Player Ratings: Fulham 2-2 Bournemouth

I thought that was a pretty cracking game of football. Two very good footballing sides, both with well-defined philosophies, trying to play the game on their terms. To be honest, I think Bournemouth probably edged it overall, but 2-2 felt a fair, yet frustrating result. I am still astonished that Ryan Christie wasn’t given his marching orders just before half-time, but Bournemouth fans are pretty dismayed that they had a goal erroneously disallowed, so maybe we just call it quits on more shocking Premier League refereeing.

I think I want to preface these ratings by saying that some of them may feel harsh, but I thought Fulham did ok, without being our dynamic best, in part I think due to Bournemouth’s high octane, relentless pressing, for which they deserve credit. There was some off days throughout the side

Bernd Leno

I don’t think there’s much Bernd could have done better for the goals? Having watched it back, Evanilson is actually tremendously lucky to shin the ball over our German shot-stopper and I think he does well to nearly smother Outtara, who deserves a lot of credit for an intelligent finish. Outside of that, Bernd made some decent saves, but ones he was expected to make. Timed his rush well to put Evanilson off when he was haring through the middle, which at the time felt like a pivotal moment in the game. As always, was tidy and comfortable with the ball at his feet. 6.5/10

Issa Diop

Ahhhhhhh Issa. I’m actually gutted for him on a personal level, more than I’m disappointed about the result. Thought he was pretty great again, maybe not as flawless as his previous performance, but until the blunder, I was prepping a strong rating. I think the reason I’m so gutted for him, is that it’s unfortunately led to some harsh revisionism from the fanbase about what you can expect from Issa. Mistakes happen, and I actually think there are other players who are also to blame in that moment, but it’s inescapable that his dreadful pass is ultimately what saw us drop 2 points. 5.5/10

Joachim Andersen

Probably the most disappointing performance came from our great Dane. He just was not at it today. Passes weren’t as crisp as usual, a couple of poor clearances nearly gifted goals to the Cherries, and probably the key issue was that Evanilson had his number. The Brazilian striker is a lovely blend of quick, good with his feet, but also physically strong enough to battle with a centre-back. The way he sneaks in behind Joa for the first goal is really disappointing, and once Bournemouth realised that there was something to exploit there, Joa looked very uncomfortable when being made to run back towards his own goal. Nothing major to worry about, but something Fulham need to find a solution for when up against a striker who likes to run in behind. 4.5/10

Calvin Bassey

Unsurprisingly, as it is his natural position, but he looks so at home on the left of a back three. I bloody love seeing him stretch his legs and burst forward with the ball. Defensively thought he was the best of the three centre-backs, but we did feel just a bit stretched and disjointed at times, once again, a credit to how Bournemouth moved us about. This may be harsh as it’s a split second decision, but I really think that he should be covering the goal-line when the ball breaks to Outtara at the death, to protect the space left by Leno. Instead, he just gets caught in no-man’s land and has to helplessly watch the ball nestle in the back of the net. He probably still lacks a little bit of that defensive instinct, but I’m certain that will come with age, he’s still got so much time to grow and I think he’s going to be a stonking player for years to come. 7/10

Timothy Castagne

A bit of a classic performance from Timmy. Fairly unremarkable, but in a good way. Don’t think he got involved in the final third as much as he did against Chelsea, which meant a lot of our play was shovelled out to the left-flank instead. Mostly sound defensively, but there were a couple of times in the first-half where Bournemouth exploited spaces between Diop and Castagne, where he was lucky to be bailed out by Leno. However, all in all, he did well to keep Antoine Semenyo, one of Bournemouth’s most influential players this season, fairly quiet. 6.5/10

Antonee Robinson

Another assist. Only Mo Salah and Saka have more than him in the league this season. This assist maybe more than any other was a perfect depiction of how far he has come as a footballer. The composure to shape to put a cross in with his left, only to chop back and dink in a perfect ball with his weaker foot is a brilliant bit of play. Another player who maybe wasn’t as impactful as usual, it’s not that he played badly, I just don’t think he managed to create as many issues going forward as usual. He’s very lucky not to have been badly injured by that disgraceful challenge by Christie.

