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ANTOINE SEMENYO GOAL ENOUGH AS BOURNEMOUTH BOOST EUROPEAN PUSH WITH FULHAM WIN

Antoine Semenyo struck inside 53 seconds as Bournemouth reignited their quest for continental qualification with a 1-0 Premier League victory over fellow European hopefuls Fulham at the Vitality Stadium.

Forward Semenyo clinically pounced on an early error from Cottagers captain Antonee Robinson to claim his 10th goal of the season and earn the Cherries a first win in seven league games.

Evanilson went close to doubling the hosts’ lead when he struck the woodwork before Andoni Iraola’s men hung on to climb to eighth – above their opponents and Brighton on goal difference.

Ryan Sessegnon wasted the best of Fulham’s chances to equalise – heading straight at Kepa Arrizabalaga in the first half – before seemingly being substituted incorrectly during the second period.

Bournemouth began the evening having taken just two points from a possible 18 during a dramatic drop-off in form since going fifth with a 3-1 success at relegated rivals Southampton on February 15.

Defender Marcos Senesi replaced Illia Zabarnyi in the only change from the Cherries’ 2-2 draw at West Ham, while Cottagers boss Marco Silva stuck with the team which defeated champions-elect Liverpool 3-2.

Bournemouth raced ahead inside a minute.

Alex Scott led the counter attack following a loose pass from Timothy Castagne and, after Robinson’s mistake, Semenyo nipped in to cut inside Joachim Andersen and curl the ball into the bottom-left corner.

The hosts should have increased their advantage in the 16th minute when Evanilson rattled the crossbar from only four yards out after Scott headed Milos Kerkez’s cross from the left back across goal.

Fulham also looked dangerous going forward during an entertaining first half.

Rodrigo Muniz threatened three times in quick succession, including flashing across goal following defensive dithering from Bournemouth centre-backs Senesi and Dean Huijsen, before the unmarked Sessegnon tamely nodded into the arms of Kepa.

Senesi was shown a yellow card for a lunging challenge on Andersen, despite winning the ball, while Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno kept out a low shot from Scott in added time.

Bournemouth boss Iraola replaced Senesi with Zabarnyi for the second half and almost saw his side double their lead in the 55th minute when the legs of Leno denied Tyler Adams.

Fulham manager Silva then looked unhappy amid confusion as he made a triple substitution which took around two-and-a-half minutes to complete.

Tom Cairney, Adama Traore and Raul Jimenez came on, with Sessegnon, who was withdrawn alongside Sander Berge and Muiz, appearing to be brought off incorrectly due to an admin error.

Bournemouth stopper Kepa clawed away an Alex Iwobi effort and comfortably saved from Sasa Lukic as the west London visitors pushed for a leveller.

At the other end, VAR deemed Leno got fingertips to the ball when Evanilson went down in the box seeking a penalty, 10 minutes from time.

The hosts comfortably held on during seven minutes of added time to claim an overdue victory – their first at home since thrashing Nottingham Forest 5-0 in January – and put their European push back on track.

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ARSENAL’S GABRIEL MAGALHAES RULED OUT FOR REST OF SEASON AS HAMSTRING INJURY NEEDS SURGERY

Arsenal have been dealt a major blow ahead of their Champions League clash against Real Madrid after Gabriel was ruled out for the rest of the season.

The Gunners confirmed the Brazil defender will require surgery on the hamstring injury he sustained in his side’s 2-1 Premier League against Fulham on Tuesday.

Gabriel, who has starred at the heart of Arsenal’s defence in recent seasons, went down in the 16th minute with the injury and was unable to continue.

The north London side host Real Madrid in the opening leg of their quarter-final clash at the Emirates on Tuesday before the return leg eight days later.

Arsenal said in a statement: “Further to being substituted during our match against Fulham on Tuesday, we can confirm that Gabriel Magalhaes has sustained a hamstring injury which requires surgery.

