Semenyo strike lifts Bournemouth past Fulham as european push gains momentum

Antoine Semenyo scored inside the opening minute to help Bournemouth return to winning ways with a 1-0 home victory over Fulham, reigniting their bid for European qualification in the Premier League.
The Ghanaian forward capitalised on an early error from Fulham captain Antonee Robinson to notch his 10th goal of the season, giving the Cherries their first win in seven league outings and their first at the Vitality Stadium since January. Bournemouth moved up to eighth in the table — above both Fulham and Brighton on goal difference — as they responded to a difficult run of form in determined fashion.
Andoni Iraola’s side had previously taken just two points from a possible 18 since briefly sitting fifth following a win at Southampton in mid-February. But Semenyo’s composed finish inside the first minute was enough to secure a vital result.

Fast Start and Missed Opportunities
The breakthrough came just 53 seconds into the match when Alex Scott led a swift counterattack after a misplaced pass from Timothy Castagne. Robinson failed to deal with the situation, allowing Semenyo to cut inside Joachim Andersen and fire low into the far corner.
Evanilson had a golden chance to double the lead minutes later, crashing a close-range effort off the crossbar after Scott headed a Milos Kerkez cross back across goal.
Fulham responded well, with Rodrigo Muniz creating several openings and Ryan Sessegnon heading straight at Kepa Arrizabalaga in the first half’s best opportunity for the visitors.

Controversy and Control
Marcos Senesi was booked for a strong challenge on Andersen, despite appearing to get the ball, and was replaced at halftime by Illia Zabarnyi. Bournemouth came close again early in the second half, with Tyler Adams denied by Bernd Leno’s legs. Fulham boss Marco Silva was left visibly frustrated by a substitution mix-up that saw Sessegnon, Sander Berge and Muniz all removed during a drawn-out triple change. Sessegnon appeared to be withdrawn unintentionally due to an administrative error.
Bournemouth had a penalty appeal turned down by VAR in the closing stages, but held firm during seven minutes of stoppage time to see out a crucial three points.

Semenyo 2024/25 Season Stats