Muniz double seals Fulham win over Bournemouth

LONDON, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Fulham ended a three-match winless streak in the Premier League with a 3-1 defeat of Bournemouth at Craven Cottage courtesy of a Rodrigo Muniz double on Saturday.

Victory, Fulham's first in the league in 2024, saw them swap places with Bournemouth and move into 12th place.

The hosts got off to a flying start with Bobby De Cordova-Reid firing a shot into the corner of the net in the fifth minute and De Cordova-Reid's header then set up Muniz to double Fulham's advantage in the 36th minute.

Bournemouth got back in contention with Marcos Senesi finding the net in the 50th minute, but Fulham soon restored their two-goal cushion as Muniz tucked away his second goal from a cross by the impressive Willian.

"It's a great win for us. A big win and well deserved. Overall we were the better team over 90 minutes. The first half was at a very good level," manager Marco Silva said.

"In the last game we deserved much more. Today we got what we deserved in the last few games."

Fulham have stalled somewhat since back-to-back 5-0 wins late last year, but they produced a strong performance against a Bournemouth side who are now five games without a win.

While Muniz grabbed the spotlight with his two goals, the tireless Willian was instrumental in Fulham's dominance.

The Brazilian's quality shone through after De Cordova-Reid had given Fulham the lead following a slip by Lewis Cook.

It was Willian's cross which was headed back by De Cordova-Reid for Muniz to put Fulham in charge.

Willian forced a great save by Neto in the second half, and it was his delivery which enabled Muniz to make the game safe. (Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Hugh Lawson)