Bournemouth 0-1 Fulham: Report, Ratings & Reaction as Relegated Cottagers Pick Up First Away Win

Fulham picked up their first Premier League away win of the season as they secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium. The home side

Fulham picked up their first Premier League away win of the season as they secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.

The home side completely dominated the early stages of the game and were playing some fine football but in the end had nothing to show for it, with Fulham then ending the first half the better of the two sides. 

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Scott Parker's side came out for the second half full of confidence and went ahead just seven minutes after the restart courtesy of Aleksandar Mitrovic's spot kick.

Bournemouth never really threatened Fulham's lead and in the end the visitors were comfortable and were well worth their 1-0 win.

Here's a breakdown of the day's events..

BOURNEMOUTH

Key Talking Point

Heading into the game, not many people would've given an already-doomed Fulham side a chance against a Cherries team who thrashed Brighton 5-0 in their previous game, but Eddie Howe's men just seemed to lose their way midway through the first half.

They couldn't capitalise on their early dominance and found themselves playing second-fiddle for the rest of the game.

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They threatened an equaliser late on but ultimately left it too late as they suffered their third defeat in four Premier League games.

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Boruc (6); Stanislas (6); Mepham (6), Cook (5), Ake (7); Brooks (6), Gosling (5), Lerma (6), Fraser (7); Wilson (6), King (5). 

Substitutes: Simpson (4), Solanke (5), Mousset (6).

STAR MAN - In stark contrast to their last game where you could've argued the case for four or five players to be named as the star man, there weren't many outstanding performers for Bournemouth on Saturday.

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Ryan Fraser looked to be Bournemouth's biggest threat with his pace down the left hand side. He had a number of chances he may feel he should've done better with but with his side struggling to create anything going forward the winger certainly looked like the man most likely to get his side back in the game. 

FULHAM

Key Talking Point

Heading into the game, Fulham were without an away win all season having lost 15 and drawn of their 17 matches away from Craven Cottage, but on the day they looked like a completely different team.

After withstanding a spell of heavy pressure in the first 15 minutes of the game, they looked very comfortable from then on and were playing some great football.

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They looked threatening going forward and were solid in defence when they had to be which ultimately secured their first away win of the season. 

The fans may be left feeling what could've been had Fulham produced performances like this more often this season, but regardless it was certainly an afternoon to remember for the travelling supporters.

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Rico (9); Odoi (7), Ream (7), Marchand (6), Bryan (8); Chambers (7), Anguissa (7), Seri (6); Babel (6), Mitrovic (8), Sessegnon (7). 

Substitutes: Christie (6), Ayite (N/A), Nordtveit (N/A).

STAR MAN - There were a number of great performances in Fulham shirts, although had it not been for Sergio Rico then the away fans may not have been celebrating all three points. 

That save from Rico is top drawer

— Aussie Cottager 🇦🇺⚪️⚫️ (@AussieCottager) April 20, 2019

Rico playing like de Gea

— FulhamTexas (@FulhamTexas) April 20, 2019

The Spaniard made a number of great saves at crucial times in the game which kept his side ahead, and ultimately won them the game.

Looking Ahead

Bournemouth's hopes of a top half finish took a huge blow with the loss, but they'll be looking to respond with a win when they travel to face a resurgent Southampton on Saturday afternoon. 

As for Fulham, their first away win of the season finally gave the travelling fans something to cheer about, and they'll be hoping to see more of the same from their side when they host fellow-strugglers Cardiff City on Saturday afternoon.