Bournemouth past Fulham to go second” />
Antoine Semenyo‘s two-goal performance propelled Bournemouth to a 3-1 victory over Fulham on Friday, elevating the Cherries to second place in the Premier League standings.
Fulham appeared poised to hand Bournemouth their first league loss since the season opener against Liverpool when Ryan Sessegnon put the visitors ahead in the 70th minute.
Nevertheless, Semenyo’s exceptional solo effort ignited Bournemouth’s resurgence.
Justin Kluivert then struck a powerful shot into the upper corner, and Semenyo sealed the comeback with a swift counter-attack goal deep into stoppage time.
Andoni Iraola’s squad now trails league leaders Liverpool by just a single point, with Liverpool set to face Chelsea on Sunday.
Bournemouth’s impressive rise is particularly notable considering they lost several key players last season to major clubs during the summer transfer window.
Defensive talents Dean Huijsen, Milos Kerkez, and Illia Zabarnyi transferred to Real Madrid, Liverpool, and Paris Saint-Germain, respectively.
“It feels fantastic,” Semenyo remarked about their current second-place position. “We lost many vital players, but the season’s start has been outstanding, and the atmosphere here is incredible.”
– Match Ignited in Final Stages –
At the Vitality Stadium, both teams struggled to maintain fluid play amid the harsh conditions brought by Storm Amy, which unleashed heavy rain and strong winds across the UK.
The match only gained momentum in the last 20 minutes when Sessegnon combined smoothly with Samuel Chukwueze before firing a shot over goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic.
However, Semenyo quickly erased the deficit, sprinting past Timothy Castagne to the byline and slotting the ball neatly through the legs of Fulham’s keeper, Bernd Leno.
While Semenyo earned the assist for Bournemouth’s second goal, it was Kluivert who impressed with a spectacular long-range strike.
Despite being mostly used off the bench by Iraola this season, Kluivert demonstrated his striking prowess, collecting the ball near midfield and driving forward before curling a precise shot into the top corner.
Fulham’s push for an equalizer left them vulnerable at the back during stoppage time.
Ben Gannon-Doak broke away from a Fulham corner, maintained his composure, and waited for support before delivering a perfect pass to Semenyo, who netted his sixth goal in seven Premier League appearances this season.
The loss leaves Fulham in 11th place with eight points from seven matches.
“It’s a hard defeat for us, especially given how we lost,” Fulham manager Marco Silva commented. “We had the game under control at 1-0.”