EPL: Bournemouth Snatch Late Equalizer to Frustrate Fulham at Craven Cottage

Bournemouth struck late to earn a 2-2 draw at Fulham, with Dango Ouattara's injury-time goal canceling out Harry Wilson's earlier strike.

Dango Ouattara's late equalizer ensured Bournemouth escaped Craven Cottage with a share of the points, as they drew 2-2 with Fulham. This result extends Bournemouth's unbeaten league run to seven games and provisionally maintains their position in the Premier League's top six.

Bournemouth, seeking to achieve a fourth consecutive league away win for the first time in a year, started brightly and created the first two clear-cut chances of the match. The Cherries' positive start was a testament to their buoyant form, which has seen them rise to prominence in the Premier League this season.

David Brooks was presented with two early opportunities to capitalize, first unleashing a strike from the edge of the box that forced Bernd Leno into a save on the 10-minute mark. Brooks followed up with another attempt just minutes later, but his effort sailed narrowly wide of the left post.

Bernd Leno made another crucial intervention on the half-hour mark, producing a spectacular stop to deny Antoine Semenyo. Semenyo had managed to find space inside the box, allowing him to unleash a close-range shot that Leno expertly saved, showcasing his impressive reflexes.

The match had reached a stalemate, with both teams evenly matched and struggling to create clear-cut opportunities. It seemed that a moment of luck or individual brilliance would be required to break the deadlock, as both goalkeepers, Bernd Leno and Kepa Arrizabalaga, made crucial interventions to keep the score level.

As the game entered its final quarter, both goalkeepers continued to shine. Kepa Arrizabalaga made a particularly impressive save, denying Raúl Jiménez's header from finding the bottom-right corner. The Bournemouth goalkeeper's heroics seemed to have swung the momentum in his team's favor.

However, fate had other plans, and Fulham regained the lead on 72 minutes. Antonee Robinson's cross took a fortuitous deflection, catching Kepa off guard, and Harry Wilson capitalized on the opportunity, heading the ball in at close range to put the Cottagers back in front.

Fulham finally sparked to life, scoring against the run of play five minutes before halftime. Raúl Jiménez met Andreas Pereira's corner with a powerful header, netting his seventh goal of the season and giving the Cottagers a surprise lead.

As the first half drew to a close, Alex Iwobi had a golden opportunity to double Fulham's advantage, but he frustratingly fired over the bar, leaving the Cottagers with a slender lead at the break. Notably, Jiménez's goal continued a peculiar trend, where all seven of his goals in the 2024/25 campaign had opened the scoring, although only one had proven decisive.

Fulham's lead was short-lived, as Bournemouth equalized just five minutes into the second half. Evanilson's precise shot found the top-right corner of Bernd Leno's net, restoring parity to the match and setting the stage for a thrilling conclusion.

Fulham failed to heed the warning signs, and Bournemouth ultimately had the last laugh. In the dying embers of normal time, Antoine Semenyo picked out Dango Ouattara inside the box, and the latter seized the opportunity, spotting Bernd Leno off his line before expertly chipping the ball into the net, silencing the Fulham faithful.

Despite the crushing late equalizer, Fulham can take solace in their impressive home form, having now gone four games unbeaten at Craven Cottage. Additionally, Marco Silva's managerial record against Bournemouth remains unblemished, with the Fulham boss boasting an unbeaten record (W3, D3) against the Cherries.