(Reuters) – Marcus Tavernier and Dominick Solanke were both on target as Bournemouth earned a vital 2-1 win over high-flying Fulham on Saturday to breathe life into the south-coast club’s fight for Premier League survival.
Solanke bundled home in the 79th minute to seal a remarkable comeback that lifted Bournemouth out of the relegation zone and dealt a blow to Fulham’s hopes of playing in Europe next season.
Andreas Pereira gave Fulham the lead in the 16th minute after running on to Harrison Reed’s layoff, but the visitors failed to build on that early momentum.
Tavernier, thrown on by manager Gary O’Neil as a halftime substitute after a dire opening 45 minutes for the home side, equalised with a curling left-footed shot from distance in the 50th minute following a corner.
Bournemouth struggled in the opening period, with Solanke only registering their first shot on target in the 42nd minute, and O’Neil rolled the dice at halftime, bringing on Ryan Christie as well as Tavernier.
The changes had an immediate effect, with Bournemouth carving out their equaliser after a spell of sustained pressure before Solanke sealed the three points with his first home Premier League goal of the season.
The victory lifted Bournemouth from second-bottom of the table to 15th place on 27 points, while Fulham stayed ninth.
(Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
