Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno is unlikely to face any retrospective punishment for pushing a ballboy during the second half of Fulham’s 3-0 defeat away to Bournemouth.
Leno placed a hand on the ballboy which prompted angry reactions from some of the home fans and Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke with many wondering if he would face punishment after the event.
However, it is understood that Leno is unlikely to face any sanctions. Tim Robinson, the referee, decided not to issue a booking at the time so that is likely to be the end of the incident.
Fulham head coach Marco Silva was keen to play down the incident and suggested that his player was frustrated as he felt that the ballboys were deliberately trying to delay the game, with Bournemouth leading 2-0 at the time of the incident.
Leno hugged the boy involved afterwards and also apologised to the supporters behind the goal.
“I didn’t see him pushing. He touched the ballboy, not pushed the ballboy. They are different things. I am not English but I know the difference between one word and the other,” Silva said.
“It’s clear that he went to speak with the boy after that moment as the top professional he is, a really experienced player that he is as well. We wanted to play quick. I don’t know who gave instructions for them to hold always the ball to delay the beginning of the game again.”
Following the incident, Robinson approached stadium staff to instruct them to take all of the ballboys off the pitch, which Silva said was proof that the officials also felt that there was deliberate time-wasting.
“To the fourth official it is so clear that the ballboys were delaying the game,” Silva added. “At the moment it was already 2-0 but the rules are there.
“I was so really upset with our performance I didn’t have even the energy to start to complain. For me it was difficult to understand the situation because if you’re losing the game multi-ball [which permits the match to resume with another ball immediately] should be there. If it was until that moment it should be there until the last minute of the game but it was the decision of the ref.”
The Premier League later confirmed that “the multi-ball system was withdrawn after 79 minutes”.
Andoni Iraola, the Bournemouth manager said “there is no instruction, I can guarantee,” when asked if the ballboys had been told to slow the game down.
A sixth win in seven games meant Bournemouth rose into the top half of the Premier League for the first time this season as Iraola served a one-match touchline ban.
Goals from Justin Kluivert, a penalty from Solanke and a wonderful late strike from Luis Sinisterra were enough to overcome a lacklustre Fulham, who suffered a second defeat in four days without scoring and who are now without an away win in nine matches.
“I prefer to be on the bench. I will try to improve my behaviour and try to control it a bit more because I haven’t enjoyed the experience,” Iraola, who had watched from the stands after receiving three yellow cards, said. “Although maybe they don’t need me so much — they did very well.”
Bournemouth had been top of the Premier League form table before this festive fixture, having accrued 16 points from 18 in their previous six games.
As well as adapting to Iraola’s new methods, much of that success had been due to the goals of Solanke, who now has 12 so far this season — more than he managed in his first 96 appearances in the Premier League.
It is quite the turnaround for Bournemouth, who managed only three points from their opening nine matches under Iraola, the former Rayo Vallecano manager.
“We want to keep it going,” Iraola said of his team’s form. “We were not as bad as we looked at the beginning of the season and we are not as good probably as we look today — somewhere in the middle.
“It’s very strange to have this kind of run, especially at this level. Everyone is playing very well: we are playing with confidence, we are competing better than we were before.”
The pattern of the first half saw Fulham with more of the ball but Bournemouth with more of the chances. Solanke had an early shot deflected behind off Tosin Adarabioyo after being found by the lively Kluivert.
Antoine Semenyo then found Kluivert in space on the left but his shot was brilliantly blocked by Adarabioyo, who headed off the line a minute later.
Just before half time, Bournemouth were ahead after a brilliant run by Alex Scott, who weaved between João Palhinha and Andreas Pereira before feeding Kluivert, whose low shot squirmed beneath Leno. The German’s reaction showed that he knew he ought to have saved it.
There had been little sign of a Fulham response before Palhinha conceded a penalty after an hour as he clumsily bundled over Semenyo.
Solanke duly stepped up to coolly convert his 12th goal of the season, scoring low into the right-hand corner.
In stoppage time, substitute Sinisterra scored a brilliant third goal, dancing across the edge of the penalty area before shooting wonderfully into the top corner. Heady times for Bournemouth.
Bournemouth (4-2-3-1): Neto 6 — A Smith 6, I Zabarnyi 7, M Senesi 7, D Ouattara 6 — A Scott 7, R Christie 7 — A Semenyo 7 (L Sinisterra 72min), J Kluivert 7 (P Billing 72), M Tavernier 6 (D Brooks 88) — D Solanke 7.
Fulham (4-2-3-1): B Leno 5 — K Tete 6 (T Castagne 72), T Adarabioyo 7, C Bassey 7, A Robinson (F Ballo-Touré 82) 6 — J Palhinha 6, T Cairney 6 (S Lukic 82) — B Decordova-Reid 6 (H Wilson 72), A Pereira 7 (C Vinícius 82), A Iwobi 6 — R Muniz 6. Booked Leno, Pereira.
Referee T Robinson.
