The Bournemouth forward has been backed to move to Liverpool in the summer, and he showed why with a classy finish that crushed Fulham’s hopes of Champions League football
In 2016 Liverpool signed a darting forward from a mid-table side competing strongly against the traditional top six. No need to tell the Anfield faithful how that turned out.
On Monday night, another darting forward picked the ball up after Fulham’s usually reliable Antonee Robinson had fluffed an interception. Antoine Semenyo poked the ball clinically beyond Robinson and then did a little shimmy that took out centre-back Joachim Anderson, before tucking a cool finish into the bottom corner.
You could easily have switched Semenyo for Mane and the Cherries’ jersey for Liverpool’s bright red. If Liverpool sign the forward in the summer, it would be a massive step further in the right direction for Arne Slot’s side.
Fulham’s hopes of a top five finish crushed
Up to five sides – Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle, Nottingham Forest, and Aston Villa – are in the thick of a race for just three spots in next season’s Champions League.
Fulham were still very much pushing for it, particularly after their superb 3-2 comeback win over Liverpool early in April. But with the disappointing loss on Monday night to Andoni Iraola’s side, it is hard to see a way up for Fulham.
The Cherries have in fact leap-frogged them in the table to eighth place. Both sides are level on points but Bournemouth are eight ahead in goal difference. More importantly, they are now six points behind seventh place, and seven behind fifth.
Those who fail to make Europe’s elite competition will ultimately settle for the Europa League, with the seventh or eighth team then making the Conference League. That could have been Fulham, but after the loss to Bournemouth, the latter might just pip them to it.
What Semenyo said
“I feel like I should be getting more [goals and assists],” said the forward, who has eight goals and five assists this season. “I’ve had numerous opportunities in games where I should have just smashed it or placed it, missed a couple of chances.
“I know for my own self with the quality I have I should be getting better numbers. I am working on it every week in training.
“The manager is helping me with little details, watching things over on clips. Hopefully with the last five or six games I can get a couple more goals and assists. There’s more to come.”
