One great half...

The defence looks miles better without Holgate whose presence beside Keane or Zouma creates major jitters so right now for the moment at least I'm happy enough with Zouma and Keane.

I just think Zouma has that absolutely crucial pace and power that is needed badly when playing big bustling centre-forwards. I could have well imagined Mitrovic bullying Holgate yesterday like Arnautovic did two weeks ago, but Keane and Zouma was just more uncompromising.

Gana played pretty well.

I still think Tom Davies loses cheap possession far too much and tries things that he just can't do like going past opponents but he had a bit of energy about him to be fair.

It's a 3-0 win and wins don't come easy especially at Everton so I see no reason for complaint.

Pickford (6) – Had little to do but displayed great awareness and bravery in rushing out in the second half when Fulham looked certainly to level.

Kenny (6) – Does a decent enough job but don't think he's ever going to be what Coleman was at a similar age. A little bit slow on reading things at times and caught out in the first half when Fulham hit the bar, where was he? Other than that, he was okay.

Zouma (7) – I believe the closest thing we will have had to Sylvain Distin once he gets himself up and running with 10-15 games under his belt. Strong and quick, I can't see anyone in the Premier League winning a personal duel with him.

Keane (8) – Looks a different player this season, he really does, and seems the one player that Silva has improved from last season immensely. Leaner and more commanding and he would be my choice of captain right now.

Digne (7) – Reminds me of Leighton Baines when he came here. Will get better defensively but his use of the ball is immaculate and has a wand of a left foot, I can see why he's played for the clubs he has.

Gueye (7) – One of his best games in the last six months or more, busy and pickpocketing the opposing team, bags of energy.

Davies (6) – Seemed to have a bit of energy about him yesterday but I still feel he needs to take care of the ball far better, not a great passer of the ball and sadly that fault is not rectified by having any real turn of foot or pace, a better bet than Schneiderlin but that's not saying much.

Sigurdsson (8) – A mark up for two class goals and big character after many a lesser man would have gone into hiding after the penalty miss. He gets stick (mainly due to his 㿙 million tag) but I'll say it again, he's still the only central midfielder we have at present capable of reaching a respectable goals return.

Walcott (6) – Flitted in and out of the game but, when you watch it closely again, you see that most of the good things that we do involve something positive from Walcott, the first half shot, the beautiful cross on a plate for Tosun and then another good run and shot. Always a threat even when not necessarily at it.

Richarlison (6) – Okay enough. Again like Walcott, because he's always running forwards when he gets the ball, he will keep opposing defences on a back foot and looks likely to make anything happen at any given time.

Calvert-Lewin (4) – Runs about but he doesn't ever convince me that he's going to make it as a centre-forward of Premier League standard. Doesn't possess a first touch, doesn't striker you with any confidence in front of goal.

Subs

Bernard (7) – Football brain instantly shines through, always looking to make something happen, skilful and looks pretty quick too.

Tosun (7) – Finally, a much-needed goal, even if he couldn't possibly miss from there, at least he actually was there in the right position to score.

Totally agree with you regarding Holgate. He's not excellent at anything; physically, he's not imposing or dominant enough. He doesn't win enough ariel balls. He's not super quick like a Des Walker type. Nor does he organise a defence particularly. (I don't think he's too vocal?)

He doesn't offer anything offensively when played at right back. I'm not sure what his best attributes are, to be honest.

Zouma & Keane are not perfect but are decent and we haven't had a decent centre-back pairing for what feels like years.

Fabulous to actually win.

I like Tosun but I feel the same way about him as I do about Holgate: he's not that quick, not that strong, nor that great in the air, nor that super a finished. I'd LOVE to be proven wrong but I don't see it.

However, with Richarlison and Walcott, we have pace and goal threat on the wings and Sigurdsson can both pick a pass or score a goal.

Agree: Bernard looks bloody mustard. I'd love to see him have an impact.

I'm not fussed about the price tag – that's not his fault – but the lack of creativity is very much his fault. Nor do I accept the excuse that it's not him, he needs better players around him. The same was said of Rooney.

With his experience, we should be seeing a lot more from the player labelled as the creative force we have been missing for so long.

I also don't see the animosity towards Sigurdsson that you have shown since yesterday.

He had a poor first half (like most of the team) but look at him closely yesterday in the second half to appreciate what he does.

Forget the set plays, forget him not carrying the ball (that's not his strength, never has been, and never will be).

Look at his first goal, he plays a lovely through ball to Kenny (yes, a creative ball) and then is not standing admiring that but is on the end of the loose ball to tuck home a quite sumptuous strike with his weaker foot.

The third goal, what other central midfielder was there busting a gut to offer Bernard the option of a pass?

Sigurdsson might not be your cup of tea Annika but let's face it, what options we currently possess in that position of the pitch he offers the very best of what we can put there.

Last season, he never had a pre-season with us, played for three different managers and had his season prematurely ended in March thanks to injury but still managed six goals from midfield.

