Bournemouth VS Fulham live preview Premier League
Controversial referee Rob Jones found himself under heavy criticism after seemingly gifting Bournemouth an early Christmas present at the City Ground on Saturday. The pivotal moment came when Forest defender Willy Boly was debatably shown the red card for two bookable offenses within the first 25 minutes of Nuno Espirito Santo's Tricky Trees debut.Despite being reduced to 10 men, the resilient Garibaldi fought gallantly, with Anthony Elanga and Chris Wood breaching the Cherries' defense. However, Dominic Solanke had already found the net twice by the time Wood scored with a header. The Bournemouth striker showcased his aerial prowess once again with a brilliant header deep into added time.While newly-appointed Forest boss Santo lamented the officiating, hat-trick hero Solanke led the exuberant Cherries' celebrations. Bournemouth, bolstering their mid-table credentials, climbed to 12th place in the standings. They trail Wolverhampton Wanderers on goal difference following Wolves' victory over Chelsea on Christmas Eve.With an impressive 16 points from the last 18 available in the top flight, Andoni Iraola's squad now stands on the brink of securing four consecutive Premier League victories, a feat never before achieved by Bournemouth in a single top-flight campaign.
In need of attacking inspiration, Fulham looks to glean a few pointers from their Boxing Day hosts. Marco Silva's side faced disappointment as they failed to convert their 19 shots and 66% possession into meaningful results against Burnley, who unexpectedly departed Craven Cottage with a two-goal victory.A mere two minutes into the second half, Wilson Odobert showcased brilliance with a curling strike into the top corner, leaving Bernd Leno helpless. He then turned provider for Sander Berge, who sealed the win with a well-placed low effort 19 minutes later. Silva acknowledged that Fulham paid the price for their missed opportunities, leaving them in an unfortunate 13th place in the Premier League, with only one-point deficits to make up against Chelsea, Wolves, and their upcoming opponents.The defeat to Vincent Kompany's struggling side served as a reality check for Fulham after their advancement to the EFL Cup semi-finals. The Cottagers are yet to find the winning formula on the road, having lost their last three Premier League away fixtures and remaining winless in the last eight such encounters since narrowly overcoming Everton on the opening weekend.Even the most devoted Cottager concedes that their success at Goodison Park in August was somewhat fortuitous. Their visit to the Vitality Stadium in April resulted in a 2-1 loss to Bournemouth, a team that has been beaten in just one of their last 12 meetings with the London-based counterparts.