AFC Bournemouth returned from Fulham’s Craven Cottage ground with a share of the points, coming from behind on two separate occasions.
A good result especially when you consider that the AFC Bournemouth bench was made up primarily from the Under-23’s development squad.
After the game, Cherries head coach Andoni Iraola told Sky Sports…
“I’m very proud of the team, 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.”
Man of the match against FulhamDango
Semenyo
Huijsen
Evanilson
Hill
Someone else
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Let’s keep pushing 👊 pic.twitter.com/Lnv4eMxWgh
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) December 29, 2024
Written by kirsikka
Five players on the bench who have never made a PL appearance told the story of our current availability challenges. AI shuffled things again, with Hill coming in at right back, Brooks starting and Billing at the top of the midfield.
Eight players out isn’t sustainable with our style of play and relatively small squad so this is something that needs to be addressed in some way and soon or the season will falter from its potential. Returning numbers or additions, we need one, the other or both.
I’ll be honest, I had some trepidation about the team. They are good players but a non-natural RB and two of the attacking four are technically good but without the pacey waspishness that seems to suit our usual tactics. It felt like it might be a touch disjointed.
You can add that to the long list of places where I was wrong.
Look, it wasn’t quite the same unstoppable rolling barrel style yet it worked in a slightly different way. We looked cohesive and patient and were on top for most of the first half. There was the usual story of not taking chances when they came but I’m not sure this is the day to retread that furrow.
We did get the ball in the back of the net at one point, a corner whipped in and Semenyo needlessly pulled a shirt away from where the ball landed perfectly on Hill’s head for him to nod home. If Antoine had kept his hands to himself the outcome wouldn’t have changed so that was frustrating.
One noticeable move in the first half saw Hill play a channel ball into the area for a bent Evanilson run around the back of the defender. It forced a save from the keeper but those two tried that move several times in the match. As far as I know Hill isn’t known for his incisive long passes so I wonder if that’s something we worked on in training? If so, the pay off was to come later.
All three incomers contributed well. A couple of unexpected left-foot Brooks shots from the edge of the area brought saves from the keeper. Apart from from one early time when he was sold down the river, Hill was solid in defence and Billing was in the middle trying to make things tick without ever quite getting it to come off.
Whilst we were the better side, they weren’t totally out of things. This wasn’t domination from us so we still had to be wary when they did get forward. In the end, sloppiness cost us. A corner came in, Kerkez badly lost his man in the middle who had a free header and scored, nothing Kepa could do.
The balance of play immediately shifted as we looked unsure of ourselves and they were brimming with confidence. This was to be repeated after they scored their second later. We couldn’t find a man with a simple pass and they were full of energy, overwhelming us every time we got the ball.
Maybe they’re a confidence team who step it up when things go well, haven’t seen enough of them to know, but I was surprised at how our levels dropped during those spells. Those were pretty much the only times in the match where they looked better than us.
Back to the period after the first goal and Christie got lucky. He dived after a lost ball and clattered into a Fulham player studs up. The ref gave a yellow but it was one of those ‘orange’ challenges. VAR had a long, hard look at it but decided to stick. Put it this way, if the ref had gone red initially there’s no way it would have been overturned.
An umpire’s call escape for the Scot, and a good thing not just for this match but also the next given our lack of fit players.
Fortunately, halftime arrived and AI managed to reset the team as we came out trying to hunt them down. We finally got the reward our play deserved when that Hill/Eva combination mentioned earlier came off. It needed a fabulous acute angle volley from the Brazilian but he took it with aplomb.
It feels like every match we’re seeing more and more of the long throw. Not sure if that was because Hill was in the team today but both him and Semenyo were lobbing them in. Maybe this was something we identified as a potential weakness but I don’t think we really got at them with it on this occasion.
The match went back and forth. Kepa made a couple of saves, Huijsen cleared a follow up chance, Evanilson had a heavy touch when put through on goal which showed just enough to the keeper. It felt like either side could go on and win it.
Enter the dragon. Enter Dango.
He flew into the area and laid on the absolute perfect ball for Billing. I’ve criticised his decision making in some matches recently but this was the right call and the right execution. All PB needed to do was put it on either side of the keeper but his effort went straight down his throat.
We paid almost immediately as they went up the other end and a cross found Wilson unmarked in the centre to head home. I’d like to see a replay as right at the start of that move it looked like Zabs was fouled but the ref visibly waved play on. The Ukrainian looked distraught after although it isn’t clear whether from conceding or from not getting the foul.
