A second-half penalty from Aleksandar Mitrovic earned Fulham a second successive Premier League victory and a first away win of the season as they defeated AFC Bournemouth 1-0.
Scott Parker made two changes to the side that defeated Everton a week previous at Craven Cottage as Timothy Fosu-Mensah, who has returned to parent Club Manchester United to receive treatment on a knee ligament injury, was replaced in the starting XI by Denis Odoi. The only other change saw Tom Cairney miss the match due to the birth of his child which resulted in Jean Michaël Seri starting in his stead.
The Cherries, who thrashed Brighton a week prior, slipped to a third loss in five games at the Vitality Stadium as Aleksandar Mitrovic’s second-half penalty gave the Cottagers a first away victory this term. It spoiled Eddie Howe’s 500th game as a manager and gave Fulham their first back-to-back Premier League victories since April 2014.
Parker, who replaced the sacked Claudio Ranieri in February, believes it is crucial to reconnect with disgruntled supporters before their return to the Championship. “Really satisfying, back-to-back wins, another clean sheet as well. It’s been a good day really,” he said. “Eight weeks ago, I spoke about the fans, I spoke about how distant they’d become from the team and one of my main aims was trying to bring the fans together, or certainly a lot closer to the team.”
“They’ve been first-class, and I am really pleased that the last two games we’ve got two wins. OK, it’s just something small in terms of how the season has gone for them but hopefully, they’ve had a good couple of weekends.”
Wilson’s performance sums up Cherries season
It has a been a season of bleak and peak performances for the Cherries and one wonders if Eddie Howe has taken them to their top potential in his time at the club. Bournemouth winger Ryan Fraser was concise, saying defeat by the already relegated Fulham “summed up” an inconsistent season of being “good one week and a shamble the next”.
After scoring his 12th Premier League goal of the season in Bournemouth’s 5-0 rout of Brighton a week earlier, Wilson had a forgettable afternoon and missed a sitter in the opening minutes. He had multiple chances to get what would have been his 13th goal of the season, fashioning the first shooting chance after just 55 seconds but the striker’s effort was too high and did not trouble Fulham goalkeeper Sergio Rico.
David Brooks and Wilson then combined to create an opening for Ryan Fraser, the Scotsman’s strike deflected for a corner. The following corner was delivered to the far post by Fraser and Nathan Ake tried to flick the ball to Wilson who was beaten to it by Rico.
Eddie Howe was his bemused in his reaction, “Tough one to take. We were so good last week, so clinical in front of goal, some of our passing and movement was of the highest quality. Today that was missing…we created the opportunities today, we got into the positions, but we didn’t quite execute the finish right or the final pass and it’ll be a frustration because we felt we could have won that game today.”
Could Parker become the full-time manager at Craven Cottage?
Having gathered just two points on their travels all season, the odds were stacked against Fulham when they arrived on the South Coast. With their relegation to the Championship confirmed a fortnight ago, it was hard to see how the division’s second leakiest defence could contain a Bournemouth side that looked so irresistible when scoring five at Brighton last Saturday.
However, after taking time to grow into the game and capitalising on the Cherries’ early wastefulness, caretaker manager Scott Parker saw his side earn a victory they more than merited. “I asked the team if they could back up the performance [against Everton] and the challenge was: can we get the first away win and win two on the bounce?” Parker said.
“It was a fine performance last week and today was the same.” You can see Parker doing and building all the right things, he has brought a doggedness in defence and resoluteness and discipline in midfield, much like his own playing days. For a team filled with semi stars, this could be a quality worth continuing with if they are to come back up next season.
Chances aplenty but it could be a case of mind ‘on the beach’ for the Cherries
The numbers were all stacked in Bournemouth’s favour prior to and during the first half of this fixture, but the game went dramatically off script once Mitrovic had stroked home from the penalty spot.
The Cherries had enjoyed close to 70% of the possession in the first 20 minutes but Wilson’s ballooned effort inside the first minute ended up setting the tone for an unproductive afternoon. That was the first of several gilt-edged chances that came and went for Howe’s team. The reorganised Bournemouth line did struggle against the Lilywhites as Fulham craved out nine chances in the second half.
It leaves Bournemouth one victory short of what could be a club record of 13 in a Premier League season and five points adrift of their best ever points tally (46 in 2016-17). “We created enough chances to win the game, but we obviously didn’t take those. We were rocked with a couple of injuries and that’s never easy to take,” Howe said. “The effort was there but the quality wasn’t there. From last week it was the opposite, the decision making wasn’t quite where it was.”
‘Bullish’ Mitrovic could be one of the first transfer targets out, as Fulham prepare for life in the Championship
Rumoured to be a transfer target for West Ham, among other clubs, Mitrovic was in confident mood and he caused Bournemouth problems all afternoon while also grabbing the winner.
The Serbian striker won and scored a second-half penalty as Scott Parker’s side chalked up back-to-back victories and the sort of performance they seemed incapable of delivering during a nine-game losing streak between February and April. He also had captain’s words for the travelling long-suffering fans, who had seen them take just two points on the road all season.
“It was unbelievable; since we were relegated everywhere we go our stand is full — we have the best fans in the world, we really appreciate this,” the striker said. “This season they were world class and deserve more…we need to keep fighting, playing for us, playing for them, for the club. We showed we can play in the Premier League. Of course, we are really disappointed.”
Mitrovic caused problems all afternoon. A quality that could serve well for any mid-table team looking to add a striker ready to peak. The 24-year-old lashed a left-foot volley over in the first half when well placed, but made no mistake from 12 yards after drawing a foul from Simpson. His nuisance value was underlined by his five shots on goal, which was only bettered by Bournemouth winger Fraser.
What’s next for both?
Bournemouth make the short trip to South Coast rivals Southampton next Saturday while Fulham bid to make it three wins on the spin when they host Cardiff on the same day.
