Fulham suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth in a scrappy Monday night clash on the south coast.
The match got off to a disastrous start for Fulham, as Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo scored just 53 seconds in. He slipped past Antonee Robinson on the right and curled a low shot into the bottom corner beyond Bernd Leno’s reach. The Cherries nearly doubled their lead in the 17th minute when Evanilson smashed a shot off the bar from close range after Alex Scott’s knockdown.
Fulham responded with a dangerous free-kick from Andreas Pereira that Joachim Andersen headed goalward, but Kepa Arrizabalaga made the save. Evanilson remained a threat, forcing a deflection from Timothy Castagne and narrowly missing with a half-volley from the ensuing corner.
Rodrigo Muniz nearly levelled the match after capitalizing on a defensive mix-up, but dragged his shot just wide. Muniz continued to trouble Bournemouth’s backline, forcing multiple saves from Kepa with efforts on the turn and from a corner.
As the first half wore on, Fulham began to control more of the game. Ryan Sessegnon tested Kepa again following good work from Alex Iwobi. Bournemouth’s Marcos Senesi was fortunate to avoid a red card for a reckless challenge on Andersen. Just before the break, Leno made a crucial save to deny Scott and keep the deficit at one.
After halftime, Bournemouth had a decent chance through Dango Ouattara, but Leno was sharp again. Iwobi and Saša Lukić each had long-range strikes saved by the alert Kepa, while Adama Traoré and Tom Cairney came close to equalizing with late efforts.
Fulham’s best late chance came when Willian lofted a cross to Raúl Jiménez, whose header was deflected behind. Despite their pressure and numerous attempts, the visitors couldn’t find a breakthrough, and Bournemouth held on for all three points.
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