Fulham and Bournemouth play out thrilling draw
Fulham and Bournemouth remain first and second respectively in the EFL Championship after a pulsating 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage on Saturday (AEDT).
The much-anticipated clash between the league's pacesetters lived up to all expectations, with just a point separating the two sides before the match, and that's how it stayed after 90 minutes of frantic action in west London.
While Fulham came into the match as the Championship's top-scoring team with 50 goals, and the Cherries second best with 37, neither side could register a score in the first 45 minutes, though not through lack of trying.
The Cottagers arguably came closest when league top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic fired towards goal two minutes before the break, but his shot was superbly locked by Bournemouth captain Steve Cook, who somehow also managed to block Fabio Carvalho follow-up with his chest while still prone on the grass.
It took just 10 seconds of the second half for the first goal to come, and it was Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke who scored it, running on to a long ball straight from the restart before blasting it into the top corner.
Further chances came for both sides, but it was Fulham that built up the bigger head of steam as the match matured, but when Mitrovic saw a header superbly parried by Mark Travers in the Bournemouth goal and Neeskens Kebano somehow missed the empty net with the follow-up, it seem the home side would leave the game empty handed.
But with six minutes remaining, another ball into the box was met by the head of Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo, and his first goal for the Cottagers ensured the points were shared.