Semenyo and Kluivert pierce the storm as Bournemouth roar back to sink Fulham and climb to second

Antoine Semenyo and Justin Kluivert supplied the moments of rare clarity on a sodden night as Bournemouth overturned Fulham 3-1, surging to second in the Premier League. Ryan Sessegnon’s smart finish had promised a different ending, but Semenyo’s outrageous equaliser from the tightest of angles and Kluivert’s long‑range thunderbolt flipped the contest before Semenyo raced away in stoppage time to seal it.

This was a game shaped by Storm Amy’s gusts and rain, which muted ambition and turned the first hour into a scrap of field position and nerve. For long stretches it felt destined for stalemate; then, in a handful of devastating minutes, Bournemouth found incision and left Fulham ruing a night of small margins.

Storm Amy’s grip and a first half of scant chances

Bournemouth flew out of the blocks, pressing high and pinning Fulham back with a flurry of early corners. Tyler Adams drew the first genuine save as the hosts forced set-pieces that have become a speciality, while Adrien Truffert surged from left-back to keep Fulham stretched. The visitors survived that opening salvo but lost Sasa Lukic to a muscle injury, Tom Cairney’s introduction adding craft to their midfield.

Conditions suppressed risk. The video screen briefly and mistakenly flashed a goal animation when Evanilson crashed a flying volley into the side-netting, a moment that captured the home frustration. By the interval, a half featuring only three shots on target also produced the lowest combined xG of any first half in the league this season.

Razor margins: appeals waved away, then Fulham strike first

Bournemouth’s sense of grievance simmered. When Calvin Bassey felled Evanilson as he followed up an earlier Semenyo effort, the crowd howled for a penalty, only for an offside flag to wipe away any claim. Soon after, Evanilson tumbled again under Issa Diop’s challenge but VAR deemed the contact accidental.

Fulham capitalised. Recent substitute Samuel Chukwueze combined neatly with Ryan Sessegnon, whose perfectly timed burst was matched by a clipped, decisive finish into the roof of the net. On a ground where they had suffered in recent visits, the Cottagers suddenly had a platform and, with a compact back five, threatened to smother the game.

Semenyo’s audacity flips the night

Then Semenyo happened. Collecting on the left and practically dancing along the byline, he kept the ball alive under intense pressure, slalomed through challenges and threaded his shot through Bernd Leno’s legs from the narrowest angle. From drought to deluge, the match’s character changed in an instant.

With Fulham reeling, Semenyo turned provider, releasing Justin Kluivert to surge from deep. The Dutchman’s response was spectacular: a surging run and an unstoppable strike from roughly 25 to 30 yards that arrowed into the top corner, a goal out of nothing to wrench the lead Bournemouth’s way.

Iraola’s gambles and the clincher

Andoni Iraola had already rolled the dice. One minute before the comeback began he withdrew defender Marcos Senesi for winger Ben Gannon‑Doak in a bold reshuffle; seven minutes after surging 2-1 up he rebalanced by sending on defender Veljko Milosavljevic for David Brooks. Earlier, he had turned to Alejandro Jiménez and Kluivert around the hour to add zip and overlap from right‑back.

As Fulham poured forward in stoppage time, Bournemouth struck on a trademark counter. Space opened, the pass arrived, and Semenyo dashed clear to finish clinically for his second of the night and a goal contribution to every phase of the turnaround. The roar that followed sounded like a release from an hour of attrition.

Fulham’s strikerless test and what comes next

Marco Silva’s plan was stretched by circumstance. With Rodrigo Muniz already out and Raul Jimenez injured last weekend, Fulham operated without a recognised striker, cycling false‑nine duties between Harry Wilson and Josh King and later introducing Kevin and Samuel Chukwueze. Cairney’s link with King briefly gave them fluency, and Sessegnon’s goal suggested fourth‑time lucky at this venue, but the night ran away from them once Semenyo levelled.

Bournemouth’s win, forged amid wind and rain, lifts them to second, one point off Liverpool with the rest of the round still to play. It continues their best start in the division, while Fulham remain in search of their first away points. After the international break, Bournemouth visit Crystal Palace on Saturday 18 October (15:00 BST) and Fulham host Arsenal (17:30).