Adarabioyo keeps it tight at the top
FULHAM were banging ever more ferociously on the door and Bournemouth couldn’t keep it shut. This engrossing battle of the Championship’s top two ended honours even. As you were — Fulham top, Bournemouth second but both oddson to go up automatically.
Six minutes remained when, after half an hour of intense pressure, Tom Cairney swung a left-footed cross into the box and defender Tosin Adarabioyo headed home.
It was the least Fulham deserved and extended their unbeaten run to a 10th game. It denied Scott Parker the perfect return to Craven
Cottage after his Bournemouth side scored just seven seconds after half-time.
You would be hard pressed to find a better executed routine from a kick-off. Philip Billing played a sumptuous left-footed ball that set Dominic Solanke clear.
He outmuscled Denis Odoi and the finish, high into the net, was superb. For a long while, it looked like sending Bournemouth back top. But Adarabioyo had other ideas.
It wasn’t the warmest of welcomes for Parker, who was jeered during the long walk from the tunnel beneath the Cottage to the away dug-out.
Further boos rang out whenever the travelling fans sung his name, with the Fulham faithful still unhappy about the way the manager departed after last season’s relegation.
In an open first half, Fulham’s Neeskens Kebano stood out down the left. Both Lewis Cook and Jack Stacey were booked for crudely bringing him down.
Twice Kebano forced Bournemouth keeper Mark Travers into parries inside the opening 15 minutes.
Solanke was in the wars early on, needing his head bandaged when he accidentally collided with Adarabioyo’s elbow.
But Solanke still rose above Joe Bryan to head Stacey’s cross wide and later rolled a shot across goal after showing neat footwork.
Fulham ended the half the stronger. Stacey’s block denied Kebano a certain goal from point-blank range but that was nothing on the heroics of captain Steve Cook.
Sprawled on the ground, he twice used his face to block first from Aleksandar Mitrovic and then Fabio Carvalho.
Kebano again tested Travers and Mitrovic headed inches over from Jean Michael Seri’s free-kick.
Travers denied Kebano yet again and the winger missed on the rebound after the Bournemouth keeper kept out Mitrovic’s header. Eventually, the goal did come.