Today was a showdown between the league’s two best left-backs, and even though he wasn’t at his best, I still think Jedi is number one. 7/10

Sasa Lukic

I don’t think the midfield worked particularly well in the first half. The tempo was so so high and we just weren’t able to get a foothold. Second half was much better, and Sasa made some good interventions out of possession, making the most tackles out of anyone in the game. Near flawless in possession, as we’ve come to expect. Not the sort of game where he was able to shine, but certainly not a bad performance. Loses 0.01 for what was without doubt the worst shot that was taken in England today. 6.5/10

Andreas Pereira

Hmmmmm. Not one of his finest days. There was a 20 minute spell where it felt like everything Andreas tried went wrong. Some incredibly poor passes, including a couple of fairly routine ones that could have set Fulham through on goal. As mentioned above, the first half was pretty rough for our midfield duo. Despite all this, he delivers a delicious corner in to put us ahead, definitely against the run of play. Taking him off was definitely the right decision. 5/10

Harry Wilson

He’s done it again, he’s done it agaaaain, Harry Wilson, he’s done it again. The header, for what should’ve been the winner, deserves a lot of credit. It’s so neatly steered towards that far post that any target man would be chuffed with themselves if they’d pulled that off. Beyond that, I thought H was our biggest attacking threat. The diagonal runs that he makes in behind are so dangerous, and his teammates are to blame for not finding him with a pass frequently enough. The longer this goes on, the less it feels like a good run of form, and the more it feels like the long-awaited arrival of our Welsh Wizard to the Premier League stage. 8/10

Alex Iwobi

Flashes of brilliance from a player full of confidence, but I wonder if December has taken its toll a bit on Wobes. Probably his two weakest performances this month have been against Southampton and Bournemouth, two games where, I think as a direct consequence, Fulham were weakest as well. I love him, and there were moments today where he showed how good he was. However, up against James Hill, making his first start of the season, he struggled to run the game from that left-wing position. Not bad, but definitely not his best. 6.5/10

Raul Jimenez

Six for the season for Raul, with today’s goal making him the highest scoring Mexican in Premier League history. Kudos to him, a tremendous show of both consistency and perseverance. I’m quite proud that he’s achieved that at Fulham. We’ve become a home for waifs and strays and given all that he’s overcome, the fact that Fulham is probably the last place he’ll call home in England, makes me happy. He struggled to get into the game today, but that goal was trademark Jimenez. He was unlucky not to double his tally after rising high at the far post just before he was subbed off. 6.5/10

Substitutes

Tom Cairney (68′ on for Pereira)

Oh my god. That was the silkiest, most beautiful cameo from anyone, ever. I’m writing this with a face like the Cheshire Cat. Absolutely vintage TC. I’m really struggling to verbalise quite how magnificent he was. To come onto the pitch at 33 years of age, knees as sturdy as a well-cooked Yorkshire Pudding, and leave Cherry after Cherry in the dirt, gliding past them as if they weren’t there, was total magic. The Cruyff turn, the Panenka, and the Tom Cairney drop of the shoulder™. Only the greats have a move named after them, and our skipper should be one of them. A proper captain’s performance. I’m aware this is insane, but I simply have to hive him man of the match. 9/10 – Man of the match

Rodrigo Muniz (68′ on for Jimenez)

Fairly unremarkable from Roddy, but anything would be after what he did in his last substitute appearance. Put himself about, as always, and made a nuisance of himself. Otherwise, not much to write about. 6/10

Adama Traore (78′ on for Wilson)

This scenario was made for him. Fulham leading the game, Bournemouth pushing for an equaliser and space opening up. All he needed to do was hit that space and cause chaos. He inexplicably didn’t even attempt it once. If TC had the cameo to end all cameos, this was the polar opposite. Spurned a couple of chances on the counter-attack and just didn’t look like he wanted to make an impact. It feels harsh, but I think he’s partially to blame for the goal. Issa Diop got the memo, the plan was to get the Bournemouth players on the turn and let Adama run. However, Adama kept refusing to run, and I think Diop’s misplaced pass came as a result of previous attempts to play Traore behind. Issa gets caught in two minds and we all know what happened next. Blowing too hot and cold for me at the moment is Adama, one week he’s electric, the next he looks like he can’t be bothered. I still think he’s such a useful weapon, just think he needs a Silva rocket up the arse 4.5/10

Josh King (90+2′ on for Lukic)

Not enough time to give Josh a rating, but Jesus this kid is special. Unbelievable confidence, summed up by some sparkling work down by the corner flag, that nearly created something in the dying moments. 2025 could be the year for Josh King…

Emile Smith Rowe (90+2′ on for Iwobi)

No rating, but nice to see him back after a couple of games out with injury.