Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno pushed a ballboy but managed to escape a second yellow card against Bournemouth on Boxing Day. Stewards at the Vitality Stadium raced over to speak with the youngster, who was unhurt and chatty as he described the surreal sequence of events.
The Cottagers endured a frustrating day on the whole as Marco Silva’s men fell victim to Bournemouth’s scintillating form. Justin Kluivert put the hosts in front shortly before the interval with a low effort that snuck under Leno, when the former Arsenal stopper really should have kept it out.
His anger ramped up a notch in the second half when Dominic Solanke bagged his 12th Premier League goal of the season from the penalty spot.
And with Fulham chasing the game, Leno’s feelings boiled over when he approached a ballboy, who was slow to hand the ball back, and pushed him with his left hand before racing back to the six-yard box.
Camera footage then showed stewards perched behind the youngster, who relayed the incident and clearly mouthed the words ‘he pushed me’. Leno was fervently booed by the Bournemouth crowd whenever he touched the ball from then on.
The German international eventually apologised to the ballboy, who did not appear particularly distressed by the incident, and gave him a hug. Referee Tim Robinson spoke to a member of security staff at the Vitality before the boy was moved to a seat in the stands for the remainder of the contest.
Bournemouth, by contrast, are on a mesmerising streak of seven Premier League games unbeaten, winning six of the matches on that run.
Manchester United, Aston Villa and Newcastle have all failed to beate Andoni Iraola’s red-hot side since the start of November.