Fulham were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw at home against Bournemouth in their final Premier League match of the year on Sunday, as Dango Ouattara scored a dramatic equalizer for the visitors late in the game at Craven Cottage.
With both teams remaining unbeaten in December, Bournemouth finished the year in sixth place with 30 points, while Fulham are one point behind in eighth, below Newcastle United on goal difference.
Fulham appeared poised to climb into sixth when Raúl Jiménez and Harry Wilson gave them a 2-1 lead, but Ouattara, who had come on as a substitute, struck late for the second time this season to ensure both teams shared the spoils.
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola reflected on the game, saying, “We normally finish games strong, we value the subs and what they give us energy-wise. We had 13 outfield players for the first team. If anyone deserved to win today then it was more Bournemouth than Fulham. I thought we played very well in the first half but at least we could recover one point.”
The match started with both sides creating chances, with Bournemouth’s David Brooks and Fulham’s Wilson finding room in the box to shoot, but goalkeepers Bernd Leno and Kepa Arrizabalaga denied their efforts.
Fulham’s Issa Diop came close to making an error when he misjudged a long ball, allowing Evanilson to race in on goal, but the Brazilian forward missed his opportunity.
Fulham broke the deadlock in the 40th minute when Jiménez, unmarked, powered a header past Bournemouth’s defense from a corner, claiming his sixth league goal of the season — all of which have been first goals.
A rough tackle on Fulham’s Antonee Robinson by Ryan Christie sparked a confrontation, with the referee awarding a yellow card and VAR deciding against a potential red card.
Bournemouth quickly responded after the break, equalizing in the 51st minute when James Hill’s cross found Evanilson, who volleyed past Leno from a tight angle.
Reflecting on the goal, Evanilson said, “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.”
Fulham regained the lead in the 72nd minute when Robinson crossed for Wilson, who headed home his second goal in as many games to give his side a 2-1 advantage.
But Bournemouth’s persistence paid off when they equalized in the 89th minute. Antoine Semenyo regained possession for the visitors, passing to Ouattara, who chipped the ball over an advancing Leno to seal the draw.
Fulham’s Marco Silva admitted his team could have done better, “We have to be more ruthless. We go with the strange feeling that we should have taken more points. We should have more impact on the table but seven games unbeaten after playing every three days is a great run from us.”
