Fulham manager Marco Silva was visibly furious with the fourth official after a substitution error led to the wrong player being taken off the pitch during their 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth.
Due to an unusual administrative mistake, Ryan Sessegnon was substituted in the 57th minute as part of a triple substitution.
With Bournemouth leading 1-0 from an early goal, Fulham brought on Adama Traore, Raul Jimenez, and Tom Cairney as substitutes to try and score.
Viewers saw these three players replace Sessegnon, Sander Berge, and Rodigo Muniz at the Vitality Stadium.
However, the substitutions took over five minutes, causing referee Michael Oliver to inquire about the delay.
It was later revealed that Fulham did not intend to substitute Sessegnon, but were forced to due to the error.
Manager Silva was clearly infuriated by the situation and argued with the fourth official, Tim Robinson, on the sideline. It remains unclear which player Silva wanted to substitute instead of Sessegnon.
After the match, Silva commented, “We had enough time to correct it, and I attempted to do so. But he decided against allowing us to correct it. The fourth official seemed confused throughout the game in various situations.”
Premier League rules state that once a player is substituted, they cannot return to the game.
The Sky Sports commentator mentioned that the substitution board initially showed Ryan Sessegnon`s name, but Fulham`s technical staff indicated that he was not meant to be substituted.
Fulham conceded a very early goal after just 53 seconds from Antoine Semenyo.
Evanilson later hit the post from close range in the 17th minute.
Sessegnon also missed a significant opportunity to equalize with a header just before halftime.
Ultimately, Fulham`s substitutions could not change the score, and Bournemouth overtook them in the Premier League table, moving to eighth place.
Bournemouth secured their first victory in nine games across all competitions, reviving their hopes for a European Conference League spot for next season.
