Antoine Semenyo’s early strike proved decisive as Bournemouth edged Fulham 1-0 at the Vitality Stadium to claim their first Premier League home win of 2025 and end a run of four straight defeats.
The result not only revived the Cherries’ European ambitions but also underlined the Ghanaian forward’s growing influence in the squad.
Semenyo found the net less than a minute into the contest, capitalising on a defensive lapse by Antonee Robinson.
With Bournemouth launching a swift counter-attack, the winger surged into the box and fired a composed low finish past Bernd Leno, giving the home side the perfect start.
It was eighth Premier League goal of the season and a timely one, as pressure had been mounting on him after going eight games without a goal.
The hosts could have doubled their lead soon after, but Evanilson struck the crossbar from close range after a clever setup involving Milos Kerkez and Alex Scott. It was the 21st time this season that Bournemouth had been denied by the woodwork — more than any other team in the top flight.
Despite their early dominance, Bournemouth had to weather a strong response from Fulham.
Rodrigo Muniz and Ryan Sessegnon each had decent chances, with the latter’s header saved comfortably by Kepa Arrizabalaga.
The Spanish goalkeeper would later make several key stops, including a fingertip save to deny Alex Iwobi and another to thwart substitute Tom Cairney.
Fulham introduced Adama Traoré and Raúl Jiménez in an attempt to overturn the deficit, but Bournemouth’s defence, marshalled with discipline and resilience, held firm.
The result sees Andoni Iraola’s side climb to eighth on the table, leapfrogging Fulham in the race for European qualification.
