Bournemouth 1-0 Fulham: Cottagers can't make 'six pointer' count
You could say this game fell into the 'six-pointer' category.A victory would have seen Fulham pull six points clear of Bournemouth, boosting their chances of European football next season and denting the Cherries' dreams.But the Cottagers couldn't make it count.A slow and sloppy start that saw Antoine Semenyo fire home a 53-second opener ultimately proved too much for Fulham, who drop down to ninth in the table.Marco Silva will need to get his side back on track and fighting for Europe with just six games of the season remaining.Eighth place is likely to be enough for a Europa Conference League qualification spot, but after tonight's result, Bournemouth will have a bounce in their step as they look to keep Fulham at bay.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Arsenal close in on first summer signing with cut-price deal for Chelsea flop
Arsenal look set to complete their first signing of the summer transfer window after agreeing a cut-price fee for a forgotten Chelsea star. Alongside signing a marquee goalscorer to lead the line, the Gunners have been keen to sign a backup keeper to provide cover for David Raya. Neto has returned to Bournemouth after his season-long loan at the Emirates, while highly-rated teenagers Jack Porter and Tommy Setford arelikely to spend the coming season out on loan. Arsenal had been heavily linked with a move for Espanyol keeper Joan Garcia, having previously failed with a bid to sign the Spaniard last summer. The 24-year-old looks destined to leave his boyhood club this summer but, despite Arsenal's renewed interest, he now looks to be on the verge of joining Espanyol's local rivals Barcelona. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we'll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. Forced to look elsewhere, Arsenal have instead moved quickly to secure a move for Chelsea outcast Kepa Arrizabalaga, according to The Athletic. Kepa signed for Chelsea from Athletic Club for a whopping £72million back in 2018, but is now set to move across London for just £5m due to buyout clause in his current contract. The 30-year-old has made 109 Premier League appearances for the Blues but has spent the last two seasons away from the club on loan at Real Madrid and Bournemouth respectively. The Spaniard will now join Arteta's side to provide competition for Raya who has established himself as one of the league's best keepers. Kepa may appear happy to sit on the bench and challenge Raya for minutes, but former Gunners midfielder Ray Parlour said the Spaniard shouldn't settle for a back-up role at this stage of his career. More Trending 'It's all on whether he wants to play, he's not going to play at Arsenal is he?' the former England midfielder told talkSPORT. 'He's going to be the No.2, do you want to be No.2? He's obviously been No.1 at Bournemouth. If you're Arsenal, you want to buy him because he's a great No.2 to have. 'But if you're Kepa, you want to play unless you're happy to sit on the bench but if I was a keeper at his age I'd want to play because you'll regret it once you finish.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Franck Ribery hits back at Cristiano Ronaldo over Ballon d'Or claim MORE: Three Premier League clubs want to sign Alejandro Garnacho as Man Utd make final decision MORE: Thomas Frank responds to Tottenham approach after Ange Postecoglou sacking
The National
an hour ago
- The National
Iwata in key Rodgers admission as reason for Celtic exit revealed
The midfielder completed a deadline day switch to the English third-tier outfit. Iwata has thrived in his first year south of the border, scoring eight goals and finding himself nominated for League One's Player of the Season award. Read more: He recently lifted the lid on his Celtic exit, admitting that he had no knowledge of Brendan Rodgers when he rejoined the club. "Manager Rodgers was a famous coach in Scotland, but I didn't know of him at all," Iwata told Soccer Digest Web. "At first, I wondered, 'What kind of person is he?' The team actually got going, and the football they were trying to play was interesting. "But there were some areas where I wasn't able to fully showcase myself. It was partly because there was an absolute player in Callum McGregor in the same position, but honestly, I feel like I could have done more. "For players in the front line, the numbers are clear, but my strengths are my one-on-one strengths and my ability to steal the ball. "At Celtic, it's difficult to show that. The teams that are overwhelmingly strong in Scotland always have the ball and take the lead. "I would take it positively that I was able to concentrate on the offensive side, but I can't show my strengths much and I don't get much playing time. "The level of the Scottish first division is a little lower than the top five European leagues, so I often felt that it was a difficult environment for me." The 28-year-old's lack of minutes, along with his family life, was a key factor in his exit: "I wasn't impatient, but more than that, I couldn't help but feel the regret that I, a soccer player, wasn't playing in the games," he said. "At that time, I had a very strong desire to play soccer. Seeing my wife taking care of our children in a foreign country where I was not familiar with them, cooking meals and doing housework, I couldn't help but feel the emotion. "Birmingham made me an offer as soon as the off-season began, and they patiently waited until August 31st, the final day for transfers. "I thought to myself, 'If they feel that way about me, I want to go,' and immediately packed my bags and headed for my new home. I didn't have any negative feelings about it being in the third division, and my biggest motivation at the time was wanting to show my family that I was working hard. "In addition, the manager, Chris Davies, had previously been a coach at Celtic and had recently been a coach under Ange at Tottenham. "The two managers had heard about me and offered me the position with confidence that we could work together, so I was able to go with peace of mind." Birmingham won League One last term, and Iwata will play his football in the Championship in the forthcoming 2025/26 season.
