Everton returned home to the Hill Dickinson Stadium after the long trek to Sunderland for one point on Monday night. The first 30 minutes were scintillating and the next 60 were frustrating to say the least.
Moyes knew that he needed to replicate the start against the Black Cats but find a way to keep the levels up for the rest of the match.
Fulham had been on a run of four consecutive losses against Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Arsenal and Newcastle United but last Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Wolves ended that run. Marco Silva returned to face his former team and hoped that his team could add another loss for the Blues at home after their recent capitulation to Tottenham.
Team News
David Moyes made one change to the Toffees team that started on Monday with Tim Iroegbunam making his first league start since the goalless draw with Aston Villa in September, replacing Jake O’Brien. Importantly, Thierno Barry was preferred to Beto in attack and Iliman Ndiaye recovered from Monday’s injury.
Marco Silva confirmed he had only one injury with former Everton Academy youngster Antonee Robinson ruled out with a knee problem. Marco Silva made one change to the Fulham side that started last weekend with Sasa Lukic recalled in place of Josh King, who dropped to the bench.
Match Report
The game was preceded by the Remembrance Weekend tributes. Everton quickly got the control and their first attack fell to an outstretched Barry who couldn’t get the ball past Leno. The Blues were pushing and a great ball from Ndiaye connected with Barry and his header sailed over the top. The pressure on Fulham was mounting so they slowed the game down.
Barry chested the ball down into the path of KDH and he was dragged down by Lukic who was given a yellow for his efforts. The resulting free kick was taken by Garner and it took a good save from Leno to prevent the goal. Everton had 65% of the possession after 15 minutes but nothing on the scoreboard.
Fulham were trying to get the ball into the final third but only long crosses that were easily handled by the Everton backline. A quick counterattack saw Barry swivel into the path of Tete which resulted in the striker needing some treatment for his ankle. He left the pitch gingerly but returned. Grealish was taken down on the edge of the box. Garner lined it up but Sessegnon blocked the low drive.
Thierno Barry was doing well against Bassey and his holdup play was very good. Everton were just missing the final pass. Fulham made a quick break and Mykolenko gave up a corner unnecessarily but he was not punished. Pickford made his first save of the match and he then delivered a raking ball to Grealish. Seconds later, Barry had the ball into the net but he was called offside.
Two fouls in quick succession put Fulham on the edge of Everton’s box with Jiminez and Wilson lining it up but the wall stood firm. Garner then fouled Bassey as the Blues were losing their focus. KDH broke away and was taken down by Lukic. A second yellow was called for but nothing was given.
The resulting free kick had Ndiaye deliver a lovely cross that was drilled into the net by Tarkowski but the offside flag was up again. Six minutes of additional time was displayed by the fourth official as Everton continued to push forward. Bassey and Tarkowski got the handbags out after Tete ended up on the floor in the box. Tarks received the yellow.
The throw in from Mykolenko was like a pinball game and when the ball came back off the bar, Gueye was there to score his second of the season. Fulham pushed for an equalizer but they could not muster any real chances. Everton were happy to slow the play down until Andy Madley ended the half.
The second half started with Fulham trying to raise their game. Everton countered and another long throw from Mykolenko caused chaos for Fulham and it was the offside flag again that denied an Everton goal when KDH had the ball in the Fulham net. The replays did not clear up who was offside but play continued with the ruling not being overturned.
Marco Silva withdrew Jiminez and Wilson with Chukwueze and Muniz entering the fray. Pickford was required to make a nice foot save from Muniz on the hour mark. It took some great defending from Ndiaye to deny Fulham’s Kevin. Iroegbunam was given a yellow for pulling a Fulham shirt.
Everton were struggling to get on the ball as Fulham continued to push. Moyes withdrew Iroegbunam and it was Rohl who took his place. The changes had an immediate effect as Everton started to get on the ball much more. They were also squeezing the field and giving Fulham less room to play. A nice Everton period of play showed greater patience in the buildup but it ended with a wayward shot from KDH.
Fulham brought on Traore for Muniz who had only been on for ten minutes. Fulham looked like they had four up top so there was going to be room going forward for the Blues. Barry was withdrawn after 78 minutes for Beto to add some fresh legs. The channel ball to Beto was immediately on and it forced Everton’s first corner of the half. KDH delivered the cross and it was met by Michael Keane who headed the ball into the back of the old onion bag!
Incredibly, VAR looked to see if the ball had hit his arm but it was off Keane’s shoulder and this one stood. It was his 16th league goal for the club and continued his strong play this year. The Evertonians didn’t care how it went in as they raised their voices in unison to show their appreciation.
Fulham weren’t done and Pickford was needed to prevent a goal from Traore as his shot deflected off the Everton defender. James Garner then slid a pass towards Beto and it took an outstretched block from Anderson to clear the ball. Emile Smith Rowe was brought on for Kevin as Marco Silva tried to change the flow of the match. KDH was withdrawn and Jake O’Brien was brought on which moved Garner back into the middle. Another six minutes of stoppage time was announced.
Everton kept their cool and the second goal clearly took the wind out of Fulham’s sails. The final whistle was blown and even though they had put five past Bernd Leno, the final score was 2-0. A big win for Everton which moved them into 11th place.
Everton’s Man of the Match
Idrissa Gana Gueye: At 36 years of age, Gueye has shown that those years are having little impact on the feisty midfielder. Today, he closed down the play, pressed the ball continuously and scored the opening goal. With 61 touches, 6 in the box, and 4 passes in the final third, the Senegalese midfielder was important going forward. Defensively he had 3 clearances, 1 interception and 3 recoveries. A total performance that was topped off with his ever present calmness.
Instant Reaction
Getting back on track was important today. The team kept their levels up throughout and really only wobbled slightly at the start of the second half. It was nice to see Barry, Rohl and Iroegbunam getting some minutes with the African Cup of Nations coming up. The win puts Everton on 15 points, just 3 points off third place. Looking up as the international break on tap before we head to Manchester United on November 24th.
Thierno Barry looked completely shattered when he was withdrawn last week. The general consensus was that other than the big miss, he had done not much else wrong. It seemed harsh and I worried for him as he sat dejectedly on the bench. Good on Moyes to give the young lad another chance and even though he didn’t score, he showed his holdup play and workrate. He must be given another chance next time.
Today, when Fulham came out of the tunnel in the second half they were a different team. They were pressuring the Blues and it was Moyes who decided to shuffle his pack. The introduction of Merlin Rohl for Iroegbunam provided some calm in the team that turned the tide back in Everton’s favour and led to the important second goal. Iroegbunam had a solid game and Rohl’s arrival kept the levels up. The stronger bench was critical.
David Moyes was seen as “The Moyesiah” when he returned to the club and steered Everton to safety last season. This week, after the loss to Tottenham and the draw at Sunderland, the winds of discontent were blowing amongst the fan base and frankly, those Evertonians need to get a grip and appreciate the position that the club is in from a broader perspective. This team has undergone nothing less than a double lung and heart transplant in the past 11 months. The squad required an overhaul, the administrative structure needed some real change and we have to see that these monumental changes will take time to show the fruit of that labour. Moyes knows that we need a striker and a right back. January is coming. Let’s be supporters and banish the feast or famine Evertonian mindset. A steady growth is far better than one step forward and two back which we have been dealing with for too many years.