He's an intelligent footballer, not a world beater, but he's a good reliable footballer who will get you goals, and that's what the game of football is about at the end of the day.

Anyway, Paul I think your summary of the game is spot on apart from Gana. Many times he wins the ball back but sometimes he has to do that because he's the one who lost it, either by giving a teammate the ball while surrounded, heavy touches or being caught in possession. That said, others in our side lose possession and stop completely which is of no use whatsoever.

I thought Davies was better than him yesterday as he played some well-weighted balls into common-sense areas.

Good tonic on the back of a good 1st half at The Gunners, and the team is showing some good traits but is a long way off from what you'd call consistent, and we have not done back-to-back 95-minute storming performances in recent times.

No point in going back in time as that was then, and this is now, and a reality check to get close to the consistency of the Man City, Chelsea, and the RS.

I've confidence and belief in M&M, and they need time and patience, which in modern times are ever harder to find, but have always been in life's trials, precious assets.

Plenty to be positive about going into this week, which is a massive week for the club and this season, bearing in mind where we are, who've we played, and what's at stake.

Here's to a good week, Evertonians.

Credit to the defence, all of them, really.

And what a player Bernard shows out to be. His play and sudden stop, then pass to Sigurdsson to score might look simple but, to me, that's football art. It looks very promising. His low centre-of-gravity advantage can be a true golden egg, and will hopefully make up for his lack of mass and height, cause he is small in stature, that's for sure. And I guess playing in Ukraine made him tough.

Let's hope the defense can keep up the good work as I now see good progress in our offensive power.

I've only seen highlights but pleased this game might of helped shape next week's line up, with Tosun restored and/or hopefully a place for Bernard. I don't mind Schneiderlin in this formation but, if he plays, it unfortunately means Gana plays further forward. With Gana deeper, the option appears to be Davies, and let's face it, he's got more responsibility so just may thrive. Getting better.

Great anecdote on the half-time entertainment for us expat Blues.

Delighted for Sigurdsson, Kenny and Dignes deliveries. Gana had a better game as well. Calvert-Lewin should not be starting, however; he reminds me of a certain Ian Marshall from the 80s, just a cumbersome footballer.

The best thing besides the points, Bernard's cameo it looks like he has a brain!

Let's not get carried away and put our strongest team out against Southampton, and get used to winning.

I agree Gueye was our Man of the Match. His tackling kept us afloat when Fulham were swamping us in midfield. Before taking the penalty, Sigurdsson had been anonymous. The awful miss appeared to jolt him into action as though he realised his head was on the block. To be fair, he did well in the last forty minutes.

With the score at 1-0 Pickford's dash from his line to grab the ball from the feet of the Fulham forward was vital. How or why Kenny was left to deal with two forwards running clear is something which should exercise our head coach this week. Whether or not it will we can only guess at. Against a better team, we would have been punished.

While the final scoreline flattered the performance, it was imperative to take the three points and stay out of the relegation battle.

I can't believe that was coached and that someone 'broke ranks' from their designated role and pushed up too far from the position they should have held.

I'm sure it will be highlighted at Finch Farm this week, but I also noted in-game that on subsequent Everton corners both Kenny and Gueye stood together in the centre circle in a defensive role.

So the coaching staff on the sidelines or the players on the pitch themselves recognized the deficiency and duly corrected it.

That merits praise.

Always looking forward to this match report, keep it going!

On the subject of giving the ball away cheaply: Tom Davies. Love the lad but he's not bringing enough to the team at the moment. He's caught in possession regularly and he doesn't create much. I'm hoping Gomes will be a more natural fit in the midfield because, in my opinion, that's where we are lacking at the moment.

Gana had his best game for ages, and Sigurdsson had a decent second half but we simply aren't dominating other teams in the middle of the park, or creating enough from there. Am I imagining it or do all our goals seem to come from work down the wings this season?

Pass completion stats are pretty meaningless anyway – most passes are two yarders that are irrelevant to the game. For example, if the 12% of passes Davies didn't complete were ones that gave the opposition an opportunity to break and score, and 0% of the completed passes created a chance, then we're in trouble.

You do also realise that not many passes are irrelevant in a game, don't you? Everyone has to have a boo boy though, I suppose.

If Walcott's cross was good, then Kenny's pass to Theo was very good; if a young lad isn't given time to develop, then guess what? He won't develop.

Zouma's only played four games? Then how many games do you think Kenny has played for Silva, whose methods for a fullback is something I doubt any young English fullback will have ever come across before...

Annika #4, view again the pass Sigurdsson made to set Calvert-Lewin free for the penalty. Looked creative to me. Nobody else in our side makes that pass. Nobody else curls in a shot like that with their off foot for the first goal. And nobody else (except Richarlison) helps force the turnover that triggered the third goal and then sprints 70 yards to finish the chance. Siggy may not be dazzling on the ball, but he is quality, and he's critical to us in a lot of areas.