It seems the bar was set quite high to disallow which would help us later…
AI responded with the only card he had to play – Unal. Given we were now chasing the match he sacrificed Billing and went two up top and, truthfully, it was a disaster. They were all over us and we couldn’t get out. Again they had that post-goal extra yard we saw in the first half.
Whereas earlier I saw we were cohesive, we now looked totally disjointed and couldn’t continue like that.
It meant AI had to go big on the risk front and throw on Winterburn for his debut, and first appearance above about the eighth tier of English football. It allowed us to return to a more familiar setup and the change in the balance of play was immediate.
Then came the big moment. Semenyo robbed the ball from a poor pass and stormed into area but just as he was trying to pull the trigger, he was dispossessed. It landed at the feet of Dango who belied his reputation with the coolest finish you’ll ever see.
It was jumpers for goalposts in the local park stuff. Beautiful.
VAR did take a look at Semenyo’s challenge before the ball reached Dango since he crunched into the defender when trying to play the ball but, perhaps given they allowed the challenge on Zabs for the Fulham second, also allowed this one. Some VAR good fortune for Dango, a man who has been denied by it so many times incorrectly.
A draw then and a point away from home in the PL which is never to be sneezed at. I’d even say we were the better side for most of the match.
“It’s a moment that I’ve wanted since I was a kid. It’s amazing, surreal and I’m so happy”#AFCB midfielder Ben Winterburn came on to make his Premier League debut in the Cherries’ 2-2 draw with Fulham
The 20-year-old spoke to @jordanclarkcouk ⬇https://t.co/dlg5UTdiI1 pic.twitter.com/SoktvM2yHs
— BBC Radio Solent Sport (@solentsport) December 29, 2024
Selected Player Watch
—– Hill —–
He surprised me with how well he stood up to playing in a role which is his second string position. The assist for the first wasn’t a fluke by any means because it was the third time he’d played a ball like that and executed it well. There were moments when he struggled with Iwobi but so did everyone at times. I was impressed.
—– Billing —–
He worked hard and was decent but missed his big opportunity to score. I’m not sure he would have done anything to change AI’s mind about his status in the pecking order.
—– Dango —–
Could, and possibly should, have got an assist for what might have been the winner and scored the equaliser. That’s the kind of impact we need. And crucially, in both moments he made intelligent footballing decisions and executed them perfectly.
Fulham 2-2 Bournemouth ⚽️
Ouattara brings Bournemouth level late on. pic.twitter.com/VmNE5RxrKM
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 29, 2024
A special debut for Ben 💫 pic.twitter.com/IM8QvwSX3G
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) December 30, 2024
AI and Tactics Watch
For the opposition, it must be like playing against a horror franchise. No matter how many times you think you’ve killed an AI team they come back at you again right at the end and are never killed off. That’s a belief he’s instilled in our players and you can see it across the whole squad.
Tactically today I can’t fault him. His hands were tied by all the missing players but he still conjured up an approach that caused them no end of problems. If you’re into it, my guess is the xG will have us shading it and I think that would be a fair reflection on events. Still, it was a day either side could have won so a draw was probably the right result.
The challenge now is there’s a huge pack of clubs breathing down our necks. We need to go into the second half of the season and do it all again, maybe even slightly better, in order to snag that European place. For me, the big outcome of today and the 18 prior league matches is that AI has proved what he can do. He has created the opportunity. He’s thrown the gauntlet at the feet of Foley and said “You want European football, well it’s on the table. But I need more players and I need them soon”.
Over to you Bill. The window opens on Wednesday and unless we have multiple players returning from injury, alongside the no longer suspended Kluivert, in time for Everton then we should strike whilst the iron is hot and have a new face in the squad in time for that.
Most January deals don’t happen until near the end of the window but I’d hope we’ll have more options fit by then. The time is now. Opportunity knocks. Roll the dice. Play your cards. Whatever your preferred pithy saying matters not, what matters is the options available to the manager come the Everton game.
At the very least. we have a loan available if we don’t have the funds for a permanent move.
A heartfelt well done to the team for today. They battled and came back. They might have won but it was still a decent outcome. Oh, and congratulations to young Winterburn. I’m not sure if he touched the ball but his mere presence allowing us to return to the more familiar shape definitely contributed to the point.
Dare we dream or will the relentless pace of the PL catch up with us? If you ask me then some say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. Imagine what might happen from here…
See you all in 2025.
Your say…
wallmth wrote…
Great report. Two free headers converted meant all our possession was for nought.
Very happy to come out with a point away from home against an excellent team that we made look very ordinary for much of the match . – To join the conversation, click here.
