Muniz brace sees Fulham defeat Bournemouth for first league win of 2024
Bournemouth came into the contest looking to claim their first league win since beating Fulham in the reverse fixture on Boxing Day.
However, their hopes of claiming all three points were dealt a blow when Lewis Cook was punished for a slip in the box in the early exchanges.
The loss of footing gifted possession to the grateful Bobby Decordova-Reid, who swiftly placed the ball in the bottom corner to register his fifth goal of the PL season.
Just moments later, Fulham went close to adding a second when Willian exchanged a neat one-two with Tom Cairney, only for the Brazilian to be denied by Neto’s quick reactions.
After taking their time to grow into the contest, the Cherries finally carved out a meaningful chance just after the half-hour mark.
Fresh from converting his loan move from Leeds United into a permanent transfer, Luis Sinisterra cut inside onto his favoured right foot before stinging the palms of Bernd Leno with a purposeful strike.
However, Muniz ultimately curtailed Bournemouth’s building momentum as he pounced on Decordova-Reid’s knockdown to prod home from close range.
The Cherries looked to have gained a foothold when they made a fast start to the second period.
A deep corner from the right flank dropped to Marcos Senesi, who calmly brought the ball down before drilling a composed right-footed strike into the net.
Unfortunately for the visitors, Fulham required just a couple of minutes to reassert their authority, with Muniz guiding the ball home from Willian’s inch-perfect cross to net his third goal in two games.
Muniz’s second goal of the contest forced Andoni Iraola to call for reinforcements, which resulted in January signing Enes Ünal being given his debut.
The former Getafe man was unable to inspire a late fightback, as Bournemouth fell to their third defeat in five PL matches. As a result, Fulham replace Bournemouth in 12th place, causing the Cherries to drop down to 13th spot.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Rodrigo Muniz (Fulham)