“Gabi will undergo a surgical repair procedure to his hamstring in the coming days, and immediately begin his recovery and rehabilitation programme, with the aim to be ready for the start of next season.

“Everyone at the club will be fully focused on supporting Gabi to ensure he is back to full fitness as soon as possible.”

Arsenal’s Premier League title challenge has been derailed by injuries to pivotal players. Just as manager Mikel Arteta welcomed back Bukayo Saka, he will now be without Gabriel for the last-eight clash against the 15-time European Cup winners.

Gabriel’s season-ending injury leaves Arsenal desperately short on numbers in defence with major doubts over Jurrien Timber, who went down twice holding his right knee against Fulham before being replaced in the second half, and Ben White.

The latter was not even fit enough for the squad on Tuesday. Riccardo Calafiori and Takehiro Tomiyasu are also sidelined.

Gabriel, who has played 49 times for Arsenal and Brazil this season, was replaced by Jakub Kiwior with the Pole making his first appearance in the league since December.

Arteta has been without several influential players this season. Captain Martin Odegaard missed 12 matches with an ankle problem, Saka was sidelined for 101 days after tearing a hamstring and Kai Havertz also suffered a hamstring injury – during Arsenal’s warm-weather training camp in February – which ruled him out for the season.

Gabriel Jesus ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in January and faces a significant period on the sidelines.

The Champions League is Arsenal’s only realistic hope of silverware. Liverpool are 12 points clear in the race for the title with 24 points to play for across the remaining eight fixtures.

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SUPER SUB HARRY WILSON STINGS BEES WITH ADDED-TIME DOUBLE IN THRILLING FULHAM WIN.

Substitute Harry Wilson scored two late goals as Fulham came from behind to beat west London rivals Brentford 2-1 in a Premier League thriller.

The visiting Bees initially stung their hosts through Vitaly Janelt’s goal before Wilson came off the bench to net twice in stoppage time and settle matters at Craven Cottage.

The dramatic climax enabled Marco Silva’s men to end a run of three matches without a win.

Reiss Nelson came into the starting XI at the expense of Adama Traore and the Arsenal loanee was in the thick of the action as he almost gave the hosts the lead in the opening minutes.

Nelson, operating on the left, was slipped through by fellow Arsenal academy graduate Emile Smith Rowe, and after his initial effort towards the near post was denied by Mark Flekken, the Brentford goalkeeper did well to get to his feet and perform a double save.

Smith Rowe’s quality was on full display under the lights and the Cottagers’ club-record signing was at the heart of a wonderful play which almost resulted in a 16th minute goal.

The midfield player started a one touch move between Nelson and Antonee Robinson where he was slipped through, with his shot being heroically blocked by Nathan Collins, who prevented his effort curling into the bottom right corner.

Brentford survived the early Fulham storm and Janelt then gave his side with a thumping strike.
The visitors’ press finally paid dividends as they won the ball high, allowing Janelt to crack a left-footed shot past Bernd Leno and into the corner of the net.

Silva turned to the bench after an hour as Traore came on in a bid to impact the match with his explosive pace down the right.

At this point, Thomas Frank’s side were sat in a low block, but Traore fancied himself against Bees left-back Sepp Van Den Berg, with his first action creating a cross for Raul Jimenez, with the in-form Mexican forward failing to get enough purchase or accuracy behind his headed attempt.

Fulham were not going down easily and Brentford needed to defend valiantly. Traore continued to see the ball down the right flank and after his first shot was blocked by Ben Mee, the central defender rushed out and put his body on the line to get in the way of a powerful half-volley which looked destined for the net.

The Cottagers continued to search for the equaliser and Traore created it in the second minute of added time.

The rapid Spaniard surged down the right and picked out Wilson, whose creative flick looped over Flekken and into the far corner.

Harry Wilson celebrates his second goal and game-winner at Craven Cottage

The Wales international, frustrated by his lack of starts for the Cottagers, was not finished. Five minutes later he showed the instincts of a striker to attack a Robinson cross and head the winning goal, to the delight of the home support.

