Solanke nets as points shared between the top two

AFC Bournemouth secured a valuable point in Friday’s top of the table clash against Fulham at Craven Cottage. 

Dominic Solanke scored just six seconds into the second half with an expertly-worked goal straight from the training ground.

The striker's 17th goal of the season was cancelled out by Tosin Adarabioyo's first goal for the whites - a strike which keeps the Cherries one point behind them in the Sky Bet Championship.

Before the rest of the weekend's games, Scott Parker's side extended the gap between the Cherries and third-placed QPR to eight points.

Parker made three changes to the side that drew 2-2 with Coventry, with Gary Cahill, Adam Smith and Emiliano Marcondes returning to the side in place of Chris Mepham, Gavin Kilkenny and the suspended Jefferson Lerma. 

In an exciting affair, the game started at a rapid tempo, with Adam Smith testing Marek Rodak before the hosts battled their way onto the front foot.

The Cherries put their bodies on the line to keep the score level, most notably when Steve Cook made two sensational goalbound blocks, one with his face and the other with his chest, to deny the in-form Aleksandar Mitrovic and then Fabio Carvalho.

Those two blocks saved certain goals, with the skipper stooping low to give everything he could to keep Fulham at bay.

The Cherries made a dream start do the second half as a training ground move straight from kick off saw Dom Solanke race onto Phil Billing’s pass and hammer home into the roof of the net. 

The visiting bench erupted as their hard training ground work paid off, with Solanke rushing to celebrate with the 1670 visiting fans.

The visitors proceeded to control the half’s early exchanges, with Fulham visibly shaken by going behind. 

Even as Marco Silva’s men began to re-impose themselves, there still looked to be no way through the Cherries’ back line, Mark Travers in particular shining to produce an acrobatic diving save to keep out a goal bound header from Mitrovic. 

But after plenty of pressure, the hosts finally broke through after 83 minutes, as centre back Adarabioyo rose highest to glance Tom Cairney’s left footed cross past the imperious Travers into the corner. 

The Cherries stood firm in the closing stages in a pulsating clash at the top of the Sky Bet Championship.