bournemouth
Avg
- Squad number10Player nameChristieAverage rating
8.06
- Squad number16Player nameTavernierAverage rating
7.55
- Squad number24Player nameSemenyoAverage rating
7.37
- Squad number9Player nameSolankeAverage rating
6.81
- Squad number29Player nameBillingAverage rating
6.76
- Squad number13Player nameNetoAverage rating
6.69
- Squad number25Player nameSenesiAverage rating
6.69
- Squad number3Player nameStephensAverage rating
6.60
- Squad number22Player nameTraorèAverage rating
6.58
- Squad number8Player nameLermaAverage rating
6.55
- Squad number5Player nameKellyAverage rating
6.52
- Squad number15Player nameA SmithAverage rating
6.51
- Squad number32Player nameAnthonyAverage rating
6.37
- Squad number14Player nameRothwellAverage rating
6.26
- Squad number11Player nameOuattaraAverage rating
6.22
Fulham
Avg
- Squad number26Player nameJoão PalhinhaAverage rating
6.10
- Squad number18Player nameAndreas PereiraAverage rating
5.82
- Squad number11Player nameSolomonAverage rating
5.80
- Squad number13Player nameReamAverage rating
5.57
- Squad number6Player nameReedAverage rating
5.56
- Squad number33Player nameRobinsonAverage rating
5.46
- Squad number2Player nameTeteAverage rating
5.45
- Squad number21Player nameJamesAverage rating
5.36
- Squad number17Player nameLenoAverage rating
5.33
- Squad number31Player nameDiopAverage rating
5.32
- Squad number14Player nameDe Cordova-ReidAverage rating
5.13
- Squad number30Player nameCarlos ViníciusAverage rating
5.02
- Squad number10Player nameCairneyAverage rating
4.99
- Squad number8Player nameWilsonAverage rating
4.21
- Squad number12Player nameCédric SoaresAverage rating
3.82
- Squad number28Player nameLukicAverage 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
- Possession
- Home43%
- Away57%
- Shots
- Home12
- Away10
- Shots on Target
- Home7
- Away2
- Corners
- Home4
- Away3
- Fouls
- Home15
- Away13
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Bournemouth 2, Fulham 1.
Post update
Foul by Carlos Vinícius (Fulham).
Post update
Jack Stephens (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Dan James (Fulham) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Hamed Traorè (Bournemouth).
Booking
Antonee Robinson (Fulham) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Foul by Antonee Robinson (Fulham).
Post update
Ryan Christie (Bournemouth) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Substitution
Substitution, Bournemouth. Antoine Semenyo replaces Dominic Solanke.
Substitution
Substitution, Fulham. Harry Wilson replaces João Palhinha.
Post update
Attempt blocked. Dan James (Fulham) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Manor Solomon.
Post update
Foul by João Palhinha (Fulham).
Post update
Dominic Solanke (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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.
Post update
Foul by Sasa Lukic (Fulham).
Post update
Lloyd Kelly (Bournemouth) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Post update
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Substitution
Substitution, Fulham. Sasa Lukic replaces Andreas Pereira.
Substitution
Substitution, Fulham. Cédric Soares replaces Kenny Tete.
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Comments
Join the conversation
First half was shocking but deserved it in the end. Fulham look pretty decent on the ball. You can see why they've done so well this season.
UTCIAD
Think it was a case of Cherrys wanting it more.
With a 500,000 catchment area Bournemouth have the potential to be .... massive!
GON got his tactics completely wrong in the first and AFCB were totally overrun and outplayed. Fortunately he recognised it and made the changes which transformed the game. Tav and Christie made all the difference, but Solanke, even though he worked hard is out of sorts.