Fulham were looking to keep their European hopes alive on a sunny Saturday afternoon against Everton, who might be forgiven for being “on the beach,” with little room to move in the table. The squad heading to London looked healthy, giving David Moyes a selection headache, although Jake O’Brien picked up an injury during the week, meaning a defensive reshuffle was necessary. Ashley Young was given the nod ahead of Nathan Patterson, while Michael Keane deputised for the Irish defender.
The home side started well, hoping to give their fans another famous European tour. Everton were poor, struggling to keep hold of the ball, especially up top. Despite not offering much on the pitch, the away end was in full voice. After a couple of forgettable half-chances from Fulham and one from the Toffees, the hosts took the lead through a header from Raul Jimenez. Emile Smith Rowe was given too much space by James Garner and Ashley Young, and stood the ball up toward the back post, where the Mexican striker easily beat Vitaliy Mykolenko. The goal was deserved after a bright start, and Harry Wilson almost doubled the lead with a strike from the edge of the box, forcing a smart save from Jordan Pickford. That chance came in the 44th minute, and Fulham looked set to take a lead into the break—although Everton had other ideas.
Charly Alcaraz chased a loose ball and did well to win it on Fulham’s 18-yard line before shooting straight at Bernd Leno, with the ball bouncing out for a throw-in. In a last attempt to sneak an equaliser before the interval, Garner launched a hopeful ball into the box. Fulham failed to deal with it, and the ball eventually fell to the feet of out-of-contract Abdoulaye Doucouré, who laid it back to Mykolenko on the edge of the area. The left-back doesn’t score many, and it took a wicked deflection to guide his shot into the net. Everton were fortunate to go into the half level, but the fans weren’t complaining.
As Moyes admitted after the game, the goal spared a few halftime changes, as he had grown frustrated with the first-half display. Everton had let the first 45 minutes pass them by, but that wasn’t the case in the second—far from it. The Blues were determined to give their dedicated travelling support three points to take home. Pickford was in inspired form, pulling off a stunning save to preserve the momentum. Despite questionable positioning, he made amends by reaching out an impressive right hand to deny Wilson’s chipped effort. The acrobatic stop—surely one for his career highlights reel—left him with a sore shoulder, but he managed to stay on for the full 90.
The save sparked Everton’s fightback. They won a corner on 70 minutes, and having already scored from a set piece, they struck again. Dwight McNeil showed his quality with a delivery to the back post—James Tarkowski territory—where Keane, unmarked, thumped a header into the net to give the Blues the lead. The players celebrated with the delirious away crowd (not all of the joy down to the football), and they had more reason to cheer shortly after.
Following some good hold-up play from Beto, Illiman Ndiaye slipped a pass to Alcaraz, who drove towards goal before returning the ball to Beto, charging in from the left. The striker struck early, catching Leno off guard, and while the German might feel he should have done better, the ball slid under him and found the net. McNeil and Idrissa Gana Gueye joined in with Beto’s trademark celebration, capping off a resurgent second-half display. The last notable action came as the ball hit Mykolenko on his arm as Adama Traore attempted to cross the ball in to the box. VAR intervened and suggested that Darren England should have a closer look on the screen. Usually, this means one thing, but the ref stuck to his original decision, much to the delight of Moyes and Everton left London with all the spoils.
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