Daily Record
2 hours ago
- Daily Record
I am Celtic player who hadn't heard of Brendan Rodgers and here's my reasons for struggling in 'lower' level Scotland
It was a rocky road for the midfielder in Glasgow's east end as he acted as Callum McGregor's understudy Former Celtic man Tomoki Iwata admits he hadn't even heard of Brendan Rodgers when the boss made his return to Parkhead. The revelation from the Birmingham City midfielder has emerged as he attempted to explain his struggles in the Scottish Premiership before his move to English League One. Iwata initially made a loan switch to Glasgow from Yokohama F Marinos under Ange Postecoglou in January 2023 - with the move becoming permanent that summer. However, ally Postecoglou would leave the Hoops for Tottenham that same summer for Tottenham after brining a Treble to Celtic Park. That would see Rodgers' come back to Celtic for his second spell in the dugout. Iwata, reflecting on his time in Scotland with Japanese outlet Soccer Digest Web said: "Manager Rodgers was a famous coach in Scotland, but I didn't know of him at all. "At first I wondered, 'What kind of person is he?' The team actually got going and the football they were trying to play was interesting. "But there were some areas where I wasn't able to fully showcase myself. It was partly because there was an absolute player in Callum McGregor in the same position, but honestly, I feel like I could have done more." While he watched Daizen Maeda, Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate impress in Glasgow - but reckons the Hoops' didn't play to his strengths and the "lower" level of Scottish football didn't allow him to catch the eye. He said: "For players in the front line, the numbers are clear, but my strengths are my one-on-one strengths and my ability to steal the ball. "At Celtic, it's difficult to show that. The teams that are overwhelmingly strong in Scotland always have the ball and take the lead. "I would take it positively that I was able to concentrate on the offensive side, but I can't show my strengths much and I don't get many playing time. "The level of the Scottish first division is a little lower than the top five European leagues, so I often felt that it was a difficult environment for me." The Japan international admitted he wasn't sure if Birmingham City was the right move for him - but now hopes he can push them all the way to the Premier League. He said: "I wasn't impatient, but more than that, I couldn't help but feel the regret that I, a soccer player, wasn't playing in the games. "At that time, I had a very strong desire to play soccer. Seeing my wife taking care of our children in a foreign country where I was not familiar with them, cooking meals and doing housework, I couldn't help but feel the emotion. "Birmingham made me an offer as soon as the off-season began, and they patiently waited until August 31st, the final day for transfers. "I thought to myself, 'If they feel that way about me, I want to go,' and immediately packed my bags and headed for my new home. I didn't have any negative feelings about it being in the third division, and my biggest motivation at the time was wanting to show my family that I was working hard. "In addition, the manager, Chris Davies, had previously been a coach at Celtic and had recently been a coach under Ange at Tottenham. "The two managers had heard about me and offered me the position with confidence that we could work together, so I was able to go with peace of mind. I was also moved by the fact that "Birmingham was in a similar situation to when Oita Trinita, the club I grew up in, was relegated to J3. "They were originally a large club in the Premier League, but they had been relegated to the third division and were trying to climb back up. When they said, 'I want to go to the Premier League with you' I remembered the time when they had risen to J2 and J1." Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.