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FULHAM PROMOTED BACK TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE

Fulham have secured an immediate return to the Premier League for the 2022/23 season, earning automatic promotion after a one-year absence.

The Cottagers ensured a top-two finish in the Championship with a 3-0 home win over Preston North End on Tuesday.

Fulham began the Championship campaign with four wins from their first five matches, and had only one defeat in 17 between October and January.

The 2022/23 Premier League is set to feature the return of Aleksandar Mitrovic, who has set a record for the number of goals scored in a single Championship season, netting 40 times.

There will also be a return to the competition for Fulham head coach Marco Silva. The Portuguese has previously managed Hull City, Watford and Everton in the Premier League.

Fulham have spent 15 seasons in the Premier League, with a seventh-place finish in 2008/09 their best in the competition.

The Cottagers have alternated between the Premier League and the Championship over the last four seasons, earning promotion in 2017/18 and 2019/20.

Fulham’s players and fans will be eagerly waiting for the release of the 2022/23 Premier League fixtures on Thursday 16 June ahead of the opening weekend of the campaign, on 6 August.

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CARABAO CUP: LEEDS EDGE PAST FULHAM WITH SHOOT-OUT SUCCESS

Leeds won 6-5 in a penalty shoot-out to come out on top in their Carabao Cup clash with Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Neither side had been able to find a breakthrough in normal time, and after five penalties each there was still nothing to separate the sides with both successfully converting three apiece.

Teenager Stuart McKinstry scored for Leeds to make it 6-5, but Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz was unable to convert, leaving Leeds to progress.

It had been a close game, with both sides showing promise but lacking quality.

Fulham had started brightly and looked to make an impact when Muniz had two chances, a header just wide and a drive parried by goalkeeper Illan Meslier.

However, it was Leeds who should have been ahead when Tyler Roberts had a shot saved only for the rebound to fall to Rodrigo but he mistimed his effort.

Despite a promising start from the home side it was Leeds who continued to dominate possession as Fulham struggled to get out of their half.

Rodrigo made a promising individual run towards the Fulham box, including a clever one-two with Mateusz Klich, but his final shot did not have the same quality and was wide of the target.

Marek Rodak was forced into a low diving save to deny Rodrigo’s low curled free-kick and keep the scores level.

Just before the half-time whistle, it was Meslier’s turn as he kept out Neeskens Kebano’s free-kick from just outside the area.

At the start of the second half, a sliding tackle from Michael Hector was needed to prevent Rodrigo scoring after he was played in by Dan James.

The second half lacked the energy of the first, with both sides short of quality in the final third as they tried to break the deadlock.

Fulham came close in the 68th minute when Muniz, who had had their best chances of the game, headed just over the crossbar from a well-struck cross.

Josh Onomah drove forward before unleashing a strike, but Meslier was able to tip the drive over the bar with just over 15 minutes remaining of normal time.

Muniz had another header in the 86th minute, which he was unable to keep down, with Leeds’ Rodrigo also missing a headed opportunity at the other end in added time.

The game headed to penalties, with Onomah and Joe Bryan missing for Fulham and Stuart Dallas and Adam Forshaw unable to convert for Leeds.

At 3-3 after five penalties the game went to sudden death, with no mistakes for either team until Muniz’ tame effort which saw Leeds go through.

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BRYAN CANCEL OUT CAVANI’S EARLY WONDER GOAL TO RESCUE A POINT FOR FULHAM

Joe Bryan’s second-half header helped Fulham come from behind to earn a 1-1 draw at Manchester United.

In front of 10,000 returning home fans at Old Trafford, Edinson Cavani gave Man Utd the lead with a stunning strike on 15 minutes.

The Uruguayan spotted Alphonse Areola off his line and lobbed the Fulham goalkeeper with a first-time shot from range.

Bruno Fernandes fired a free-kick narrowly wide, while at the other end David De Gea denied Ademola Lookman and Fabio Carvalho.

