Fulham 2-2 Bournemouth: Cherries stay unbeaten under Gary O'Neil

Aleksandar Mitrovic scores from the penalty spotImage source, Reuters
Image caption,

Aleksandar Mitrovic's goal from the penalty spot was his fifth at Craven Cottage so far this season

Bournemouth remain unbeaten under interim manager Gary O'Neil following an entertaining 2-2 draw with Fulham.

The Cherries led through Dominic Solanke after just over a minute, but Issa Diop levelled for the hosts.

Jefferson Lerma restored the lead before half-time, but Aleksandar Mitrovic's penalty early in the second half drew Fulham level again.

O'Neil has now overseen four draws and two victories since the sacking of Scott Parker in August.

Fulham battled well to come from behind twice and earn a point following consecutive defeats by Newcastle and West Ham.

The result leaves Bournemouth in ninth place in the Premier League, while Fulham are one place and a point below.

O'Neil job application goes from strength to strength

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'Terrible' penalty decision cost Bournemouth win - O'Neil

O'Neil continues to give himself a good chance of becoming the permanent successor to Parker after yet another impressive display by the Cherries.

Parker's dismissal, following the 9-0 humiliation against Liverpool at Anfield, led to the 39-year-old stepping up but with the prospective takeover by Bill Foley yet to be finalised it seems certain that O'Neil will continue for now.

His confident side took just 64 seconds to get off to a fine start when a sublime pass from Marcus Tavernier allowed Philip Billing and Solanke to exchange passes before the former Liverpool striker placed his shot past Bernd Leno.

And they quickly shook off the setback of being pulled level by Fulham when Solanke set up Lerma, who gave Leno no chance from the edge of the box.

But following Mitrovic's leveller, Bournemouth spent much of the second half on the back foot and rarely threatened to retake the lead for a third time.

They face Southampton at home on Wednesday and should relish the prospect of taking on their struggling near neighbours on the back of a six-game unbeaten run.

Fulham bounce back and finish strongly

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Marco Silva says his side reacted well to quick Bournemouth start

After successive defeats, Marco Silva would have been concerned when his side conceded so early in the game but they shook off that shock impressively and were arguably the stronger of the two teams overall.

A combination of head and shoulder and a weak attempt at a save from Neto saw Diop bundle in his first goal for Fulham, while Leno's excellent save from Lerma at close range before the break kept the Cottagers in contention.

A double change by Silva that saw Willian and Tom Cairney introduced at the break provided some impetus, with Mitrovic's equaliser coming just seven minutes into the second half.

Having returned from a foot injury, Mitrovic improved as the game went on and forced Lerma into a penalty-conceding error that he followed with a precise spot-kick for his seventh goal of the season.

The Serb snatched at a chance to win the game late on, dragging a shot wide, while Willian, who had impressed on his first home appearance since his arrival from Corinthians, put a shot straight at Neto in stoppage time.

Upcoming games against Aston Villa, Leeds and Everton give Silva's side the chance to move away from a congested mid-table.

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Image source, BBC Sport
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