Despite taking in this game from the stands owing to a one-match touchline ban, for Andoni Iraola this latest Bournemouth win made deeply satisfying viewing. He must have felt rather comfortable in the front row of the directors’ box as supporters sang his name on repeat during a somewhat routine sixth victory in seven matches, a near-flawless run that has swiftly eradicated early season concerns – externally if not within – about Bournemouth’s direction of travel.
Fulham were the latest side to be dispatched, with a penalty from the in‑form Dominic Solanke and strikes from Justin Kluivert and Luis Sinisterra hoisting them into the top half of the table. Iraola could not hide his delight as Sinisterra, a substitute, sealed victory in style in second-half stoppage time.
For Bournemouth, at the moment it all feels a little too good to be true. Solanke, for one, can do no wrong. Three days after registering a fine hat‑trick in the victory at Nottingham Forest, he provided a layer of protection here, sending Bernd Leno the wrong way from the spot for his 12th goal of the season; only Erling Haaland has scored more Premier League goals this term.
Such is his confidence, Solanke attempted an audacious backheeled shot with 15 minutes of normal time to play, by which point any true sense of a contest had long since evaporated. Bournemouth, who travel to Tottenham on Sunday, have lost once in the league since the end of October.
“We want to keep it going,” Iraola said of an impressive run , his side taking 19 points from the last possible 24, putting them top of the form table in that period. “We were not as bad as we looked at the beginning of the season and not as good as we look today – we are probably somewhere in the middle.
“Once everyone began to understand each other better, I think we began to get the results. But, I also know that maybe in one month we can be talking about being on a very bad run because now we have a very difficult schedule.”
Fewer than three weeks ago, Fulham routed both Forest and West Ham 5-0 inside the space of four days but they are now winless in four matches and, worryingly, they never threatened Neto’s goal here. Fulham’s frustrations were summed up when Leno shoved a Bournemouth ballboy after retrieving the ball at a goal-kick.
The Fulham goalkeeper, to his credit, did not allow the episode to fester. Recognising his newfound status as the pantomime villain, at the next break in play Leno embraced the ballboy, high-fiving and hugging him before holding the palms of his hands up in the direction of the home fans behind his goal by way of apology. Leno, already booked, was surely fortunate to escape further punishment.
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Silva was irked with what he felt were timewasting tactics from the hosts but had no complaints about the scoreline. “It was a disappointing result and I have to say it was a really disappointing second half … Bournemouth got the three points because they deserved it,” the Fulham manager said.
Bournemouth’s first goal – on the verge of half-time – stemmed from a fine run by Alex Scott, who picked the ball up just inside the Fulham half before hurdling challenges from João Palhinha and Andreas Pereira, slithering between the pair of them and laying the ball on for Kluivert to finish low, skittling his strike through the legs of Leno’s legs. The Fulham goalkeeper should have done much better but had no chance with Bournemouth’s second.
Palhinha made a clumsy challenge on a rampant Antoine Semenyo – another former Bristol City youngster – and Solanke stepped up to the spot, from where he coolly sent Leno the wrong way. Sinisterra saved the best till last, curling in a wicked shot from the edge of the box.
Fulham again floundered but Bournemouth thrived, even without Iraola on the touchline. Tommy Elphick, now the first-team coach but Bournemouth’s captain when they won promotion to the top flight in 2015, led the team as Iraola watched from the main stand alongside analyst Ryan Dawes. “Maybe they [the players] don’t need me so much, because they did very well,” Iraola said, smiling. “I prefer to be on the bench, obviously. I enjoyed it in the last minute once Sini scored the third one and you realise: ‘OK, it looks like we are going to win the game.’”
