Bournemouth took a giant stride towards qualifying for Europe for the first time as Rayan's second-half strike earned a hard-fought 1-0 win at Fulham, in a bizarre contest that saw both teams reduced to 10 men by first-half red cards. The victory extended Andoni Iraola's side's remarkable unbeaten run to 16 games and tightened their grip on sixth place in the Premier League.
The Brazilian winger, who has lit up Bournemouth's season since arriving in January, drilled in his fifth goal for the club early after the interval, a low effort from around 20 yards that deflected in off Calvin Bassey and deceived Bernd Leno. Fulham, whose own European hopes are now all but extinguished, fought hard for an equaliser but could not break through, leaving Josh King to rattle the underside of the crossbar with virtually the final kick.
A cagey opening to a high-stakes night
With both clubs chasing European football, the early exchanges were scratchy and nervous, neither side set up to seize control in the race to finish sixth. It took until almost the half-hour mark for a clear opening, and it fell to Fulham. Samuel Chukwueze picked out Timothy Castagne with a lovely pass to release the full-back down the right, and his cross was met by Rodrigo Muniz with a thumping header that flashed wide at the foot of the post.