Fulham equalised on 76 minutes when Bobby De Cordova-Reid’s cross was headed in at the far post by Bryan.

Man Utd, without a win in three PL matches, are second on 71 points, while relegated Fulham lie 18th on 28 points.

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HAVERTZ BRACE HELP CHELSEA EDGE FULHAM AS BLUES INCH CLOSER TO SEALING TOP FOUR

Two goals by Kai Havertz earned Chelsea a 2-0 victory over Fulham to consolidate the Blues’ place in the top four.

Havertz opened the scoring after 10 minutes, finishing past Alphonse Areola after being played in by Mason Mount.

Chelsea were denied a second six minutes before half-time when Areola saved superbly from Hakim Ziyech.

Havertz doubled Chelsea’s lead four minutes into the second half, playing a one-two with Timo Werner before slotting into the corner for his fourth Premier League goal of the season.

Fulham were unable to respond, failing to register a shot on target in the second half as Chelsea ran out comfortable winners.

Fourth-placed Chelsea go six points clear of West Ham United, who travel to Burnley on Monday.

Fulham stay 18th on 27 points, nine adrift of their nearest rivals Newcastle United, with four matches to play.

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EDDIE NKETIAH LATE STRIKE RESCUES POINT FOR GUNNERS AGAINST FULHAM

Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah came off the bench to score a last-gasp equaliser against Fulham – whose Premier League survival bid suffered another late blow as a result.

Scott Parker’s side lost to a last-minute goal to Wolves last time out but appeared on course for a first-ever away win over Arsenal following Josh Maja’s second-half penalty.

Instead, it was further heartbreak as Nketiah scrambled in from point-blank range to earn the misfiring Gunners a 1-1 draw.

Mikel Arteta made five changes from Arsenal side which cruised into the semi-finals of the Europa League with a 4-0 win at Slavia Prague on Thursday but they never looked like hitting those heights here.

But there would be VAR controversy throughout, Dani Ceballos seeing a header ruled out after Bukayo Saka had been centimetres offside in the build-up.

Then Fulham would get their penalty as referee Craig Pawson pointed to the spot on the advice of his assistant, with VAR checking Gabriel Magalhaes’ foul on Mario Lemina and then a potential offside against Ola Aina in the move leading to the spot-kick.

With both decisions standing, it was left to Maja to hammer the ball home from 12 yards and give Fulham renewed optimism of avoiding the drop.

Nketiah’s eventual leveller would stand after an offside check against Rob Holding in the build-up, with Parker exasperated on the touchline once again.

The hosts had started well, Alexandre Lacazette playing in Gabriel Martinelli with the recalled striker chipping his effort just wide.

He then forced a low save out of Alphonse Areloa after Emile Smith Rowe had forced a low ball across goal.

Fulham offered nothing going forward until the 20-minute mark when a deflected Maja shot wrong-footed home debutant Mat Ryan in the Arsenal goal and trickled inches wide of the post.

Arsenal had started well but were soon toiling to break down a stubborn Fulham defence.

The hosts thought they had finally broken through when Ceballos headed in a Hector Bellerin cross – only for VAR to spot Saka’s straying boot.

The assistant referee’s flag would soon deny Arsenal another goal, this time with a more-obvious decision against Smith Rowe, who mistimed his run as he latched onto a Lacazette pass.

Lacazette pulled a shot wide right at the start of the second half but Arsenal would again struggle to create chances.

That would come back to haunt them as Fulham were awarded a penalty, with referee Pawson pointing to the spot after guidance from his assistant.

Two VAR checks later and Maja broke the deadlock, giving Ryan no chance from the spot.

Arteta turned to Nicolas Pepe and Thomas Partey, the former coming close to levelling with his first meaningful touch as his header across goal was hacked clear.

Lacazette was then replaced by Nketiah, the France striker heading straight down the tunnel with his shirt over his head.

It would be Nketiah who provided the late heroics as Arsenal threw everything they could to earn a share of the spoils.

