Bournemouth strengthened their position in Europe with a 1-0 win against Fulham despite players being sent off on both sides, extending their incredible unbeaten run to 16 games.
Brazilian winger Ryan scored his fifth goal since joining in January early in the second half to keep Bournemouth sixth in the Premier League, three points behind Aston Villa and six points ahead of ninth-placed Chelsea with two games in hand.
Bournemouth’s Ryan Christie was shown a straight red card after a VAR check late in the first half for a reckless challenge on Timothy Castagne, while Fulham centre-back Joachim Andersen did the same 10 minutes later for a two-footed tackle on Adrian Truffert.
Referee Andrew Madeley initially showed both players yellow cards before they were sent to the pitchside monitor, but neither player was dissatisfied with the decision.
Ryan Christie shown red card by referee Andy Madeley
Before the card was even out, Rodrigo Muniz had the best chance of the game, heading home from close range as Fulham threatened to capitalize on their short man advantage.
Sasa Lukic’s shot was deflected and Andersen’s towering header hit the top of the crossbar, making his sending off seconds before the game started a key moment in Bournemouth’s vital victory.
Shortly after the break, Junior Crupi scored a wooden goal for the visitors, and soon Rayan celebrated his third goal of the match with a shot from outside the area that was deflected by Calvin Bassey and goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
Fulham, whose European hopes were all but extinct, had no goals in six of their last eight league games, and with substitute striker Raul Jimenez absent from the warm-up, their attacking problems were clear.
Bournemouth substitute Amin Adli should have secured the win in stoppage time, but he missed his kick with the goal open, giving Fulham one last chance, but Josh King smashed the ball under the crossbar in the final moment.
Bournemouth have ‘soul’ despite Iraola’s departure
Sky Sports’ David Richardson at Craven Cottage:
This is proof for Bournemouth and Andoni Iraola that their season could be even better as their head coach announces his departure.
Since Iraola announced he would leave the club in the summer, Bournemouth have won three of their four games, extending their unbeaten run in the league to an astonishing 16 games.
“Actually, I feel like we were able to use it in a positive way,” Iraola said after the latest win against Fulham. “Everyone is clear.”
Iraola insists he will not regret the decision, which was “not easy”, even if Bournemouth end up competing in the Champions League. With many high-profile players leaving the club this summer, their chances of qualifying for European competitions are minimal for them, having defied expectations.
And it was clear at Fulham that everyone at Bournemouth was fully committed to the cause, even though Iraola was headed for an exit.
“The soul of the team was at stake in the second half,” Iraola said. “It’s 10-on-10, so there’s space everywhere, one-on-one, duels, tired legs, and at the end when you run out of energy, you need souls.”
Bournemouth may be preparing for life after Iraola, but their mentality suggests the foundations exist for the club to continue moving forward without him
Iraora: Big win but still needs points
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola:
“For us, this is a big result. Also, considering the opponent, how difficult it is to win here and how the game went, there were moments when you got the first red card that seemed very difficult. But we kept fighting and the players showed great spirit, so I’m very happy.”
“If you look at the replay, they both look like red cards. I didn’t think it was similar in the case of Ryan Christie, but when I looked at the replay I got the picture and understood why they made the decision.”
“The problem with getting a place in Europe is that the teams around you win a lot of games. You won today, but Brighton won and Chelsea got a point.
“We’ve left some opponents behind but we still need points. We’re in a good position but we’re playing against Manchester City and away against Forest. We’ve got to find points from somewhere.”
Silva doubts about Andersen’s red card: No clear angle seen
Fulham manager Marco Silva:
“We played very well in the first half, 11-on-11. We were clearly the leading team and had some very good moments of football.
“We know in the world of football that sometimes you have to be more careful and more mature when your opponent gets a red card. Anderson’s red card had a huge impact.
“I try to look at all the images I can, but so far I haven’t seen any that show this is a clear red card for Andersen.
“They’re probably there, and we’ll probably see them in the next few hours, but we haven’t seen them right now.”
