Fulham 2 Bournemouth 2: Mitrovic salvages point for hosts as O’Neil continues six-game unbeaten run with Cherries
IT is hard to ignore Gary O’Neil now.
His management at Bournemouth is just six games old and they are all unbeaten.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City juggernauts, who play Liverpool tomorrow, are the only other club who have not lost in their last six Premier League matches.
Dominic Solanke got them on their way with the fastest top-flight goal of the season on one minute and three seconds.
Ex-West Ham Issa Diop, on his first home start, headed home the leveller for his first Prem goal in 18 months before it was cancelled out by Jefferson Lerma.
But lethal Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, back from injury, threatened to rain on the Cherries’ redhot parade as he made it 2-2 from the penalty spot.
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It is time to put some respect on Bournemouth’s name who are still being tipped by the bookies as favourites to go down.
They are sitting pretty in the top half of the table in ninth on 12 points, although Fulham are snapping at their heels in tenth and one point behind.
Caretaker boss O’Neill also made a serious case for his permanent appointment.
A point was a major boost to the Cottagers who needed to save their stuttering Prem form after suffering back-to-back defeats for the first time this term.
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Mito who missed the defeat at West Ham last Sunday with a foot injury was back starting.
The Serb may have grabbed all the headlines before kick off but it was Solanke who stole the show with a dream start.
Marcus Tavernier swung a pass to the striker who silkily played a one-two with Philip Billing before slotting home just over a minute in while Fulham shirked their defensive duties.
Fulham hit back strongly though with a flurry of chances from Dan James, Andreas Pereira, Neeskens Kebano and Joao Palinha.
The hosts were building – they just needed another sniff at goal, but no one expected it to arrive from Diop who was starting in place of stalwart Tosin Adarabioya.
The leveller began with Pereira’s inch-perfect corner which found Diop who nodded beyond Neto on 22 minutes with his first Prem goal in 18 months.
Tempers flared when ex-Fulham Ryan Fredericks twisted the knife into his old pal Tim Ream with a blatant dive in the box before he was booked.
Cue a cacophony of boos and chants of “cheat” from fans in the Johnny Haynes stand – who used to have a prime view of his twinkle toes gliding up the right-flank in a Fulham shirt.
The hosts lost their focus and it was all too easy again for Bournemouth to get back in the driving seat just seven minutes later.
After another blistering Bournemouth counterattack Solanke waltzed into the box unmarked and teed up Lerma had the freedom to rifle home.
The heroics of Bernd Leno denied the Cherries a third before the break as he sprung to keep out an initial close-range shot from Lerma and then Adam Smith’s follow up.
But Fulham were back in it all thanks to talisman Mitro who was brought down by Lerma and after a Pereira free-kick with referee Graham Scott instantly pointing to the spot.
Mitrovic stepped up and lashed in the ice-cool equaliser on 52 minutes for his seventh goal of the season.
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Tom Cairney, absolutely bossed it after entering the fray for Harrison Reed at half-time, and stung Neto with a rasping shot.
A Willian free-kick fell to Mitro who nearly helped seal it with an audacious mid-air backheel which fell to Harry Wilson – but Neto did well to mop up the damage.