Ryan was thrown into the Fulham box for back-to-back late corners and got a telling glance to the second as the ball broke to Ceballos, whose shot was fumbled away by Areola but into the path of the waiting Nketiah.

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TREZEGUET SCORES BRACE AS ASTON VILLA SEES OFF FULHAM WITH 3-1 WIN

Trezeguet came off the bench to score twice and Ollie Watkins added a third as three goals in nine minutes gave Aston Villa a comeback victory over Fulham.

Fulham started brightly and Aleksandar Mitrovic was twice denied by Emiliano Martinez while Villa thought they had a penalty in first-half stoppage time following Mario Lemina’s challenge on Watkins but that decision was overturned.

The visitors took the lead on 61 minutes when Mitrovic latched onto Tyrone Mings’s underhit back pass, rounded Martinez and calmly slotted home his third goal of the season.

Mings atoned for his error to set up Trezeguet for the equaliser from 20 yards with 12 minutes remaining.

Trezeguet made it two in three minutes when fellow sub Keinan Davis delivered a fine cross that the Egyptian fired home on the half-volley.

Watkins then made sure of the points with a close-range finish from Bertrand Traore’s 87th-minute cross.

The win moves Villa up to ninth spot on 44 points, two clear of Arsenal in 10th. Fulham remain in 18th spot on 26 points, three points behind Newcastle United who have a match in hand.

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EPL: FULHAM SQUANDER CHANCE TO ESCAPE BOTTOM THREE WITH DEFEAT TO LEEDS

Patrick Bamford responded to his omission from the England squad with a goal as Leeds ended their misfortunes in the capital with an entertaining 2-1 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage.

The defeat saw the Cottagers fail to grasp the opportunity to move out of the relegation zone for the first time since December.

After Bamford’s 29th-minute opener, Fulham’s Joachim Andersen got the equaliser with his first goal for the club, before Raphinha scored his sixth Premier League goal of the season, slotting the ball past goalkeeper Alphonse Areola for Leeds’ winner.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men had lost all five of their games in London this season, and were winless in their last 16 visits to the capital in all competitions, losing 14.

Leeds’ intensity proved too much for Fulham, who remain in the drop zone ahead of the crucial clash between relegation battlers Brighton and Newcastle on Saturday.

Leeds looked to have taken the lead in the eighth minute, only for Luke Ayling to be denied by VAR.

Ayling had lost his marker at the far post and headed home from a Tyler Roberts cross, but after VAR intervened, the goal was disallowed as Roberts was ruled marginally offside in the build-up.

Fulham uncharacteristically struggled to get out of their own half in the early stages of the match, and had difficulty coping with Leeds’ energy, especially in the middle of the park.

With Harrison Reed momentarily down, Leeds had the ball in the back of the net for the second time, as Raphinha was played through before slotting the ball past goalkeeper Areola, but the linesman had to wait until the ball was in the back of the net to raise his flag, with the Leeds winger obviously offside.

Fulham, who had been second best in the opening exchanges almost had the opener, when Josh Maja turned in the box before shooting towards goal from close range, but Illan Meslier was able to make the save.
Just moments later, it was Leeds who took the lead. Jack Harrison’s cross found Bamford, who made no mistake, putting it past Areola to break the deadlock just before the half-hour mark.

Leeds’ advantage did not last long however, with stand-in captain Andersen equalising for Fulham from an Ademola Lookman corner.

Andersen beat Ayling to the ball before finding the back of the net with a first-time strike for his first club goal since his arrival on loan from Lyon in the summer transfer window.

It was also the first time Fulham have scored from a set-piece since Matt Ritchie’s own goal during the draw at Newcastle in December.

At the start of the second half, Fulham definitely had to weather the Leeds pressure as they pushed for a second, which came in the 58th minute, just after Lookman had missed a chance to put Fulham ahead.

Another quick break, with Kalvin Phillips dispossessing Mario Lemina, before another defensive error from Fulham allowed the ball to be played through to Bamford, who found Raphinha, with the winger able to slot past Areola.