the times | Saturday December 4 2021 2GS 7
Sky Bet Championship Sport
Who better than Scott Parker to exploit
defensive weaknesses that cost Fulham
their Premier League status last
season? How ironic therefore that it
was one of those defenders whose
equaliser cost Parker’s side victory on
his return to Craven Cottage.
Bournemouth, the club Parker left to
join in June, were six minutes away
from a victory that would have meant
they leapfrogged above Fulham to the
Championship summit.
Tosin Adarabioyo, a defender who
had not previously scored for Fulham,
had the final word, however, with a
headed equaliser from the substitute
Tom Cairney’s cross.
The former Manchester City man
celebrated by mimicking the bow and
arrow celebration used by Dominic
Solanke on scoring his 16th goal of the
with the way his players reacted, with
the visiting goalkeeper making a string
of second-half saves, mostly to deny
Wilson, Neeskens Kebano and Alek-
sandar Mitrovic. Kebano was guilty of
putting a late chance past a post from
close range at 1-0 but Adarabioyo head-
ed home not long after.
“The one thing I didn’t like was we
lost our focus,” Silva said of the Bourne-
mouth goal. “Our back line slept, andADAM DAVY/PAFULHAM
(4-2-3-1): M Rodak 7 — D Odoi 6, T Adarabioyo 7,
T Ream 7, J Bryan 6 — J-M Seri 6 (T Cairney
70min, 6), H Reed 6 — H Wilson 7, F Carvalho 6
(B De Cordova Reid 70, 5), N Kebano 8 — A
Mitrovic 7. Booked Carvalho, Bryan, De Cordova
Reid.
BOURNEMOUTH
(4-1-4-1): M Travers 8 — J Stacey 6, S Cook 8,
G Cahill 7, A Smith 6 (C Mepham 89) — L Cook 7
— J Anthony 6 (R Brady 88), P Billing 7, R Christie
6, E Marcondes 6 (B Pearson 56, 6) — D Solanke- Booked Cook, Stacey, Smith, Travers,
Christie, Billing.
Referee T Robinson.
we cannot concede
like that at our level.
“I am really proud
of the way we reacted.
After conceding a sloppy goal we
pushed them back with ten
players around their box and we
created chances and chances. At
the end we scored but it was
clear we deserved more.
“I don’t like to speak to refer-ees. Yet another key decision has
gone against us — the penalty
where Solanke fouled Wilson.
Hopefully decisions will start
changing for us.
“Tonight was a pen-
alty. It’s difficult to
keep talking about
these situations.
The ref didn’t give
the penalty and it’s
my job to control my
players. That way we
can fight and play
against this team.
“We keep doing what
we are doing but the
feeling is it’s against
us. It’s tough for us as
a club.”Adarabioyo celebrates with Reed after his goal brought Fulham level.
Parker, right, was back at Craven Cottage for the first time since JuneP W D L FA GDPts
Fulham................21 13 5 3 50 17 33 44
Bournemouth...21 12 7 2 37 17 20 43
QPR.....................20 10 5 5 33 25 8 35
West Brom........ 20 9 7 4 27 16 11 34
Blackburn......... 20 9 6 5 34 27 7 33
Coventry........... 20 9 6 5 27 23 4 33Top of the table
Late equaliser
denies Parker on
Fulham return
Fulham
Adarabioyo 84 1
Bournemouth
Jon West
Solanke 46 1
season, a handful of seconds into the
second half. Solanke was on the end of
a passing movement from the kick-off
that found Adarabioyo and the defend-
er next to him, Denis Odoi, wanting.
“It was straight off the training
ground,” Parker said. “We did a lot of
work on Thursday and a lot of studying
beforehand. It was always going to be
on fine margins so we worked hard on
that, worked out where they were weak
in those situations.”
An often bad-tempered encounter in
which six Bournemouth and two
Fulham players were booked, ended
with the London side still a point ahead
of Parker’s men at the top, increasing
the likelihood that both will be back in
the top flight next season.
Marco Silva, the former Hull City,
Watford and Everton manager who
replaced Parker at Craven Cottage, felt
his side had been superior, and also
claimed injustice had been done before
half-time when the referee Tim Robin-
son and his assistants failed to to see
Solanke upending Harry Wilson in the
penalty area.
Silva was also annoyed by the nature
of the Bournemouth goal but pleased