I remember seeing Tom come on after an hour at Stamford Bridge when we got tonked 5-0 and he was immediately our best player, positive and confident. He seems to have lost his way a bit since then and I'm hoping Gomes can come in and do a better job later on this season if Davies doesn't kick on. Am I allowed to say that though, or do you think we have to be mindlessly uncritical of every player?

For every time Tom Davies gives the ball away, he plays a splendid ball like the 40 yard brilliant pass he made to Calvert-Lewin against Arsenal in the opening minutes of last week's game. And he covers a ton of ground. Gana is a ball winner and compliments Tom. His passing isn't near as poor as some make it out to be, and although prone to a wayward pass, he wins the ball back at such an alarming rate to my eyes, he's an asset. Sigurdsson has all the tools in his locker as we witnessed yesterday.

It's not a Barcelona midfield, but it's not near as poor as many make it out to be.

Try this. Instead of focusing on Tom Davies shortcomings, count the number of times he does something well.

It will dwarf his mistakes by a mile.

Do it. I dare ya. Try to see him positively and watch what he does well and where he contributes, instead of waiting for the 1 out of 10 poor passes he makes and jumping on the kid. And then, while you're at it, analyze that one poor pass and see if it was actually giving away possession while trying to move forward or spring a teammate to an attacking opportunity.

They are ALL impressing me.

Yes, Pickford is still overcooking some of his kicks, but less so than last year.

Yes, Jonjoe has a tendency to drift back in as the back line should be moving forward to potentially put an attacking player onside, but his energy levels, tackling, recovery, passing and crossing are already good and can only get better.

Yes, Zouma has got into Sylvan Distin-type tangles with his feet, but he is strong in both the air and on the ground, can carry the ball out of defence and can hit a mean long diagonal ball.

Yes, Digne (and Kenny) need to learn better when to kick on and when to hold their defensive position, but there is a proper footballer there.

Yes, Keane had the turning circle of an oil tanker last season, but possibly of all the players this season, he looks a player re-born to me. I have been particularly impressed at how he has come back from his fractured skull injury in the last 2 games.

He has been absolutely fearless and hasn't ducked out of a single aerial challenge since returning, be it defence or attack.

When he first arrived last season he looked a steady 7-8 out of 10 player, then rapidly deteriorated into a 3-4 out of 10. He is back to looking like a 7-8 out of 10 player again.

I continue to see good things happening with both individuals and the team, in spite of some setbacks and poor results.

I've not said we have to be mindlessly uncritical of players, if they play badly it's fair game, it's the mindlessly critical that gets me but you saw it differently to me and the stats, that's all. I'll stick by my views as you'll stick by yours.

Zouma's issue to me isn't his feet, it's his head. Yes, he goes to the ball with admirable commitment, but too often he makes wrong decisions about positioning and reacting off the ball. And too many of his clearing headers go straight to the opposition. For a player with over 200 top-level appearances (113 in the Premier League), he looks like a rookie to me.

I would love to see Richarlison up front in place of Calvert-Lewin and Bernard out on the left.

I'm getting sick of hearing myself defend Calvert-Lewin so will wade in for Kenny this week. Jim above compares him unfavourably to Coleman at the same age and I wonder if his memory is failing him (no disrespect Jim, I am joking) but Coleman at 21 was not trusted by Moyes to be a defender and was put on the right wing initially until he learned how to defend. Well, Kenny can defend albeit he makes mistakes and loses his position sometimes but he is learning and is far better than Seamus was at this age. Seamus could dribble and score goals but Kenny is a far better crosser of the ball. Give these kids time and encouragement and let's see how they are in 12 months time.

As for Calvert-Lewin, I remember a match report in the Echo on one of Sharp's early games, saying “As for Sharp, he was out of his depth at this level” – boy, did he prove that reporter wrong!

I thought Kenny had a good game. Fulham were pushing high on their left so he and Walcott didn't get much space although it helped them when they broke through in the attacking third as the space suddenly emerged as they got behind them. His ball in for the second was perfectly weighted.

As for Calvert-Lewin, well that's 4 managers now who have kept on selecting him. Koeman would stick him on a lot albeit on the flanks. Unsworth used him. Sam turned to him a bit and now Silva is starting him up front. I know we've had a lack of quality up top of late but he's getting time so he must have something.

My mate is a Spurs fan and they persevered with Harry Kane for several years and had run out of patience and were calling for him to be sold. Look what happened there.

And when he latches onto balls like with the penalty, or he's alone against two centre-halves, you think maybe he will get there.

I thought Jonjoe had a great game on Saturday, he is improving all the time as far as I can see. Davies and Calvert-Lewin are making mistakes and will continue to as they learn the game but they are nowhere near the hopeless cases they are being portrayed as they both have a good future at Everton along with Jonjoe and a couple more. Have some patience and bear with them.