Fulham 2-2 Bournemouth: Dango Ouattara scores 89th-minute equaliser as Cherries fight back to earn point

Dango Ouattara's 89th-minute strike rescued a point for Bournemouth as Fulham were held to an entertaining 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage.

The home side looked set to leapfrog their rivals into sixth place when Harry Wilson glanced in his fifth goal of the season but Ouattara's deft execution over Bernd Leno ensured both teams preserved their unbeaten runs, which have stretched to seven games on both fronts.

Raul Jimenez's header from Andreas Pereira's corner (40) had been cancelled out by Evanilson's brilliant turn and finish six minutes after half-time (51). Marco Silva's men would once more demonstrate their battling qualities this term as Wilson ghosted into the Bournemouth box to restore the home side's lead (72).

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• Teams | Match stats: Honours even at the Cottage
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But Bournemouth have developed a habit of scoring vital late goals through substitutes as replacement Ouattara would pen the final chapter of this helter-skelter contest on the banks of the River Thames.

"I'm very proud of the team," Cherries boss Andoni Iraola said. "I think we did today a hell of an effort as you can see the bench we arrived with.

"We came with everyone who was healthy and I definitely don't think we deserved to lose this game. We had the chances and better moments than Fulham but it's true that they were ahead twice so we have to value and appreciate the point."

The result means Fulham stay in eighth position while Bournemouth remain above them in sixth after 19 games this season.

How Bournemouth battled back twice

Marco Silva cut a frustrated figure on the touchline at the final whistle, having witnessed his side drop more points from a winning position. It is 19 now, comfortably more than any other side and more than Fulham have let slip in each of the past two seasons.

And yet, it is the first time that Fulham have gone seven games unbeaten in the Premier League since under Mark Hughes over 14 years ago.

Silva wrote in his programme notes about finding solutions to absorb the absence of key personnel, but with Emile Smith Rowe named on the bench, those problems are now easing - and on Sunday, his players appeared to have found a route to prise the scalp of Bournemouth.

Wilson was a livewire throughout and it was a surprise when the Welshman was replaced late on with Fulham in the ascendancy. He took his goal very well, darting onto Antonee Robinson's cross to direct the ball in much the same way Jimenez had done for the hosts' opener.

Backing up a first victory at Chelsea in 45 years with another success here was always likely to prove a difficult ask of the same players, and Iraola again found joy from his bench.

The visitors were the better of the two sides in the opening 45 minutes as Leno raced from his line to deny Antoine Semenyo. From the ensuing corner, James Hill was denied his first Premier League goal as referee Robert Jones spotted a foul by Semenyo on Joachim Andersen. It was soft.

Fulham made the most of their reprieve. Bournemouth were rattled and could have been reduced to 10 players when Ryan Christie was only shown a yellow card for a reckless challenge on Robinson. VAR upheld the on-field decision.

Speaking afterwards, Silva said: "I think there is no doubt about the red card [for Ryan Christie]. When I saw the red card for Tom Cairney against Tottenham, it was much less aggressive. I saw the leg of Robinson at half-time. I cannot explain to you the decision of the referee, you will have to ask him. I don't want to make excuses [about the challenge] but for me it was a red card."

Evanilson's goal was similar to the first he scored for Bournemouth earlier this season against Southampton, running off the shoulder of Andersen to almost break the net. "It's the classical movement of Evan, I think we are learning to use him better in these situations," added Iraola.

What impressed most about this latest fightback was how Fulham looked more likely to score the third when Ouattara's leveller arrived.

It came from a rare mistake from Issa Diop as his slack clearance was picked up by Enes Unal. Semenyo cut inside and his attempted shot squirted free for Ouattara to calmly lift his finish into the net.

Evanilson: We have to value the point

Bournemouth striker Evanilson speaking to Sky Sports:

"We have to value the point because we always knew it would be a tough game. We played a good match.

"It was a really tough goal. I didn't even believe the ball was in. After a while I went off to celebrate and it was a really nice goal.

"The manager really expects a lot in terms of intensity so we work hard during the week to keep these high levels."

Silva: We must be more ruthless with leads

Fulham boss Marco Silva:

"It a tough one to take in a difficult game, as we knew it would take a lot of energy as they make the game aggressive and we had to be able to deal with it. The first half was more difficult for us to set our game but it was balanced and a set piece made the difference up to that point.

"Our best moment was after we made it 2-1 and I felt the impact of Tom Cairney was big. We settled our game and our possession was better. It was closer then to 3-1 than 2-2 but at the end of the game we had to be more ruthless. We were punished from a moment where we made a mistake. The ball wasn't precise and they punished us.

"I think of West Ham, away at Everton, and this afternoon, the way we have conceded in those games, yes I expect us to learn from these moments and to be more ruthless. We like to play with risk, but I expect us to be more mature and we have the experience to read the game and manage the game in a different way. We weren't being pushed back, the game was in our control so there are no reasons for us to drop points like this. All the details make an impact."

Jimenez quick off the mark - Opta stats

• All six of Raul Jimenez's Premier League goals this season have put Fulham 1-0 up - only Chris Wood (8) has scored the opening goal of a game more often in the competition this term.
• Fulham scored two headed goals in the same Premier League game for the first time since December 2023 (vs West Ham). Indeed, they'd netted just two headers in the league all season before today.
• Harry Wilson has scored five goals in 15 Premier League appearances for Fulham this season (4 starts), one more than he netted in 35 games in the competition last term (4).

Story of the match in stats...

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